Alexis Kestler
Programmers need to maximize their productivity to build high-quality software efficiently. There are many repetitive tasks involved in software development that can waste precious time. Using the right productivity apps allows programmers to automate mundane tasks, manage their time better, stay focused, and optimize their workflow.
This comprehensive guide covers the top 20 productivity apps to help programmers code faster, collaborate better, and overall be more effective.
Code Search Tools
Searching through code is an integral part of software development. Code search tools allow programmers to quickly find code snippets, functions, libraries, and APIs across repositories and projects. Here are 5 excellent code search tools for programmers:
1. Searchcode
Searchcode lets you search over 75 billion lines of code from over 40 million projects. It supports 243 programming languages and 10 code sources including GitHub, Bitbucket, and Android code.
You can simply enter code patterns, special characters, functions, etc. in the search bar to find relevant code samples. Searchcode is completely free to use with no signup required.
2. The Silver Searcher
The Silver Searcher is an ultra-fast code searching tool created as an alternative to Ack. It utilizes advanced performance optimization techniques to make code searching up to 10x faster.
The tool ignores .gitignore and .hgignore patterns by default for faster indexing. Overall, The Silver Searcher focuses on speed, usability and stability rather than too many bells and whistles.
3. Sourcegraph
Sourcegraph allows you to interactively explore code from over 1 million open source repositories without any setup. It‘s used by companies like Uber, Yelp and Coursera to help developers search code efficiently.
Sourcegraph understands advanced code search queries across many languages. You can search for symbols, files, functions, repos and more. It also provides cross-references and "Find Definition" capabilities.
4. Krugle
Krugle is one of the leading dedicated code search engines available. It lets you search for code snippets and browse open source projects without downloading the code locally.
Krugle has an intelligent ranking algorithm that surfaces the most relevant search results on top. You can also perform advanced code searches using the advanced search options.
5. Google Code Search
Google Code Search allows you to search across many open source repositories from Google like Android, Chromium, Gerrit, etc. It supports regular expressions (the RE2 syntax) along with many handy search operators and filters.
The tool is targeted for Googlers but anyone can use it for searching public code. It provides a minimal interface that gets out of your way and makes searching code snippets a breeze.
Automation Tools
Automating repetitive development tasks is critical for improving programmer productivity. Automation tools take care of mundane activities so developers can focus on writing quality code.
6. AutoHotkey
AutoHotkey is a free and open-source automation tool for Windows. It allows creating macros, hotkeys and scripts to automate repetitive tasks.
The syntax is beginner-friendly and you can build macros by simply recording your keystrokes and mouse movements. AutoHotkey can then replay those macros as many times as required.
Experienced developers can also use the full-fledged scripting language support in AutoHotkey for more advanced automation tasks. It‘s a versatile tool that helps programmers focus on coding rather than performing mundane activities manually.
7. Macro Recorder
Macro Recorder makes it easy to automate repetitive tasks on your computer by recording and replaying macros. It captures all your mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes during recording.
The tool also comes with a built-in macro editor so you can review, rearrange and tweak your recordings before replaying them. Macro Recorder uses advanced image and text recognition algorithms to identify UI elements, making your macros more resistant to UI changes.
Overall, Macro Recorder is a great automation solution for programmers looking to eliminate repetitive computer tasks and focus on coding.
Testing Tools
Testing is a critical part of delivering high quality software. Programming productivity apps that help with testing activities allow developers to catch bugs early and ship stable code.
8. ngrok
ngrok creates a public URL for apps running on your local machine. This allows you to securely test local web apps and APIs from anywhere.
It saves developers the hassle of deploying test builds just to test them. With ngrok, you can code, test and iterate rapidly without any deployments. It also provides detailed request inspection and replay for testing web hooks and callbacks.
ngrok helps programmers be more productive by enabling faster testing, collaboration and debugging during development. Features like traffic replay make testing edge cases and failures easy.
9. mkcert
mkcert makes dealing with SSL certificates less painful during local development. It allows creating locally trusted dev certificates on the fly without messing with a full-blown CA.
By using mkcert, programmers don‘t have to deal with self-signed certificate errors during testing. mkcert certificates integrate seamlessly with tools like curl, Node, Java, Golang, etc. No manual config required.
The tool helps developers test code requiring valid SSL certificates more easily. This improves programming productivity by eliminating frustrating certificate-related issues.
Time Tracking
Tracking time is important for programmers to estimate tasks accurately, meet deadlines and bill clients. Time tracking apps help develop a data-driven approach to project planning and execution.
10. DeskTime
DeskTime is a stellar time tracking solution catered for developers. It automatically tracks time you spend coding, debugging, testing and planning without any manual intervention.
DeskTime provides useful productivity metrics to help developers identify inefficiencies and improve their workflow. The productivity score is based on tracking code editors, IDEs, debugging tools, communication apps and distracting websites.
The tool integrates nicely with project management systems and calendars as well. Overall, DeskTime gives developers unprecedented visibility into how they really spend their time coding and working.
Task Management
Juggling multiple tasks and projects is the reality for most programmers. Keeping track of to-dos, deadlines and deliverables is critical for executing projects successfully. Task management apps optimize task workflows.
11. ClickUp
ClickUp is an innovative one-stop task management app for developers. It combines useful capabilities like notes, reminders, docs, spreadsheets, kanban boards, calendar, etc. in one flexible platform.
