Now that you know the basics of Web Development you are ready to go and write some code!
But there is still a question left to answer: Where do programmers write their code?
As we have already pointed out, you could start programming in the default text editor of your operating system, however take our word when we say: Don’t. You will regret it. Most developers use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to write code because it comes with a lot of handy features that help developers code faster and cleaner. Once you get used to an IDE, you will never look back. Let’s look at some reasons they’re so handy.
Graphical User Interface The GUI of an IDE has been designed in a way that allows you to see your project directory, editor and terminal all at once. This makes it very easy to navigate between the different html, css and javascript files.
Autocomplete If the IDE knows your programming language it can anticipate what you are going to type next and thus allow for faster development.
Syntax Highlighting An IDE that knows the syntax of your programming language can provide visual cues. Keywords, words that have special meaning like if, for or while in JavaScript, are highlighted with different colors.
Debugging No one can avoid to write code without errors. IDEs provide hints while coding to prevent errors before compilation and help you with debugging afterwards.
Some popular IDEs for Web Development are , Vim and Sublime Text 3. In the Udemy course your instructor will use Visual Studio Code.
For this course and your project, you will use the online code editor . We will set up the environment together in the first Meetup. This IDE is based on the same platform as Visual Studio Code, but offers some additional functionalities. The user interface has been designed in a way that allows you to see your file directory, editor, and your executed program all at once. CodeSandbox allows you to create teams that can not only access the same files but also make it possible to have live coding session together.
Go to . Create a free github account. We will need it to work synchronously in Visual Studio Code on the code with your teammates.
GitHub is a web-based platform for version control and collaboration. It is often used by software developers to store and manage their code, track changes, and work together on projects.
Here's what you should know:
Code Editor: VS Code is a lightweight yet powerful code editor that supports a wide range of programming languages. It provides features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and error checking to make writing code easier.
Extensions: VS Code is highly extensible. You can install extensions to add functionality for different programming languages, frameworks, and tools. This makes it suitable for a variety of development tasks. We recommend "Prettier" and you will also need "Live Share" as an extension.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Features: While it's a code editor, VS Code offers many IDE-like features, such as a built-in terminal, Git integration, and debugging capabilities. It's designed to streamline the development workflow.
Cross-Platform: VS Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of developers.
Customization: You can customize the appearance and functionality of VS Code to suit your preferences through themes, settings, and extensions.
As a beginner, GitHub and VS Code can be incredibly helpful in your coding journey. You can use GitHub to store and collaborate on your projects, while VS Code provides a comfortable and feature-rich environment for writing and editing your code. Both tools are widely used in the programming community and have a lot of resources and support available for learning and using them effectively.
Go to and install the Visual Studio Code for your operating system.