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Paul

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15 Essential tools and resources for Frontend developers ⚡️

So, you want to boost your productivity as a frontend developer.

Whether you're looking for learning resources, productivity boosters, or curated directories, these picks are here to help you work smarter and level up your frontend skills. So, don't forget to save this list and share it with others who might find it helpful :)

So, let's begin

Let us start

1. PureRef

The inspiration management board

Pureref

PureRef is a reference management tool that lets you gather and organize all your visual inspiration in one place. With an infinite canvas, you can drag and drop images directly from the web or your files, arranging them freely to create a personal mood board or design reference.

It's a must have for both designer's and developers. Its available for Mac, Linux and Windows

⭐️ Get Pure Ref

2. GSAP

Popular web Animation library

GSAP

GSAP is a popular JavaScript library that makes it easy to create smooth, high-performance animations on the web. It has a very intuitive API for developers, you can make use of this library to create simple to very complex animations easily.

⭐️ Get GSAP

3. Font Tester

Typography extension for webdevelopers

Font tester

Font Tester is a powerful chrome extension that help you pick fonts for your website. It can help you test and preview 1000+ fonts on any website, helping you create a powerful perception about your brand via better typography.

So, if you suck at picking good fonts for your website, make sure to check this out.

⭐️ Get Font Tester

4. SVG Repo

Place to find SVG Vector and icons

SVG repo

SVG repo is a popular free site for finding and using SVG vectors, they have a collection of over 500,000 icons and vectors for you to choose from. All the icons are available for free for both personal and commercial projects.

⭐️ Visit SVG Repo

5. Color Hunt

Curated color palette

Color hunt

Color Hunt provides a curated collection of color palettes, ideal for web designers seeking fresh color combinations. Each palette is carefully crafted and community-approved, helping you find color schemes that fit your aesthetic without the guesswork.

⭐️ Visit Color Hunt

6. CSS Gradient

Gradient generator

CSS gradient

CSS Gradient is a simple yet powerful website for creating custom gradients with CSS. It offers an intuitive interface for selecting colors, setting angles, and adjusting stops, then generates the CSS code, ready to integrate into your project.

⭐️ Visit CSS Gradients

7. Awwwards

Inspiration and top-rated designs

Awwwards

Awwwards is a website showcase platform for top-rated websites, highlighting excellence in design, creativity, and usability. It’s an excellent resource for web developers and designers to explore new trends, find inspiration and see how the best websites are crafted.

⭐️ Visit Awwwards

8. LandBook

Inspiration and top-rated designs

Land book

LandBook is a curated gallery of beautiful, effective landing pages. It's a great source of inspiration for developers and designers, showcasing real-world examples of landing page design across different industries.

⭐️ Visit Landbook

9. Screenity

Screen recording and product recording

Screenity

Screenity is a powerful screen recording Chrome extension, offering features like annotating during recording, capturing camera and microphone input, and exporting recordings in different formats. It’s perfect for creating tutorials, bug reports, or walkthroughs, making it a great productivity tool for developers, educators, and remote teams.

⭐️ Get Screenity

10. HTML REV

Learning resource and templates

HTML Rev

HTML Rev is an extensive collection of over 1,500 free templates, including HTML, Bootstrap, Tailwind, React, Vue, Laravel, and more. It serves as both a valuable learning resource and a library of ready-made templates, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time.

⭐️ Visit HTML Rev

11. Excalidraw

Brainstorming
Excalidraw

Excalidraw is an open-source, online whiteboard for sketching diagrams and layouts. Its hand-drawn style and intuitive tools make it perfect for brainstorming, flowcharting, or quickly mapping out ideas for web projects.

⭐️ Visit Excalidraw

12. Codepen

Online editor

Code pen

CodePen is an online code editor for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, allowing developers to create, share, and explore front-end projects. It offers real-time previews and a strong community for feedback and inspiration. Ideal for prototyping and learning.

⭐️ Visit CodePen

13. BrowserStack

Cross browser testing tool

Browser Stack

BrowserStack is a popular browser testing tool, it provides cross-browser testing on real devices, helping developers test website compatibility across various browsers and operating systems without the need for a physical lab. It’s a go-to for ensuring consistent user experience.

⭐️ Visit BrowserStack

14. CSS-Tricks

Learning resource

Css tricks

CSS-Tricks is a blog and reference site filled with tutorials, articles, and snippets on CSS and front-end development. It’s a valuable resource for staying up-to-date with new techniques and finding quick solutions for CSS challenges.

⭐️ Visit CSS-Tricks

15. Smashing Magazine

Learning resource and blog

Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is a popular online publication for web designers and developers, offering articles, tutorials, and resources on design, development, and UX. It’s known for high-quality, in-depth content that appeals to industry professionals.

⭐️ Visit Smashing Magazine


So, those where some 15 most useful tools and resources I have used as a developer. Go ahead and comment your favourite.

Top comments (33)

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tomasdevs profile image
Tomas Stveracek

Awesome list! I also use SVG repo, CodePen, CSS Gradient, CSS-tricks etc. Thanks for sharing! For more inspiration, I like Frontend Mentor for challenges.

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ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Same

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

Wow! seems pretty useful for people beginning their journey. Thanks for sharing.

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hosseinyazdi profile image
Hossein Yazdi

Great share Paul! Here's many more awesome resources: 190+ Best Frontend Development Tool

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

Great! thanks for sharing

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hosseinyazdi profile image
Hossein Yazdi

You're welcome mate!

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devluc profile image
Devluc

Great lineup of awesome web dev resources. Thanks for assembling this roundup Paul and I'm extremely grateful that you mentioned HTMLrev

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

I'm more than happy to share your curated list! It’s a fantastic collection, by the way. :)

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fazly_fathhy profile image
Fazly Fathhy

Nice things💞

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wesborland profile image
Marcos Javier Gómez Hollger

Woow... Awesome! love it & go to favs! ❤️

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annavi11arrea1 profile image
Anna Villarreal

This is a super great collection. Thanks for putting it together!

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

You're welcome :)

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syedmuhammadaliraza profile image
Syed Muhammad Ali Raza

thanks for sharing

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

you're welcome :)

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glennturner profile image
Glenn Turner

Thanks for drawing my attention to Screenity! Now to replace a pre-existing, far less friendly extension for it.

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

Ya, one of the best out there.

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valentiniljaz profile image
Valentin Iljaž

Great list. Thanks for sharing :-) I also use Webacus.dev for micro tasks.

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

Oh! great collections of tools there.

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codejackdev profile image
Code Jack

Very cool. thanks for sharing

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paul_freeman profile image
Paul

Glad you found it useful!

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