This Week's Top 5 Developer Tools - October 4th 2023

Staying on top of the latest developer tools can be a challenge, but it's key to boosting productivity and efficiency. To help out, I've compiled a list of the top 5 developer tools you should know about in 2023. From beautiful UI libraries like NextUI to AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot, these cutting-edge tools aim to simplify and enhance the development workflow. Whether you're looking to visualize Git repositories, resolve merge conflicts, test across platforms, or get AI-powered coding suggestions, these five tools have something to offer. Read on to learn more about how these innovative developer tools can level up your projects and streamline your workflow.

Topics covered:

1. Next UI

2. Project IDX

3. Github Copilot

4. VS Code Port Forwarding

5. GitKraken Client

6. This Weeks Deal (JetBrains)

Next UI

Vercel, the company behind popular developer tools like Next.js and Vercel, has released a new open-source React UI library called NextUI. As the name suggests, NextUI aims to be the next generation of React UI components.

With NextUI, developers can build beautiful, themeable user interfaces quickly and easily. NextUI is built to provide an excellent developer experience.

Accessibility is baked in from the start in NextUI. Components follow web accessibility standards out of the box, making it easier for developers to build inclusive products.

Overall, NextUI shows promise as a modern React UI library that balances aesthetics, speed, flexibility, and accessibility.

NextUI is 100% free.

NextUI.

Project IDX

Project IDX from Google is an exciting new initiative that aims to revolutionize application development by bringing the entire workflow into the cloud. This experimental project provides a web-based IDE that allows developers to get started quickly from anywhere, on any device.

Key features include:

• Quick onboarding - Go from opening your browser to coding an app in seconds

• Support for popular frameworks like Angular, React, Flutter, and more

• Multi-platform previews - Test your app across web, iOS, and Android

• AI-powered coding assists - Get help from Google's new Codey AI model

• Built on Google Cloud - Leverage Google's security and scalability

Project IDX is still in early preview, but it offers a glimpse into the future of streamlined, cloud-based development workflows. With forthcoming collaboration tools, code syncing, debugging, and more, IDX has the potential to simplify application building tremendously.

Project IDX.

Github Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that suggests complete lines and functions as you code. Trained on billions of lines of public code, Copilot turns natural language comments into code across dozens of languages.

Key features include:

• Multi-line function suggestions - Get entire function implementations prompted by comments

• Works across many languages - Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and more

• Integrates with popular editors - VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio

• Helps you code faster and stay focused

• Can assist in learning new languages and frameworks

Copilot is available as Copilot for Individuals ($10/month) or Copilot for Business ($19/month per user) with added enterprise features.

While not a full substitute for human collaboration, Copilot aims to boost productivity and increase satisfaction by reducing repetitive coding work. With the tool now used by over 1.2 million developers, GitHub Copilot offers a glimpse into the future of AI-assisted programming.

Github Copilot.

VS Code Port Forwarding

While not a standalone tool, VS Code Port Forwarding is still a very important tool that you should know about. VS Code Port Forwarding allows you to easily expose local web services to others over the internet. This makes it simple for others to preview websites or test APIs that you are developing, without the need for deployment.

Port forwarding works by tunneling traffic through Azure, securing connections via your GitHub account. You can set ports to be private (requiring sign-in) or public.

VS Code Port Forwarding (And how to use it).

GitKraken

GitKraken Client from Axosoft offers a suite of popular Git tools aimed at helping developers visualize, focus, collaborate, and stay connected.

Their flagship GitKraken Client provides GUI-based Git management with features like:

• Intuitive commit-graph visualization

• Powerful merge conflict resolution

• Workspaces for easy collaboration

• Tight integrations with Git hosts, IDEs, and project tools

With over 1 billion commits visualized and integrations with major code hosts, GitKraken Client aims to enhance productivity and collaboration for dev teams of all sizes. Their tools help developers better understand complex repositories, minimize distractions, and streamline workflows.

GitKraken Client has a 7-day free trial, and afterward, the price starts at $4.95.

GitKraken Client.