10 Tools Every Software Developer/Programmer should know

Every trade has its tools, and software development is no different. A good programmer or software developer generally knows their tools better than others and also has access to more powerful and advanced tools than an average programmer, but there are certain tools that you expect every software developer should know, and this list is all about such tools. In this list, I am going to share 10 essential tools, which I believe every programmer or software developer should know and know well.

The main problem I have seen with programmers is that even though they heard about these basic tools, they never really spend a good time to learn them well, thinking they are an everyday tool, and hence they often remain in-efficient on using these tools.

On the contrary, good software developer invests time, effort, and money to learn basic tool well and that's why you will generally find the accomplishing more in less time.

As a software developer, I always look to learn new tools but at the same time, I also look back and improve my knowledge of tools that I almost use every day like Git, Microsoft Excel, and Linux commands.

I have seen many programmers claiming to know Git doesn't even remember basic git commands, the same goes with software developers claiming to know Microsoft Excel, many of them don't even know how to do VLOOKUP. The same goes with the developer claiming to know Linux commands.

To be honest, instead of learning a new framework like React or Angular, one should spend some time to learn and improve core skills because they go a long way in serving you each and every day on whatever you do in your programming job.

10 Tools Every Programmer Should Know

Some of you may think 10 tools are nothing but, to be honest if every programmer knows these truly well, he can accomplish a lot in his day to day job. Anyway, without further ado, let's see my list of 10 tools every software developer should know and know well.

1. Git and Github

Good knowledge of source control repository is mandatory for any programmer or software developer because you need to do the check-in, checkout of code every day. And, to become a better developer you should also know advanced concepts like branching and merging.

In today's world, Git and Github have become synonymous with the source control repository and version control tool. This is the single most important tool for a programmer now and that's why I suggest every programmer learn Git and Github truly well.

If you are a beginner or a programmer who wants to improve his Git knowledge, I suggest you to go check out the Git Complete: The definitive, step-by-step guide to Git  course from Udemy. One of the best courses to learn Git in depth.

2. SQL

This is another essential tool or programming language every programmer should learn. SQL is actually standards Standard Query language and used to work with the database. By using SQL you can read, update, and delete data from tables.

Since we use databases everywhere in the real world, a programmer should have a good understanding of SQL.

Apart from knowing basic commands like SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE, a programmer should also know how to write complex queries using join, aggregate functions, subqueries and other advanced functionalities.

If you are new to SQL or want to take your SQL skills to the next level then The Complete SQL Bootcamp  is a good place to start with. It's an online, bootcamp style course which will teach you everything a programmer should know about SQL.

3. Python

You might be surprised that as a Java developer, why I am suggesting every programmer learn Python? Well, there is a reason for it. Python is a powerful high-level, object-oriented programming language that is very versatile.

You can create big applications like you do in Java as well you can use Python to create useful scripts to automate stuff.

It also has numerous modules which make almost anything possible, starting from accessing the file system,  developing web applications to machine learning.

I can't say more but to show you this picture which clearly explains why every programmer should learn Python. It also has simple easy-to-use syntax, making it the perfect language for someone trying to learn computer programming for the first time. If you want to learn Python then The Complete Python Bootcamp  course is a great place to start with.

4. Excel

Microsoft Excel is another essential tool for programmers and software developers. Don't mistake it just for a spreadsheet application, you can do a lot more using Excel then you can ever imagine.

The biggest reason to learn Microsoft Excel is that you will find it everywhere. Everybody uses it, starting from business to BA, QA and project managers. You can use it to generate reports, automate and reconcile stuff and a lot more.

If you want to go beyond just copy-pasting stuff into excel to learn functions like VLOOKUP, I suggest you join the Microsoft Excel - Excel from Beginner to the Advanced  course on Udemy.

One of the best course to learn Excel in depth.

5. Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word is not as popular as Microsoft Excel but still it's one of the essential tool for programmers and software engineers. As a developer, you often need to create documents like software design documents, requirement documents, etc and Microsoft Word is the best tool for that. It provides sophisticated formatting options to create really good looking documentation.

If you are a beginner or an intermediate developer who wants to improve your knowledge of Microsoft world then I suggest you go through Master Microsoft Word Beginner to the Advanced  course on Udemy.

6. PowerPoint

Along with Microsoft Excel and Word, Powerpoint forms the trilogy of essential office tools and that's why they are also essential for Software engineers and IT professionals including developer, QA, BA, and project manager.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most popular tool to create presentations and as a programmer, many times you need to do presentations e.g. presenting your ideas to business, your plans to managers and doing many knowledge sharing sessions between teams and that's why you just can't ignore PowerPoint.

If you want to learn Powerpoint or improve your knowledge then Master Powerpoint presentations  course on Udemy is a good place to start with.

7. Text Editors

Every programmer should know one text editor pretty well. Software developers do a lot of text processing jobs and knowing a text editor will always help. Apart from NotePad, which is a very good, omnipresent basic text editor, I encourage the programmer to learn some advanced text editors like Sublime or NotePad++.

They support regular expression search and replace and Macros which will help you a lot with your everyday work. If you want to learn more about a sublime text editor, Sublime Text for Rapid Web Development  is a good place to start with.

Actually, text editor in VS code is also very good and if you are already using VS code then no need to learn a new text editor.

8. Linux commands

Just like SQL, Linux commands is another essential tool for programmers. Every programmer has to work on UNIX sometime and many of us spend most of our day on a Linux machine.

Good knowledge of Linux commands means you can find what you want, you can know what's going on with the machine and you can troubleshoot any issues with your application running on Linux.

This is a must-have skill for every programmer and if you are not comfortable with Linux commands you must spend some time to learn it, especially if you have some exploring to Linux. For beginners,Linux Command Line Basics  is a good place to start with.

9. SVN

Even though Git has taken almost 70% market share in terms of the version control system, there are still projects where SVN (also known as subversion) is used. Not just on the property but also on open source and that's why knowing tortoise SVN is good for programmers.

It's the same tool, I have started with SVN 12 years back and it's still around. If you are a beginner or someone who wants to improve his SVN knowledge and learn some advanced concepts like branching and merging in SVN then Introduction to SVNby John Sonmez on Pluralsight is a good course to start with.

10. Powershell

Once you worked in Linux, you feel constraint while working in Windows because there is nothing like Linux commands in Windows and Powershell just solves that problem for once and all. Windows PowerShell is a shell developed by Microsoft for the purposes of task automation and configuration management.

This powerful shell is based on the .NET framework and it includes a command-line shell and a scripting language so that you can automate stuff and create a script as you do in Linux.

If you want to start with PowerShell then I suggest you look at Learning Windows PowerShell course on Udemy, I have bought it recently to improve my Powershell skills.

That's all about essential tools for every programmer. These are some of the basic tools which everyone needs be it a web developer working in JavaScript, a Java developer working on server-side code, or a mobile developer working on Android or iOS apps. Good knowledge of these tools goes a long way in your software development career because you will use these tools each and every day and appreciate the time and effort you put initially to learn them.

Other Programming Resources You may like

The 2020 Java Developer RoadMap

10 Books Every Programmer Must Read

10 Skills Java Programmer can learn to accelerate their career

The Complete Web Developer RoadMap

10 Tips to Improve Your Programming skill

10 Object-Oriented Design Principle Every Programmer should know

Top 10 Programming languages to Learn

10 Articles Every Programmer Should Read

What Java Programmer Should Learn in 2020

10 Framework and Library Java and Web Developer Should Learn

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