Web Development Tools

It would be impossible for web developers to be able to test, debug, and fix their code without the use of web development tools. These tools are specifically designed for testing; this means that other tools such as website builders and IDEs do not count as web development tools.

A web development tool can test many things, from the display and functionality of a web application to the user interface of a web page. They typically come as built-in plugins with web browsers, or they can be easily added on. This helps web developers access, test, and edit their code on a live platform.

Ease of Access

Web development tools can be used across any browser, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. These web development tools can be used on a variety of different languages and technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the DOM.

Web browsers are continuously developing more features and are becoming more readily available in browsers due to the increasing demand from users that browsers and Internet services should include more dynamic elements.

Popular web development tools include:

• Web Developer Tools for Google Chrome
• F12 Web Developer Tools for Internet Explorer 8
• Safari Web Development Tools for Safari
• F12 Web Console/Browser Console for Firefox
• Opera Dragonfly for Opera

Features of Web Development Tools

A lot of people have accessed web development tools without even realizing it; by clicking on the “Inspect Element” option when right-clicking on a Google Chrome webpage will bring up the browser’s web development tools. It is good that anyone can access this, as it gives developers a chance to see where coding may have possibly gone wrong.

HTML and the DOM is a built-in feature to most web development tools, and offers a way for developers to view this code easily. Developers can even make changes to HTML code through the tool itself.

Web development tools also feature resources, network information, and web page assets. Most web pages have images, videos, and other types of files, which need to be viewed by the web development tool and identified as a unique element.

Developers have the ability to profile and audit any web page or web application with the web development tool feature built into the browser. This makes it easy for them to detect breaches in security, bugs in the code, or other serious functions that may need to be tested.

Things to Consider

Web development tools may have a variety of niche options available. There are often hosts of unique tools that can be accessed for specific needs. Web applications that are flash games will have a much different set of web development tools than a basic text HTML page will. Keep in mind:

• Most web development tools are free.
• Text editors are good additions to solving the problems found with web development tools
• The tools are mainly used for auditing and debugging

With these features in mind, it is good to know that most web development tools are free to the public and can be accessed in any browser at any time.