The use of text editors is common among developers. Currently, there are plenty of great JavaScript editors that programmers can choose to work with. However, programming on the go can be a tough task, especially when it comes to writing code without an IDE.
If you’ve ever tried to learn a programming language with a simple text editor, you’ll know that’s pretty boring. If you don’t have a good coding environment, nothing will make it fun – not even watching Star Wars at the same time – and soon you’ll be off doing something else instead.
Here are the best online IDEs that I’ve found for JavaScript developers, where I can code with CoffeeScript, HTML5, CSS3, and Node.js all from one place. Using Javascript, you can create interactive websites with powerful features. There are plenty of great text editors that allow you to perform your tasks faster. However, programming on the go can be a tough task, especially when it comes to JavaScript.
Now, Startup has a new service that you can put your website on. It’s a text editor that you can use to write your code anywhere on whatever device
What are the benefits of IDE
The Benefits of Using IDEsBy integrating an IDE, programmers can have the same set of capabilities in one place without needing to constantly switch tools.
- Continual learning: Another benefit is the ability to stay up to date and educated. As an example, an IDE’s help topics are constantly updated, along with new samples, project templates, and more. Developers who learn constantly and stay current on best practices are more likely to add value to their team and to the enterprise, boosting productivity.
- Standardization: It also regulates the development process, helping programmers work together seamlessly and assisting new hires with getting up to speed so they can hit the ground running.
- Faster setup: Programmers need to spend time configuring multiple development tools without an IDE interface in place. By integrating an IDE, programmers can have the same set of capabilities in one place without needing to constantly switch tools.
- Faster development tasks: Tighter integration of development tasks means boosted developer productivity. For example, developers can parse code and check syntax while editing, which allows for instant feedback as syntax errors are introduced. Programmers no longer need to switch between apps to finish tasks. Additionally, the tools and features of the IDE help programmers organize resources, prevent mistakes, and implement shortcuts.
Small Basic
Starting to code is tough for kids. Small Basic includes a kid-friendly online editor which is forgiving with code syntax. The language is readable but close enough to actual code to be useful.
The included library covers drawing, text input, sound, and even some basic networking. Check out some simple coding projects for kids on the platform to see if it’s for you!
Tynker
Parents and kids to learn together with the Tynker block-based platform. There are multiple free courses available to try the service out, but paying the monthly $7.50 subscription gets you much more. Tynker has an extensive library of coding, game, hardware, and Minecraft modding courses for ages seven upwards.
Arduino Web Editor
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best place to program Arduino boards online is Arduino’s own Create Web editor. While still in its infancy, it works much like the offline IDE. Alongside the code editor, the library manager and serial monitor are also available in the browser.
Currently, there is only support for official Arduino boards and a handful of others, however, more support is coming in the future. One caveat of this IDE is the need to download a small bridge program to access the USB ports and upload code.
XOD.io
XOD is an open-source, node-based visual programmer for Arduino boards. Each block represents devices and sensors, and you can make links between them by dragging lines from each node.
The library comes with many nodes for different uses, and collections of nodes collapse into new nodes for clean, readable blocks.
Unfortunately, the browser version of XOD does not support uploading to boards directly. There is, however, a Simulate mode that will test the program without the need for a connected board.
AWS Cloud9
When Amazon bought the Cloud9 IDE in 2016, it was already a firm favorite with developers. Full integration with Amazon Web Services makes it arguably the most powerful and extendable online development platform currently available. The online IDE combines a code editor with a terminal and powerful debugging tools.
Cloud9 also features a pair programming model similar to VS Live share allowing collaborative remote programming in teams. Need fast prototyping? Cloud9 gives you direct access to AWS services through the integrated terminal assist.
CodeTasty
CodeTasty is a fully-featured cloud IDE in the cloud and is quick and simple to set up.
All major languages are supported, along with linting and transpiling for Typescript among others. The editor itself is a full virtual development environment complete with terminal and output windows. CodeTasty is free and fully functional, though paid tiers are available for more project options and team collaboration.
Codeacademy
Codecademy combines an online IDE with lessons to teach coding from beginner to expert. Their diverse catalog covers popular languages including Python, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and Ruby.
Alongside language learning, Codeacademy provides Pro and Pro Intensive paid courses designed to cover whole subjects. Expert courses on machine learning, test-driven development, and front-end web development are just some of those available.
p5.js
The p5.js library is based on JavaScript and provides tools for creating interactive art through code. Rather than installing the library and running a local server, the p5.js web editor allows you to code instantly online.
As well as creating beautiful visuals, the p5.js library offers opportunities for interaction. Our Voice-Sensitive Robot Animation tutorial shows how quick and easy it is to create reactive art with p5.js.
Codevny
An online Python IDE needs to be quick, easy to use and have a terminal for testing. Codenvy provides all of these things and much more. Codenvy is language-agnostic, and each instance of the IDE is an independent development environment.
Extra packages and modules can be installed using the online terminal. Codenvy is a robust development and collaboration tool, and capable of almost all forms of modern development.
JSFiddle
Fiddling around with JavaScript? Try JSFiddle, with template projects to help get your web app ideas off the ground fast.
JSFiddle is entirely free (ad-supported) and used by giants like Google and Facebook alongside thousands of developers.
Gitpod
While the concept of a GitHub IDE might seem strange at first, it makes a lot of sense. Gitpod exists as a way to edit files on GitHub in the browser. A browser extension adds a button to the GitHub page, which when clicked opens a workspace for the current project.
Editing takes place in an IDE based on VS Code. Side-by-side code comparison is built-in, along with commenting for collaboration within a team. Gitpod is a unique idea and is currently in a free beta stage for public and private repos.
