The year is 2021. The world has changed, and JavaScript is the undisputed king of interpreted languages. The community itself has grown to gargantuan sizes.
Some say it’s too big to manage. But one revolution, led by tools like Visual Studio Code, will mend this fractured community. It’s also where the best IDE for Javascript 2021 comes into play. Here are the best IDE for Javascript 2021:
Visual Studio Code
Vs code (aka VS Code) is a product of Microsoft. It’s important to not mix this up with Visual Studio that is mainly aimed at .NET development.
This is one of the best IDEs for javascript development. It is very powerful and rich in features and most of all, it is free to use.
Features:
- Support for multiple languages (JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.). Custom extensions can be installed on this to support ecosystems of C#, C++, Python, etc.
- Syntax highlighting
- Auto-complete with IntelliSense
- Capabilities to debug code by attaching running apps and including breakpoints
- Shortcuts to make coding efficient
- A marketplace with extensions to support many extra functionalities (E.g.- Docker extensions)
- Integration capabilities with Visual Studio Code Online
- Version controlling via extensions
Pros:
- Powerful multilanguage IDE
- Nice built-in features like auto-highlighting repeating variables
- It’s lightweight
- Helpful for quick script modification
- Better UI, easy plugins, and nice git integration
Cons:
- More advanced debugging features would be helpful
- Including a built-in screen for package management
- Its user interface is really intimidating to new and beginner users
We at Themeselection, Uses visual studio code to make our products. You can check the Free bootstrap admin template, UI kits, and HTML themes which are made using visual studio code.
You can check Vuexy Vuejs Admin Template for example. Vuexy Vuejs admin template is made using visual studio code. It is one of the most developer-friendly admin templates. It is multipurpose, highly customizable, and responsive.
You can use Vuexy — Vuejs, React, Angular, HTML & Laravel Admin Template for any kind of web applications such as eCommerce, educational, fitness, etc.
Notepad++
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor that’s specifically designed for novice programmers. Like other code editors, it offers syntax highlighting and autocorrect. What sets Notepad++ is how many languages it supports, how many files you can load and work on simultaneously, and how lightweight it is. In addition to HTML and CSS, Notepad++ supports 75 other programming languages. You can open up different file formats in these different languages at the same time and make edits without having to worry about using a ton of CPU power or causing slow load times.
Some limitations make this editor less than ideal for some users. First, Notepad++ only works for Microsoft Windows. That means, if you’re working on any other operating system, like macOS for example, then you’ll have to use another editor. Second, Notepad++ does not offer support for git. If you want to push code to a repository inside your editor, you’ll also be better off using an alternative.
Pros
- Free and open-source
- Lightweight and fast
- Supports a wide range of programming languages
Cons
- Only available for Windows
- Somewhat outdated interface
- No git integration
Price
Notepad++ is free.
Sublime Text
G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Sublime Text is like the Notepad++ for macOS users with sophisticated needs. It’s compatible with multiple programming languages like Notepad++. It offers the standard features that Notepad++ offers — and so much more, including cross-platform support, split editing, and multiple-selection editing. In exchange for this power and flexibility, you’ll have a steeper learning curve.
For example, you can use a variety of keyboard shortcuts to quickly execute tasks in Sublime Text — as long as you can remember them. You can customize virtually everything in the editor, from key bindings to menus to snippets and more — as long as you have the time.
All of these features are included in the free version of Sublime, but this version eventually starts displaying popups prompting you to purchase a premium license.
Pros
- Sleek, simple, user-friendly interface with customizable color coding
- Split-screen editing and multiple-selection editing
- Built-in file organizer for easy navigating and locating
Cons
- Only available for macOS
- Paid version is pricey; free version occasionally prompts you with pop-ups to purchase the full version
Price
Sublime Text is available as a free version, or you can purchase a license for $80.
Light Table
Light Table is a reactive work surface for the creation and exploration of apps or programs. It’s a quite unique web development IDE based on a simple idea that people need a real work surface to code on rather than just using an editor.
With Light Table, you can move things around, keep clutter down, bring information to the places you need it most etc. In addition to that, Light Table is a standalone app and you can run it just like any other editor you have been using so far.
Here are the guiding principles of this cool web development IDE:
- You don’t have to look for documentation
- Files are not the best representation of code, just a convenient serialization
- Editors can be anywhere and show you anything – not just text
- Trying is encouraged – changes produce instantaneous results
- We can shine some light on related bits of code
NetBeans
NetBeans is high on the list for the best web development IDE because it is easy to use and it lets you develop cool desktop, mobile, and web apps in no time. It works equally as good with JavaScript, HTML5, PHP, C/C++ etc. It is a free JavaScript IDE and a great HTML5 IDE for your day-to-day use.
