It’s easy to become completely overwhelmed as an inexperienced developer. All the languages, frameworks, and workflows at your disposal might promise the world, yet feel impossible to master. Rather than give in to choice paralysis, set yourself up for success by building a developer toolkit.
Using the right tools will help you build healthy coding habits from the outset while minimizing frustration and speeding up learning. Here’s what every beginner developer’s toolkit should contain.
Text Editors and IDEs
Since code is made up of text, it makes sense to pick a reliable coding-centric text editor first. Unlike word processors that focus on formatting text for humans, coding editors come with features like autocomplete and syntax highlighting that make writing code easier and less prone to errors.
IDEs or Integrated Development Environments step things up. They’re not as lightweight as code editors but add essential features that allow you to test and debug code without having to use another tool.
Version Control Systems
When working professionally, you’re far more likely to work in a team than as a solo developer. Version control systems are essential collaboration tools since they keep track of different versions of the code and allow everyone to develop specific parts of it without overwriting or invalidating others’ work.
Version control systems encourage seamless collaboration as well as documentation development. The best ones offer extensive branching and merging support, allowing experimentation and independent development without endangering the core code.
Debugging Tools
No one’s code is flawless. While there’s no getting around bug hunting, debugging tools greatly reduce frustration and help you understand why errors happen. Effective debugging tools will let you stop and examine code line by line to determine and fix faults quickly and confidently.
Many bugs don’t become apparent until you execute the code. It’s a good debugging tool’s job to monitor the program during runtime, letting the dev track variable changes and logic flows that behave unexpectedly. They can then stop at the right breakpoints to catch logic errors or incorrect values in the proper context.
Terminals and Command Line Interfaces
Every developer needs to work on their understanding of underlying systems. Relying on graphics user interfaces that modern operating systems are based on stifles this. Moreover, many of the most important development tools operate exclusively via command-line input.
Mastering terminals and CLIs lets you exercise more control over files and system settings and opens up automation options. It’s also essential for backend development and remote server management.
Package Managers
Modern coding projects are rarely built from scratch. Rather, they rely heavily on existing dependencies that speed up development while keeping you from reinventing the wheel. Package managers ensure all the libraries and frameworks necessary for a project are installed and integrated correctly.
VPNs
It’s never too early to get into safe development habits. On the one hand, you’ve got secure coding practices like input validation. On the other, there’s being responsible and connecting to remote repositories or sharing sensitive data securely.
You might be tempted to remotely restart a server or monitor error reports through a CI/CD dashboard app while traveling or catching up with friends over coffee. The Wi-Fi connection you’d use isn’t safe. However, it can become safe if you use a mobile VPN to encrypt it and make any data that passes through it inaccessible to anyone monitoring the connection.
Database Tools
The ability to call up or modify data stored elsewhere is at the heart of practically every coding application. Beginner developers may find managing and visualizing data structures challenging, which is where database tools come in.
They provide an interface that makes it easier to interact with stored data. Additionally, database tools are indispensable for diagnosing and debugging data retrieval issues.
Containerization and Virtualization Tools
Regardless of one’s skill level, conscientious developers should strive to create applications that work for everyone. However, the breadth and diversity of devices and configurations your code may run on make this challenging.
It’s smart to grasp containerization and virtualization tools early on to help with this. They’re great for safely experimenting with new tools since the created containers and VMs don’t spill over into your system or production environment.
Conclusion
Getting started as a developer can feel overwhelming with many languages, frameworks, and tools available. Instead of letting that stop you, focus on building a solid toolkit that supports your learning and growth. The right tools, like the best VPNs, debugging and database tools, will help you develop good habits, reduce frustration, and make the learning process smoother.
