What is a software development tool?

A software development tool is alternatively known as a programming tool. In a computer system, a tool is a set of instructions that can help the user perform a certain task or multiple tasks. In other words, just like a real-life tool, a programming tool is used to help the programmer create a program easily, and without needing extra effort. Here is everything you need to know about a software development tool.

What constitutes a programming tool?

Anything that helps a programmer do their job more efficiently is a software development tool. The most common examples of a programming tool are source code editors and a compiler/interpreter. The job of an editor is to allow the programmer to efficiently write and edit code that can later be compiled by an interpreter/compiler into information that the computer can understand. Most editors are user-friendly and use English-like words to help the programmer write more efficiently.

Features of an IDE:

An Integrated Development Environment, or IDE for short, is a programming tool that is specifically designed to help a programmer write more efficiently. It might not be enough to call an IDE a programming tool, but more of a compilation of various programming tools that give the programming everything they need to write programs. An IDE contains both a source code editor and a compiler/interpreter. Modern IDEs can provide interchangeable compilers and interpreters depending on the language, and the usage.

The features of an IDE are not limited to only providing an editor and a compiler, but it also provides an interface with numerous options for the advanced programmer. Features like:

• Print debugging
• Using the profiler
• Bug tracker
• Compiler
• Code editor
• Programming languages support

and so much more are a part of a modern IDE. Most IDEs nowadays are also colorful, making the code easier to read and more fun to write.

A tool is technically an application:

An application is a set of code that is designed to solve a problem. It is executable by the computer system and usable by the user. In many senses of the word, a programming tool or a software development tool is, in fact, an application. Most tools are executable pieces of code that help the programmer easily develop more programs for the computer system. For example, a compiler is an application that converts - say C++ code – into code that can be read by the computer system – binary code. The differences between both tools and applications are slowly becoming less visible.

CASE tools are sought after:

One very prominent case is CASE: computer-assisted software engineering tools. They are thought to be developed to help improve both design and architecture support for all sorts of software engineering tasks but have only turned out to be elusive. Programmers have thought of using UML for fixing various problems, but only IDEs have turned out to be useful enough as software development tools.

What is the importance of a software development tool?

Even after all this discussion, if you cannot figure out the importance of a software development tool, we have compiled a very blunt argument. No professional programmer can survive in this supersonic race of programming unless they rely on help from tools. A car mechanic cannot fix a car if they do not have their handy tools with them. A plumber cannot fix pipes if they do not have wrenches, saws and various other tools.

Similarly, software development tools are a list of handy-dandy tools that have been thoroughly developed and refined over the years to help the programmer code as efficiently as possible. With the help of hundreds of online forums as well as communication tools like Slack and repositories that are available on GitHub, almost anyone can become a good programmer.

A one-liner: a good programmer is a person who knows their software engineering tools and how to use them.

List of Developer Tools

This database provides a comprehensive list of development tools, and we have enlisted software vendors across multiple categories, including APIs, IaaS, BaaS, PaaS, SaaS, DBaaS. To find a suitable service provider, please follow the steps below:

• Click on Categories
• Select the Category you would like to see the service providers
• Click on the respective relation

The following information for each service provider will be available:

• Name
• Website
• Category
• Description
• Details

Service Offerings

We categorized the service offering into four categories:

• Free for download
• Free Tier
• Free Trial
• Paid

Download

This entire list is available to download. To do that please clone the database and export the data.

References

• Free For Devs
• Wikipedia
• Vendors Websites