This web development IDE comes with cool code analyzing and editing tools compatible with the latest Java 8 technologies. This makes NetBeans 8.1 one of the best if not the best JavaScript editor.
It is also a great AngularJS IDE as well as a fantastic tool for working with Node.js, Knockout.js etc. In addition to all that, it is available in a variety of languages including English, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese.
As mentioned earlier, NetBeans supports a wide range of programming languages, but if you want the coolest web development IDE for your projects, we recommend downloading the HTML5/JavaScript built installation from the download page.
As NetBeans IDE is a massive package, configuring the environment, setting up the debugger, deploying and executing an app could be tricky when you’re just getting started – this short NetBeans crash course will help you to get started.
Brackets
Brackets is the best web IDE if you are looking for an editor that understands web design. It comes with a great set of visual tools, such as website form creators or other, preprocessor supports and it has been created by web designers for web designers.
Another great thing about this web development IDE is the fact that it is open source and completely free of charge. In addition to that, it has a big and passionate community which is always there to help.
Here are some of the Bracket’s useful and unique features:
- Inline Editors: you can simply open a window into the code you care about most instead of jumping between file tabs.
- Live Preview: allows you to get a real-time connection to your browser; whenever you make changes to HTML and CSS, you immediately see the changes on the screen
- Preprocessor Support: allows you to use Quick Edit and Live Highlight with your LESS and SCSS files which will make working with them much easier than usually
To get started with Brackets quickly make sure to watch this short 40-minute set of tutorials.
Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is the free and Open-Source counterpart of Komodo IDE (paid software). It is a great JavaScript IDE free of charge with a bunch of new integrations that will allow you to get your favorite frameworks, languages, and tools in one cross-platform web development IDE.
While there is a paid version of this JS IDE, you will get a bunch of cool features with the JavaScript editor free version as well. Here are some of them:
- Customizable UI including split view and multi-window editing
- Version control integration for Bazaar, CVS, Git, Mercurial, Perforce and Subversion
- Python and PHP code profiling
- Convenient code collaboration for multi-user editing
- Deploy to the cloud thanks to Stackato PaaS
- Graphical debugging for NodeJS, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Tcl
- Autocomplete and refactoring
- Consistent performance across Mac, Linux and Windows platforms
- Many add-ons allow a high level of customization
However, we have to mention that there have been some complaints about the free version not enabling all of the features.
Be a part of our community and get expert software development and project management tips straight to your inbox!Email*Submit
Atom by Github
Atom by Github is the best editor for JavaScript if you are looking for something customizable and easy to use. It has a built-in package manager for installing new packages or start creating your own within this cool tool.
Atom comes pre-installed with four UI and eight syntax themes in a variety of colors. The rich and supportive community also creates cool themes for everybody to use so you might find what you’re looking for there.
Here are some of the Atom’s best features:
- It works across different operating systems such as OS X, Windows, or Linux
- Find, preview, and replace text as you type in a file or across all your projects.
- Easily browse and open a single file, a whole project, or multiple projects in one window.
Atom is a desktop app built with HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Node.js integration. It runs on Electron, a framework for building cross-platform apps using web technologies. It is definitely a web development IDE worth checking out if you are looking for JavaScript development tools and best HTML IDE.
This 2-hour set of video tutorials by Ray Villalobos helps to quickly onboard to all Atom’s features, including advanced ones like Atom Teletype, integration with Github and others.
Bluefish
G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
Bluefish is a lightweight and fast open-source, multi-platform application. You can integrate external programs such as Make, lint, and HTML Tidy or even use your own program or script for advanced text processing and error detection.
If you’re just starting to learn code, there’s an unlimited undo and redo feature as well as in-line spell check to catch mistakes. And if your computer crashes as you work, there’s auto-recovery to save your progress. With Bluefish, you’ll be able to work efficiently on up to 10,000 projects at once.
Pros
- Lightweight, fast, and free
- Simple to use for beginners
- Customizable toolbar with handy widgets
Cons
- Outdated graphical user interface
- Infrequent updates
- Occasional performance issues when many files are opened at once
Price
Bluefish is free.
Conclusion
Javascript is always updated in the modern world. One of the main updates is Node JS. This JavaScript technology is becoming more popular than ever before in front-end development, back-end development, and every thing in the world. If you work with javascript, you should improve your IDE knowledge. Because It’s a very good layout for development.