Perks of using an IDE and a Text Editor

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2 min read

What is an IDE?

An IDE also known as an Integrated Development Environment is a tool in which you can write code just like any other text editor but an IDE has its perks such as built-in tools to improve productivity and to make the process quicker and easier for a developer.

The type of tool that an IDE can provide is a code editor, debugger, test platforms, compiler and plugins that you can use for a certain language. This is meant to analyze and reduce coding mistakes and typos.

There are some open-sourced IDE’s while others are not. With an IDE it is usually designed to make third-party services be integrated with the software such as Github or Bitbucket.

There are also other good features that IDE’s provide such as auto code completion, syntax highlighting and even a built-in terminal.

Types of IDE’s


What is a Text Editor?

A Text Editor is a program that lets you edit plain text. When developing an application you could use a simple text editor such as notepad but with a more advanced text editor, you can have features such as syntax highlighting, auto-completion, linting, error correction, project folder organization, build tools and much more.

With Text Editors such as VSCode or Atom, you are able to install extensions/packages for your editor to be more efficient. There are lots of extensions made by other developers that you are able to use freely when building projects. Different types of extensions that you can use to improve productivity is Path Autocomplete , Beautify, Debugger for Chrome, Color Highlight, Auto Rename Tag, Auto Close Tag and Live Server.

With a Text Editor, you are able to code with any language while using an IDE you may only be able to use certain IDE’s for pacific languages.

Types of Text Editors

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