ClickUp helps programmers manage assignments and tasks across multiple projects seamlessly. Features like intelligent reminders, priorities, dependencies, commenting and @mentions make tracking tasks effortless.
The tool also allows easy collaboration with other developers through sharing, commenting and assigning tasks. ClickUp accelerates developer workflows by centralizing task management, communication and documentation.
Password Management
Accessing and managing multiple passwords securely is critical for developers. Password manager apps generate strong unique passwords and store them encrypted in one place.
This saves programmers the headache of remembering passwords and improves security against hacking attacks by using strong randomized passwords.
12. LastPass
LastPass is a hugely popular cross-platform password manager trusted by over 30 million users worldwide. It stores passwords securely encrypted and syncs them across all your devices.
LastPass helps developers log into apps and websites seamlessly without remembering passwords. The browser extensions automatically fill in usernames and passwords with one click.
It also includes a password generator to create long random passwords effortlessly. LastPass saves developers time while improving password hygiene and security. Premium plans provide advanced 2FA and identity theft protection features.
13. 1Password
1Password is a respected password manager used by over 80,000 businesses globally. It provides robust security along with seamless integration across various platforms and browsers.
The tool helps developers store sensitive credentials securely encrypted while remaining conveniently accessible when needed. 1Password also enables sharing passwords, API keys and other secrets securely with team members and clients when required.
1Password offers useful capabilities like offline access, milti-factor authentication and facial recognition across devices running Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Overall, it improves programming productivity by making password management easy and secure.
PC Optimization
A slow computer can seriously hamper a developer‘s productivity when coding, testing or even browsing documentation. Keeping the PC running smoothly is key for programmer productivity.
14. Avira System Speedup
Avira System Speedup is a top-rated free PC optimization tool. It cleans up junk files, frees up disk space, fixes registry issues and optimizes system settings for peak PC performance.
The tool helps resolve slow startup and shutdown problems in Windows PCs. Regularly optimizing your PC with Avira System Speedup allows developers to code and test software faster without lags.
15. RAMMap
RAMMap is a useful memory optimization utility from Microsoft. It provides detailed information about memory usage and lets developers diagnose memory leaks quickly.
The tool identifies high memory utilization processes and drills down to pinpoint specific culprit DLLs. Developers can use RAMMap to troubleshoot PC slowdowns caused by memory problems and fix them swiftly.
16. The Great Suspender
The Great Suspender is a handy Chrome extension for optimizing browser memory usage. It automatically suspends unused tabs to free up system memory and improve PC performance.
Programmers often end up with many open Chrome tabs eating up RAM. The Great Suspender effectively suppresses tabs not currently in use, while retaining their state for fast restoration. This keeps the programmer‘s PC running smoothly.
Focus & Wellness Apps
Long coding sessions can take a toll on your energy levels and ability to focus. Wellness apps help developers recharge and stay focused for maximum productivity.
17. Eye Care
Eye Care is a free app that reminds programmers to give their eyes a break at set intervals. Continuous staring at screens can cause eye strain and headaches over time.
The app helps developers exercise their eyes periodically by looking away from the screen. This prevents eye fatigue and loss of focus during long coding sessions. Customizable reminders ensure you glance away even when deeply concentrated.
18. Focus Booster
Focus Booster is a nifty productivity app that uses the Pomodoro technique to help developers focus better. You can set short focus sprints of 25-60 minutes separated by short breaks.
This workflow maximizes your ability to focus intensely when working. Regular forced short breaks also prevent burning out. Focus Booster‘s reports help developers improve productivity by identifying what causes their focus to slip.
19. Ambie
Ambie offers curated ambient sounds to help developers improve focus while coding. Unlike music, ambient sounds promote concentration rather than lyrical distraction.
Ambie provides high-quality loops like rain, waves, wind, coffee shop chatter and more in one app. Programmers can use these soothing backgrounds sounds to zone in while coding and minimize distractions.
Code Execution Tools
Being able to quickly execute code and view results improves programming speed and efficiency. Online code execution tools allow running code in different languages with minimal setup.
20. CodeSandbox
CodeSandbox provides an online IDE for rapidly building, testing and deploying web apps using React, Vue, Angular and more. It allows collaborating with team members by sharing code snippets and live development environments.
For programmers, CodeSandbox offers a frictionless workflow for testing code changes and ideas faster. The online editor provides instant code execution without any local tooling setup. Developers can use it to quickly check code behavior and share prototypes.
21. Geekflare Online Compiler
The Geekflare Online Compiler allows executing code in 10 different programming languages directly in the browser. It‘s powered by Judge0 behind the scenes and supports languages like C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript and more.
The tool provides a dead simple interface to run code online on the fly without any registration required. Developers can use it to quickly test short code snippets and check syntax issues faster.
Conclusion
Using the right mix of productivity apps allows programmers to boost their effectiveness by automating tasks, better managing time, increasing focus and streamlining workflows. The apps listed above help developers code faster with fewer errors, collaborate seamlessly, stay organized and ultimately be more productive.
While these apps help, it‘s also important not to go overboard and end up with too many tools. Find apps that integrate well together and solve the biggest pain points hampering your productivity. Start with 2-3 apps that provide the most benefit and expand your repertoire slowly for maximum value.
