20 Best Software Development Tools In 2020
Digitization being the centre of every business activity today, the demand for software developers, web developers, application developers, and programmers is increasing rapidly and so is the need for development tools in this industry. Software development tools or programming tools are programs used by developers to create, edit, debug, support, or maintain other applications, frameworks, and programs. In general, they are software in themselves that programmers use to create complex yet stable software and applications that match the needs and goals of their customers. For example language libraries, testers, debuggers, etc.
With every business seeking a competitive edge in the market, having innovative ideas to reach and deliver your customers is what every other marketer aims at. The right software development company and the perfect software development tool is all that you require to bring these unique corporate ideas to reality.
With over thousands of development tools available in the market today, choosing the right tool as per your project requirements is a real-time challenge that developers face. To make this process easier we have curated a list on 20 best tools categorized in the given types for you to choose from.
- IDE
- Build Tools
- Source Control
- Bug Trackers
- Testing tools
- Automated Deployment/Continuous Integration Tools
IDE: Integrated Development Environment
Visual Studio
One of the best IDE software options available today, Visual studio uses AI to learn from your edits and help you suggest corrections while you code. It is fast and easy to design, build, and share software across other platforms using this tool.
Features Include:
- Track and manage all ideas on one platform with agile tools
- Build, manage, secure, share and improve software components at an early stage
- Automate and simplify Azure deployments
- Tools for manual, performance and automated testing
- Centralised version control system for easy management
- Supports web, mobile, app and game development, ASP.NET, Python, Node.js, C++, Azure
- Has inbuilt support for code refactoring
- Supports many programming languages
- Can be used for creating development environments in the cloud
- Best features include customized dashboards, real-time project collaborations, scalable packages for future project requirements, eclipse plugin
IntelliJ IDEA
A great product by JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA indexes your code to give relevant suggestions on time. Also known as Java IDE in the market, IntelliJ IDEAprovides full support to Java 8 and Java EE 7
It is great for SQL, JPQL, HTML, JavaScript, and other languages.
Features Include:
- Static code analysis
- Index source code
- Automation tools and Data flow analysis
- On-the-fly code analysis
- Integrated version control systems
- Code suggestions and assistance to different languages
- Supports frameworks like Play, Spring, Struts, Grails, Java EE, etc
- Programming Language Support includes HTML, JavaScript, TypeScript, LESS, Node JS, CS, PHP, Python, AngularJS, CoffeeScript, Ruby, Sass, and more.
NetBeans
It is an open-source and a free software development tool is written in Java that helps develop world-class web, mobile, and desktop applications. It uses C / C++, PHP, JavaScript, Java etc.
Features Include:
- Supports cross-platform and works on any operating system like Linux, Mac OS, Solaris, Windows, etc.
- Smart Code Editing, writing bug-free code, and quick user interface development.
- Helps debugging, profiling, dedicated community support, powerful GUI builder, out of the box working, Java platforms support
- Supports fast & smart code editing
- Rapid User Interface Development
- Helps to write bug-free code
- Superior support for C/C++ and PHP developers
BUILD TOOLS
JENKINS
Jenkins is an open-source tool that can be used for building, testing, and deploying software and it’s easy to install. It works as a CI server and as a continuous delivery hub. It has features of extensibility and easy configuration.
Features Include:
- Testing isolated changes on a larger codebase
- Automation of testing of builds
- Work Distribution
- Automation of software deployment
- good community support
- supports major platforms
- Tests and deploys on multiple platforms at a fast rate
- It can distribute the work across multiple machines
GRADLE
Gradle is an open-source platform that can be used for all size projects including microservices. It has functionalities for building, automating, and delivering software. It provides functionalities like transitive dependencies, custom dependency scopes, file-based dependencies, etc.
Features Include:
- Supports mono-repos as well as multi-repo strategy
- Has execution options like Continuous build, Composite Builds, Task Exclusion, Dry Run, etc.
- Good integration capabilities.
- Includes web-based build visualization, collaborative debugging, parallel execution, incremental builds, task time outs
CIRCLE CI
CircleCI is the tool for continuous integration and delivery that creates the build on every commit. It provides features like expanded caching options, running jobs in a local environment, and security options like user management and audit logging.
Features Include:
- Automatic running of code in clean VM.
- Notification on the failure of build.
- Automated deployments in various builds.
- It gives you the freedom to use any toolchain or framework.
- The interactive dashboard will provide insights for all the builds at a glance.
- integrated with GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, and Bitbucket.
- flexibility to configure the environment
- It can be deployed in the cloud or self-hosted.
- Supports all languages that run on Linux.
BuildMaster
BuildMaster is a popular Continuous Integration & Deployment Tool which is known to take care of active integration using striking features of automated unit testing. BuildMaster can be conveniently included with static analysis tools.
Features Include:
- Creation of cloud-based packages.
- Deploying software on cloud, containers, mobile, Windows, Kubernetes clusters, or Linux servers.
- You can use BuildMaster to develop applications in .NET, Java, Node.js, PHP, etc.
- Loaded with interesting features helping out with management of release notes, target dates, rollbacks and hotfixes.
SOURCE CONTROL
1. Github
GitHub is a blessing for developers as it conveniently permits actions related to review code, build software and manage projects. It offers the right tools to carry out diverse development tasks. You can call it as a powerful collaboration tool and development platform for code management for smartly constructing applications and software.
Features Include:
- Easy coordination and alignment
- Easy documentation alongside quality coding
- Helps host documentation directly from repositories
- Enables code security, access control among the team members, integration with other tools, etc,
- Can be used for experimenting with new programming languages in their projects.
- Can be hosted on servers and a cloud platform and runs on Windows and Mac OS.
