What Is an IDE?

An integrated development environment (IDE) is a piece of software for creating programs that combine standard developer tools into a single graphical user interface (GUI). An IDE enables developers to create apps quickly because multiple tools do not need to be manually configured and integrated as part of the setup process. Developers do not have to spend hours learning how to use each one individually as every utility is available on the same workbench. 

The majority of the IDE features, such as intelligent code completion and automatic code generation are designed to save time by eliminating the need to write out entire character sequences. The increasing demand for apps created for smartphones and tablets has an impact on almost every industry, leading many businesses towards mobile app development in addition to more conventional online apps. For instance, it may be ideal to start with an IDE that offers cross-platform compatibility for various operating systems if a new application will be used on iOS, Android and a web page.

Features of JavaScript

JavaScript is one of the most widely used languages and it includes several useful features for web development. Approximately 70% of professional developers code in JavaScript. Below are the reasons for the enormous popularity of JavaScript. 

• Firstly, it can be used as a front-end and also as a back-end and thus can be used in all aspects of web development. 
• Secondly, because it is a programming language, its syntax is easy to understand. It can be used directly in a browser without any special configuration.
• Thirdly, it has tremendous community support because of which many open-source libraries are accessible for free. Since there are more open-source and public libraries, there are also more users which improves response times from the community.

Best JavaScript IDEs

Many features in contemporary IDEs are available for automation, customization and visualization. An IDE is important for a web developer who works with extensive codebases, quick development cycles and project deployment. Below are some top JavaScript IDEs you can try, to increase productivity.

1. IntelliJ IDEA

• IntelliJ IDEA is a cross-platform IDE that works consistently on Windows, macOS and Linux. 
• It is an excellent web development IDE that supports a variety of programming languages, including HTML, JavaScript and SQL. 
• It allows for intelligent coding and analyzes data flow. 
• Deployment and debugging tools, code completion, code indexing, maintaining program flow and support for Google App Engine and Google Web Toolkit (GWT) are all features of IntelliJ IDEA. 

2. Visual Studio Code

• Visual studio code (VS Code) is an open-source IDE created by Microsoft. 
• Along with JavaScript, VS Code also supports a majority of popular programming languages like C++ and Python. 
• It is compact and adaptable.
• It is an excellent debugger that works well with JavaScript-based applications.
• It is available for almost all platforms – i.e. Windows, macOS and Linux.
• As it is open-source, no licensing is required.
• It has excellent community support.

3. Eclipse

• Eclipse is one of the most popular IDEs that is primarily used for backend programming and Java-based applications. 
• It has strong support for JavaScript, which may be expanded by installing JavaScript plugins. 
• It is cross-platform that is highly customizable and can support multiple languages. 
• Eclipse has a huge community of developers and a powerful debugging option.

4. Apache NetBeans 

• NetBeans IDE is built by Apache Software Foundation. 
• Apache NetBeans helps editors create applications in JavaScript, PHP, C, HTML and many other languages. With the support for numerous languages, it makes it easier to construct desktop, mobile and web apps.
• Apache NetBeans helps you highlight source codes with a range of handy and powerful tools. 
• It can be installed on all operating systems that support Java, like Windows, Linux, macOS and BSD. 

5. Atom

• Developers from all over the world use Atom which is extremely flexible, adaptable and a well-liked open-source text editor. 
• It uses Teletype to support cross-platform communication and has great themes and customized options. 
• Atom IDE supports many programs that can be installed to improve functionality such as GitHub Integration. 
• You can browse either a single file, an entire project or multiple projects simultaneously.   

6. Brackets

• Brackets is an open-source, sophisticated, portable and free text editor to code front-end apps using web-based technologies like JavaScript, CSS and HTML.
• The user interface is simple and accessible and it requires very little learning, making it appropriate for amateurs. 

7. Webstorm

• Webstorm is a strong IDE designed specifically for JavaScript development. 
• It includes built-in connections with Github along with debugging assistance and static code analysis. 
• It can easily and quickly navigate through various code files, classes and configurations. 
• Webstorm has a real-time code collaboration between several team members. 
• It also helps with syntax highlighting, suggestions and code auto-completion. 
• It supports many JavaScript frameworks like TypeScript, Angular, React and Node.

9. Komodo Edit

• Komodo Edit is a free and open-source IDE that supports both split-view and multiple window views. 
• It completely supports code folding and code blocks.

10. Playcode

• Play Code is an online editor for front-end application development that supports the majority of technologies like JavaScript and its related frameworks, HTML and CSS. 
• It offers real-time results for written scripts, easy debugging and provides pre-made templates with an inbuilt UI. 

11. Codepen.io

• Web-based front-end developers use the online coding editor Codepen.io. 
• It gives support to CSS, images and JSON files. 
• The pro-edition of Codepen.io provides customizable profiles and themes. 

12. JSFiddle

• JSFiddle is an online code editor used for speedy development with web-based technologies like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. 
• As it is web-based, it is platform-neutral. It supports more than 30 JavaScript-based frameworks. 
• The JSFiddle IDE is an easy-to-understand UI and is straightforward.