While code editors and IDEs share similarities, they are not the same; they are distinct tools.
Code editors are applications for editing code files.
IDEs, or integrated development environments, are full applications for compiling, running, and debugging code.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
Let’s start by looking at some common IDEs.
- Visual Studio: It is an integrated dev environment designed by Microsoft that provide a complete suite of tools for building, debugging and deploying apps across various platforms.
- Xcode: Another IDE is Xcode. Xcode is an IDE created by Apple designed for MacOS, iOS, watch OS, and TV OS.
- Android Studio: And another IDE is Android Studio. This is an IDE by Google specifically designed for building, debugging, and testing Android apps.
Those are a few examples of IDEs.
Let’s now explore some of the widely used code editors.
- Visual Studio Code: Visual Studio Code is a lightweight, open-source code editor by Microsoft that supports many programming languages and provides features like syntax highlighting, debugging, and version control through extensions.
- Sublime Text: A good alternative editor is Sublime Text which is a fast text editor with many uses providing plugin support and customizable syntax highlighting for many programming languages.
You might have noticed code editors prioritize text content, whereas IDEs provide various tools for code management.
The previous applications are all local programs that you can run on your computer. Alternatively, you could use a cloud-based editor.
Cloud-based editors let users write, edit, and manage code in their web browser, eliminating the need for installing local software.
Now, let’s examine some cloud-based editors.
- Replit. Replit is an online platform that provides an encouraging evnvironment for collaboration among programmers. It allows users to write, run, and share code in various programming languages directly from a web browser.
- Codespaces. Github’s Codespaces in another such platform. It provides a configured code editor and development tools enabling seamless coding and collaboration.
- Gitpod. Gitpod is a cloud based dev environment that integrates with Github and Gitlab offering instant customizable workspaces for coding and debugging directly from your browser.
Wrapping Up
We covered a lot of ground here, plus there are also tons of other alternatives.
Some options like Visual Studio Code are highly extensible and can work with multiple different project types and languages.
Other options might be specifically tailored to a small subset of languages or product types.
The app you use might be different for specific projects. You should explore options to see what works best for your needs.
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