Essential Tools for Web Developer

1. XAMPP

A live testing environment should be an essential element in every web developer's toolbox, and XAMPP is a highly recommended open source, configurable web server. It contains Apache, MySQL, PHP, OpenSSL, FileZilla FTP server and more, bundled together for a smooth configuration.

Also of note is MAMP (for Mac OS X), which works the same way as XAMPP, with some slight differences. The free release means you can have an advanced server up and running quickly.

2. Gist

If you use Git, you will want to make use of GitHub and Gists. GitHub is a place to securely store your code, and Gist is a simple way to share snippets and pastes with others.

With native clients for Mac, Windows and mobile devices, GitHub offers the ability to work on your projects from anywhere. It's a powerful way to collaborate, review and manage your code on both public and private development projects. Hosting your code using an external service such as GitHub means it's safe and secure, should your web host get hacked or your computer crashes, for example.

While Pastebins have become invaluable tools for many, Gist takes the concept a step further by adding version control for your code snippets, easy forking and SSL encryption for private pastes. Each "Gist" has its own repository, so multiple code snippets can be contained in a single paste, enabling you to turn your pastes into mini-projects.

3. Diffchecker

One misplaced or misspelled letter can easily cause a major breakdown in your web development project. Having the ability to check the differences between two files can help reduce these errors. However, going through each file manually can be a time-consuming and tedious process. DiffChecker is uncomplicated with a straightforward user interface: Simply upload or paste the contents of two files and click "Find Difference."

The output highlights the differences with color-coded, side by side comparisons, with the background changing color depending whether text was added or removed. There is no signup process or need to register.

4. Mou

Aptly described as "the missing Markdown editor for web developers," Mou (Mac OS X only) is a simple yet effective text editor that parses Markdown syntax. The split-screen window means as you type on the left, it's saved and updated with the HTML conversion on the right, in real time. While the default setup only presents your syntax in raw HTML format, you can import your CSS to better represent how your end product will look.

The incremental search (with pattern matching) makes finding specific text easier and more granular within your document, while the powerful set of keyboard actions allows you to write even faster.

Don't have a Mac? Several excellent Markdown web apps could be exactly what you need, including Markable, Dillinger and Markdown Pad.

5. JS Bin

Released in 2008, JS Bin was one of the first public paste bins that rendered output live in your browser, allowing users to collaborate on and debug Javascript, HTML and CSS code snippets. It's open source and can work online, on your locally hosted environment or even live on your own site.

It supports remote rendering, enabling you to check on multiple platforms while the output automatically refreshes as you edit the code. Once you start typing, JS Bin saves your work (shareable using a short URL). If you want to stop saving, just create a milestone and live saving will apply to the new revision.