Repl.it
Ruby holds a special place in many coders’ hearts. It is easy to read, concise to write, and the backbone for the ever-trendy Ruby on Rails platform. An online IDE for Ruby should be bold, simple, and aesthetically pleasing. Repl.it has environments for both Ruby and Ruby on Rails and is the perfect place to sharpen your skills.
Codepen.io
If you want to make beautiful-looking things for the web, Codepen.io is the place for you. The IDE operates like a sketchbook for all kinds of front-end web development. A massive community of all skill levels continuously pushes the limit of what is possible in the browser.
The weekly Spark newsletter is a collection of the best pens from the week along with the Codepen Radio podcast. Alongside its community, Codepen has many other awesome features for coders and web developers.
Codetable by HackerEarth
Codetable by HackerEarth is a simple IDE with basic features, ideal for sharing code snippets. A large number of programming languages are available to you to test your code on, and you can remotely execute your code snippets through HackerEarth’s servers too. HackerEarth primarily caters to hackathons conducted by companies to hire new developers, and Codetable uses the same engine to execute the code snippets.
Once you have written the program, it is sent to the server to be executed. When the execution is complete, the output is shown along with the time taken to execute the code and the memory used. Note that these are parameters to judge your program in a hackathon. As an added feature, you are able to specify custom input to the program too.
While Codetable has only basic features, it is a good choice for beginners who do not wish to get distracted by a number of features that they can’t comprehend from the start.
JSFiddle
JSFiddle is one of the earliest IDEs that has been generated from the idea of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript “playgrounds”. JSFiddle served as an inspiration for many competitors. This IDE allows you to write code in these front-end languages, enabling them to interact with each other and render the results in real-time. A code snippet is called a “fiddle” on the tool.
The primary functions of a code playground such as JSFiddle are testing your code in real-time, sharing, and collaboration with your peers. Your peers can fork your work, modify it, and re-share it too. Additionally, you can embed your code snippet, along with the real-time preview on an external website like a blog or documentation for demonstration purposes. Further, you can simulate AJAX requests through JSFiddle too.
JSFiddle gives you scaffolding code in the form of boilerplates for popular JS libraries jQuery, Vue, and React. A few unique features of JSFiddle include adding code to StackOverflow and bug reporting through GitHub Issues.
CodePen
Though CodePen started out as an HTML, CSS, JavaScript code playground, it has evolved over the years to provide many more features. It serves as an online social development tool for front-end developers. Just like JSFiddle, it fulfills the basic functionality that you expect from a cloud-based IDE — testing, sharing, and collaboration of code.
The basic features of adding HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, which interact with each other remain the same. You can save the “pen”, share it with your peers, and even embed it on external websites.
Creating an account to manage all your code is free on CodePen, whereas CodePen Pro starts at $8/month, billed annually. The free account gives you access to all the basic features of CodePen. CodePen Pro removes ads from CodePen, and adds features like creating private Pens, access to an asset hosting space, and getting higher on the popularity algorithm. If you need an end-to-end JavaScript IDE, CodePen Pro is a strong option to opt for. CodePen introduced its new feature, Projects in 2017 which allows you to manage full front-end projects from within the site.
If you are a student, check if your school is enrolled in the CodePen for Education feature, which contains a few Pro features for you to explore.
Observable
Observable is a JavaScript cloud-based IDE, created by Mike Bostock, who also developer D3.js. It is inspired by Jupyter, a comparable web-based option to create Python notebooks. Observable notebooks are JavaScript notebooks on the cloud, which contain a mix of Markdown and JavaScript code.
To try out the features of Observable, you can simply try out the demo notebook before creating an account. The addition of Markdown snippets within the code enables you to a lot of new possibilities. You can progressively explain a concept by adding features to blocks of code within the same notebook. You can also use it as documentation for your software. When you create a free account on Observable, you can create new notebooks, save changes and share with your peers.
Teams at Observable is a paid feature starting at $9/month for each editor, which unlocks a whole set of new possibilities for use in a team environment. The multiplayer editing feature allows multiple team members to work on the same notebook in real-time. Additionally, you will also be able to query data sources in real-time with the Live Data feature.
Google Cloud Shell
Google Cloud Shell provides you with a development setup on the cloud. It gives you access to the terminal on the browser, which is fully authenticated with your Google account. The Cloud Shell comes with popular tools like MySQL client, Docker, and Kubernetes by default. Additionally, it is developer-ready with back-end technologies like Node.js, Python, and PHP ready for you to start development on. You are given 5 GB of storage in your home directory. The Google Cloud Shell is free for Google Cloud Platform customers. Here is the detailed pricing of Google Cloud.
If you are looking for full access to a powerful virtual machine, with the option of portability of accessing it from anywhere, Google Cloud Shell is the perfect platform for you. It should appeal to you and take care of your development requirements if you own a Chromebook.
You can fire up the terminal from within the browser, and run normal UNIX commands within it. While terminal-based editors like VIM and Emacs are readily available, Google also provides a GUI-based text editor from within the browser by splitting the screen if you are not comfortable with terminal-based editors. When you use the editor, you can also see a graphical representation of the file system on the left menu, which can be used for uploading and downloading files.
If you are looking for an alternative to your local development machine, Google Cloud Shell seems to have the right ingredients for you to make the transition.
Conclusion
Javascript is the most popular based language for the web nowadays and overall browsers used by people today own javascript support. But still, there is a lot of confusion amongst developers and regular users as to what IDE can support their javascript code better and what text editor should they use to write code online.
Having to pack everything which leaves you feeling slightly claustrophobic, moving to a new city where you don’t know anyone or anywhere to go to for help or entertainment, not having the convenience of your own car which means no personal GPS unit — all of this can be very distracting and disorienting!