2. BitBucket
Bitbucket is a web-based version control tool that facilitates easy collaboration amongst the development team. It integrates with JIRA and is used as a repository for source code and development projects.
Features Include:
- Branch permissions access
- Displays build results from the CI system
- Integration with existing workflows
- Flexible deployment models
- Unlimited private repositories and code collaboration on steroids
- Supports services like code search, issue tracking, file storage, bitbucket pipelines, smart mirroring, etc.
3. CloudForge
CloudForge is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product for application development that helps integrate and manage development tools in the cloud.
Features Include:
- Scalability feature for development teams, projects, and processes
- Deploys codes to public and private clouds
- Allows deployment to multiple servers in parallel
- Secured cloud platform used by developers for coding, connecting, and deploying applications.
- Version control hosting, Bugs & issue tracking
- Agile planning and Visibility & reporting
- Deploying code to the public & private clouds
BUG TRACKERS
1. BackLog
Backlog can be seen as a useful bug & project tracking tool. It is known to assist in reporting bugs and track latest updates as well as status changes. This tool is used by developers for achieving improved team collaboration together with quality-based project delivery.
Features Include:
- Easy bug tracking tool
- Advanced search features
- Built-in Git and SVN
- Gantt Charts & Burndown charts
- Wikis & Watchlists
- Native mobile apps
- Kanban-style boards for visual workflow
2. Monday
It is a bug tracking tool which permits users to examine their performance and further carry out team management tasks on the same platform. Monday is loaded with flexible dashboard choices to assist easy visualization of both data and analytics.
Features Include:
- Easy collaboration with other team members
- Automation of repetitive tasks
- Integration with Mailchimp, Google calendar, Gmail, etc
- Track progress
3. JIRA
JIRA is mainly used as a bug-tracking tool because of its easy to use the framework. It helps capture, organize, and prioritize team issues and update them with the project. It can be directly integrated with the code development environment making it a perfect fit for developers as it comes with add-ons that support in development. It is used by agile teams for planning, tracking, and releasing the software.
Features Include:
- Customizable
- Helps generate reports, backlogs, complete tasks on time
- Has Scrum boards, Kanban boards, GitHub integration, Disaster recovery, Code Integration, Portfolio Management system, Sprint Planning, Project Management, etc.
- Works for Windows and Linux/Solaris operating systems
4. Zoho Bug Tracker
Zoho bug tracker is a well-known bug tracking tool that allows the recognition of crucial issues smartly categorized based on severity and priority. The incorporation of this tool enhances productivity since it alters the bugs which can easily be reproduced. You can create online projects, bugs, reports, and documents on this one single platform.
Features Include:
- Bug views and integration
- Flexible workflow of Issue trackers
- Categorisation of issues
TESTING TOOLS
1. Selenium
Selenium is a testing framework that’s used for web application testing across browsers and online platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux. It helps the testers to write codes for tests in various programming languages like Java, PHP, Python, Groovy, Ruby, and Perl. It uses to record and playback features to write tests without learning Selenium IDE.
2. TestingWhiz
It is a test automation tool with the code-less scripting. It’s tool’s Enterprise edition offers a package of automated testing service solutions like web testing, software testing, database testing, API testing, mobile app testing, regression test suite maintenance, optimization, and automation, and cross-browser testing.
Features Include:
- Keyword-driven, data-driven, and distributed testing
- Browser Extension Testing
- Object Eye Internal Recording
- Integration with bug tracking tools like Jira, Mantis, TFS and FogBugz and test management tools like HP Quality Center, Zephyr, TestRail, and Microsoft VSTS
- Centralized Object Repository and Version Control System Integration
- Customized Recording Rule and SMTP Integration
3. Ranorex
Ranorex Studio offers all testing automation tools that include testing all desktop, web, and mobile applications.
Features Include:
- GUI recognition
- Reusable test codes
- Bug detection
- Integration with various tools
- Record and playback
AUTOMATED DEPLOYMENT/CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION TOOLS
1. Buddy
Buddy is a smart CI/CD tool and automation platform for web developers that allows continuous integration, deployment, and feedback. It was primarily made for working on projects that use code from the Bitbucket and GitHub repositories
Features Include:
- Instinctive UI and Intuitive deployment flow building
- Docker and Kubernetes support
- Available presets and hints
- Offers advanced automation while requiring basic knowledge
- Ability to make corrections to the developed code
- Flexible automation, cloning, variables, connections, and notifications
- Straightforward, user-friendly interface and minimalistic material design
- 24/7 live representative support
- Enterprise version allows self-hosting
- uses delivery pipelines to build, test and deploy software
- Integrates with AWS, Google, DigitalOcean, Azure, Shopify, WordPress & more
2. Bamboo
It is a server-based CI and deployment tool with a simple drag-drop user interface. It allows building and merging new branches automatically after testing. This tool majorly helps in continuous deployment and delivery.
Features include:
- Effortless integration
- User-friendly UI with drag-and-drop features
- Smooth notification procedure
- Easy scalability for enterprise CI
- Has elastic agents to allow test automation
- Ability to manage build artifacts automatically through every pipeline run
3. TeamCity
It is a powerful commercial CI solution that helps you run parallel builds at the same time, mark your builds and identify the hung ones. It’s is easy to install with a user-friendly interface with a great community and professional support.
Features Include:
- Free up to first 100 build configurations
- Running three builds concurrently with three build agents
- Ability to import source codes from different VCS into a single build
- Capacity to substitute testers with agents
- Testing changes allowed without committing them to the VCS
Wrapping up, the above mentioned are some of the best software development tools consistently being used in the year 2020. With coding becoming the need of the hour, the need for software development and software testing companies is picking pace faster than other streams of IT. Proceeding with a clear understanding of your project requirements, this cumulative list of software development tools can come handy for your organization.
