Choosing the Right JavaScript Editor

Choosing the Right JavaScript Editor
Choosing the Right JavaScript Editor

Introduction

Javascript is one of the most popular and widely used languages in the world today. A majority of websites use Javascript. Javascript is responsible for interactiveness and for adding functions to a website. If you are learning javascript it is always important to select the right tools and working environment that helps you in Othe development of projects and speed up development.

One of the most important tools is the code editor you are using as you would be spending maximum time writing code in the editor. If you are looking for a javascript editor that is the best fit for you, then read out this article. You won’t regret it.

Why Do We Need a JavaScript editor?

Before starting with our topic the top javascript editors, let us discuss why we need an editor.


As a programmer, you would be spending most of the time coding on an editor. A few years back, developers used notepad or notepad++ to write code. But writing code in a notepad is a pain in itself because the notepad was not designed to write code. But now, there are plenty of javascript editors made solely for development and have features that make writing code easier.

Javascript code editors can help you in writing code very quickly. In addition, code editors have many features like Auto-completion, suggestion, beautifier, git integration, etc., which are not present in normal text editors.

Till now, our discussion focussed on the need for an editor and its importance in development, let’s now discuss some of the top Javascript editors.

Difference between IDE and Editor

The term IDE is the acronym for Integrated Development Environment. IDE is a set of tools like editor, compiler, debugger, etc; wrapped together to give a programmer or developer the best experience. IDEs are generally language or framework-specific.

For example IntelliJ for java, pyCharm for python whereas text editor is a simple tool that is designed to edit the text. They are optimised and designed to work with whatever language or framework one chooses.

The main difference between IDE and editor is that IDEs have great debugging features. IDEs provide all the tools required for development and testing in one single place. Despite having such advantages of IDEs, code editors are still popular because they are lightweight and less resource-hungry.

But with passing time the difference between both is narrowing down, code editors are becoming more advanced and have almost all features that an IDE would have. In the coming sections, we are going to list down the popular IDEs and Editors so that you can choose the Best javascript editor for yourself according to your use case. 

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IDEs for JavaScript

IDEs are always a better option for a beginner as they offer all the tools that would be needed for development in JavaScript in one place. Setting up an IDE is a very easy process in comparison to setting up a text editor for development.

Some of the best javascript IDEs are as follows:

Visual Studio Code(VS Code)

Image Source: code.visualstudio

Visual studio code is a free editor and IDE from Microsoft. It is one of the most beginner-friendly editors. Visual studio code has IntelliSense support, enabling auto-completion while writing code in HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Git support is very simple to use in VS code.

VS code has a built-in terminal, which is very useful, especially for beginners.VS code is a complete solution for web development needs. VS Code has an excellent debugger tool for TypeScript, Node.js, and JavaScript.VS Code is available for windows, mac, and Linux. You can also use VS Code plugins that make using VS code much more effortless with increased functionality.

WebStorm

Image Source: Jetbrains.com

WebStorm is a premium IDE created by one of the well-known IDE creators, JetBrains.It is an excellent IDE for javascript.WebStorm is not free, its cost starts at 59 euro per year for an individual license, but the price is justified for the features it offers.

It is one of the most updated and feature-loaded IDE on the list. It has an excellent javascript debugger functionality that makes it stand out of all the options on the list. It has great Git and version control integration. Webstorm has a great UI with customisation. Webstorm has great code refactoring, code completion, and excellent navigation. 

Eclipse

Image Source: eclipse.org

Eclipse is one of the best Java IDEs but can also be used for coding Javascript. To use eclipse for javascript, some plugins need to be installed. Once eclipse pairs with plugins, a whole new experience of writing code in JS is achieved. Eclipse is constantly pushing new features to make IDE more friendly for javascript development. In addition, eclipse has a great Git integration.

It also supports open-source solutions like Docker UI and Docker CLI(Command-line interface).

Editors for JavaScript

Editors are a great option for javascript development. Editors offer a clean and highly customizable experience to users. The editors are less resource-hungry than IDEs so if you are using a low-end machine text editors can be a great choice.

Some of the best text editors are as follows:

Atom

Image Source: atom.io

Atom is a Text Editor developed by Github and has excellent support from Facebook. The features that atom possess, makes the line between text editors and IDE blurry. Atom is one of the best javascript editors, and the best part about Atom is that it is free of cost! Atom is based on an electron.

Electron is a framework to build cross-platform desktop applications. Atom is open-source, and the source code of atom is available on Github. Atom is compatible with windows, mac, and Linux. Atom integrates Git and Github effortlessly, which is very useful when working on a team project.

Being an open-source software atom has many plugins available that are very helpful in writing code. Atom has a fuzzy finder that makes switching between files and finding files very easy.

Sublime Text

Image Source: sublimetext.com

Sublime Text is a lightning-fast javascript editor that is highly flexible and customisable. The pane management of Sublime is best among all the editors in the list. “Go to the symbol” and “Go to the definition” are some great features of Sublime.

It not only supports javascript but also has support for 70 different languages. Setting up the sublime is somewhat tricky, but once you set up the sublime, it offers you one of the clean and hassle-free experiences. There are plenty of plugins available that can enhance your experience while using sublime. Sublime has an unlimited free trial, but you can customise it for business or personal use by paying a fee of $70 per user.

Brackets

Image Source: http://brackets.io/

Brackets is an open-source code editor from Adobe. Brackets is a fast and lightweight editor available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Brackets have built-in javascript support. One of the best features of brackets is a live preview that displays the code’s real-time effect on a web page.

This feature is similar to Adobe’s dream viewer. There are plenty of plugins available that can help you use the brackets in the best possible way. In addition, brackets support quick project switching and function found.

Brackets live preview 

source:https://www.tahirtaous.com/

Which one to choose?

We have listed some of the best javascript editors, but the question arises which editor wins the gold?

Frankly speaking, no IDE or editor is best. It depends upon your purpose of using the editor and preferences. If you are working on front-end development, Brackets is the best choice due to its live preview feature.

WebStorm is one of the best offerings as a package, but it costs money which is not a problem if you are a professional web developer. VS Code and Atom are great offerings being free of cost; the features they offer are tremendous and updated according to the current requirements in the industry. Every editor has its own perks and features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which editor is used for JavaScript?

There are a lot of editors for javascript VS Code is one of the best code editors for javascript. For the complete list, you can refer to the above list.

What is the best free JavaScript editor?

VS Code, Atom, and sublime are some of the best free Javascript editors.

How do I open a JavaScript editor?

First, install any javascript editor that you want. After installing the editor you can open it from my programs by double-clicking on it.

Where can I code JavaScript online?

There are a lot of online JavaScript editors such as Codepen, Jsfiddle, and AWS Cloud9.

How do I try out JavaScript?

If you want to run javascript you can download an IDE or can make use of online IDEs like codepen, jsfiddle. You can also run javascript on the browser using its developer console.

How do I run JavaScript in chrome?

To run Javascript code in chrome, press Command+Option+J (Mac) or Control+Shift+J (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS) to open the console now, you can run your code in the console.

Key Takeaways

This article discusses javascript editors. The article discussed why anyone would need an editor and listed down some of the best javascript editors. The article also classifies the best editor based on the purpose.

By Pranchal Agrahari