Starting from the fact that more and more users are choosing to enter the exciting world of software development, first you have to choose well. By this we mean the program or environment that we are going to use for this type of task. Next, we will talk about the differences between a conventional code editor and an IDE.
The truth is that right now we have a good number of platforms, services and programs that can help us with all of this. They provide us with everything we need to start in this sector and thus develop our projects in the best way. In addition, considering the advancedness of current software, these solutions must be up to the task of offering us the best in terms of functionality.
Whether we are about to develop our own applications, games, or projects that will form part of larger ones, we have to choose the environment in which we are going to work well. Part of this will depend on the success or productivity that we are going to obtain when developing and writing code. For many, starting to work on the development of a project of these characteristics is a ritual that requires thorough preparation.
What characterizes a code editor
Therefore, it is essential to choose well the software in which we are going to spend so many hours of concentration and work. Precisely for these reasons that we are mentioning, we are going to have to distinguish between a conventional code editor and an IDE. Thus, the first thing we should know is that a code editor refers to a program similar to a conventional text editor that is characterized by being lightweight.
Here we can work on our development projects without the environment consuming hardly any RAM memory or computer processor. This is something more essential if we have a limited PC in terms of hardware, or old. It is also important to know that these editors are usually compatible with several programming languages ​​in order to offer us greater versatility and utility.
Also, and to complete them we have the possibility on many occasions to install plugins and extensions.
Differences between an editor and an IDE
However, if we opt to use an IDE, here we are going to find some important differences, especially at a functional level. And it is that, when talking about these programs, we find what are called integrated development environments. It could be said that in this case we work on programs for large projects that are treated here in their entirety, from start to finish.
When talking about IDEs, we come across software that is especially suitable for handling multiple files belonging to our project. In addition, it can be said that they are powerful tools, unlike code editors, which are much simpler.
They also have support for the use of multiple extensions that add languages ​​and frameworks to the environment. The truth is that sometimes these integrated development environments can be somewhat disconcerting for novice programmers. Some reasons for all this are all the functions and possibilities that are presented to us by default.
Despite this, for many it is the best way to start entering the world of programming. Once we get used to its interface and operation, we will see that it makes our development tasks much easier. It must be said that here we find functions such as syntax highlighting, command checkers, debuggers that point out errors in the code, and much more.
