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Development Environment Tools / IDE

An integrated developer environment (IDE) is a graphical user interface that provides features to:

  • edit code, including code-completion tools
  • check language syntax, indicating unused variables and code blocks, etc.
  • compile software, if the language requires compiling
  • if necessary, provide additional tools such as web server for running web server applications
  • run the software
  • run automated tests
  • debug software
  • interface with version control system
  • build installers for deployment
  • manage files in a "project"

A software developer must invest time to learn the features of an IDE. However, once an understanding is gained, an IDE can increase the efficiency and insight of a software developer.

IDEs are often specific to a programming language. However, some IDEs, such as Eclipse and NetBeans provide support for multiple languages.

The decision of which IDE to use is made by weighing the needs and preferences of software developers and the need for consistency.