While offline web development tools can be very time-efficient and capable, they’re also quite cumbersome to use. Think about it; you have to constantly switch from the editor to the browser in order to make visible changes and progress.
On the other hand, when you work with real-time editors and IDEs, you’ll be able to see your changes in real-time, while most of these online editors also come with the added benefit of giving you first-time access to fresh code from the world’s best web developers.
Here are just 5 web development editors to check out for these and many other benefits.
1. Codepen
Codepen works both as an open-source learning environment as well as an online code editor, and it boasts the biggest community of web developers and designers around. In fact, it’s where developers go to create and test code snippets, which are named “pens” after the playground itself.
The best part is that it has JS, CSS, and HTML capabilities including TypeScrit, SCSS, Slim, Pug, and much more. Users can also collaborate with each other through the provided tools for this purpose, and your work is saved automatically so that you can get back right where you left off when you come back to it.
2. JSFiddle
JSfiddle users get to create, collaborate on, and share code snippets known as “fiddles”, which are built from JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. Thanks to its streamlined and simple interface, users are able to see the code and results displayed together in real-time. JSFiddle also supports JavaScript libraries like React, Vue, CoffeeScript, TypeScript as well as SCSS.
The best part is that the creators are constantly working on developing this to make it user-friendly and more valuable, and user collaboration is not only encouraged but optimized too.
3. Codeply
Not only is Codeply integrated with the most prominent frameworks but it’s also web-based and enabled for CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It makes it easier for a web designer to create responsive websites like Judie Online, through simple front-end design while the editor conveniently provides you with options for snippets, layouts, and elements.
4. Plunker
Plunker is the ideal web development playground that will see you through from the conception of your idea to its implementation. Users can drag and drop files at will thanks to the multi-pane editor while your results will be displayed in real-time alongside your process.
Also, Plunker automatically saves your work so you can have access to it when you come back, and even the unsaved copy will have a copy of it saved somewhere. Collaboration is also enabled, as users are able to experiment with plunks from other users, thanks to the fact that they’re indexed and searchable at will.
5. JSBin
JSBin is absolutely free to use and is optimized for CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It enables you to see what you’re doing in real-time through the live output, and it supports JS pre-processors as well, like TypeScript, ReactLibrary, CoffeeScript, Less, SCSS, Sass, Stylus, and Markdown.
Plus, its code casting feature means that you can record your coding session live and share it with other users immediately.
