Just like how shoes are to a runner or a stethoscope is to a doctor, developers too have their own essential tools.

We asked our developers what their daily essentials were and gathered them right here. Here is a list of the top 5 essentials that our developers need for a comfortable and conducive work environment:

1. Getting the basics right with the right Integrated Development Environment (IDE)For those that are less familiar, a source code editor is an IDE designed specifically for writing and editing the source code of programs.

   

   With lines and linesof code to look at each day, features such as syntax highlighting, indentation and brace matching that editors provide become useful tools that many modern day developers cannot do without.

   Thankfully, there are many source code editors out there that are open source and free too! Some of our favourites include: Visual Studio Code, Atom, Notepad++

2. Online collaborative resources and tools
   Terms like Open Collaboration, and Open Source are commonplace in the development world. With support and collaboration being so deeply rooted in the culture, it comes as no surprise that online resources are relatively abundant. As a result, it is necessary to acquaint oneself to these resources in order to increase work efficiency.These online resources come in many formats including videos, discussion forums and articles. Some resources that are popular amongst our developers include Stack Overflow, w3schools and YouTube.
3. The right environment
   As explained earlier, a reason for the immense size of the online community for developers is a result of the challenges that developers face daily. Besides having an online community and resources for support, another essential source of support is the people one finds at their own office. Tapping into one’s colleague’s knowledge often goes a long way; after all, colleagues across the desk are easy to access and getting help with explanations is always simpler face-to-face.

   

   Besides colleagues, support from team managers and the company is also essential for keeping the morale of the team up. This can be achieved through team activities and team retreats that allow the team to get together on a more informal basis to know one another better.

   

4. Energy sustenance
   

   

   Working with tight deadlines inevitably lead to occasional long working hours. For many, that means indulging in some form of additional sustenance. Coffee, tea and Redbull are popular choices for the caffeine enthusiasts. Energy and sports drinks serve as popular alternatives as they provide sugar and salts to the body.

5. Health is wealth

   

   Despite the occasional long working hours, in the words of Buddha “To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear”. As developers, taking care of the body is all the more important as one’s mind is akin to an engine that propels development of a product. With this, exercise hold great importance as a way to keep the body healthy and functioning well. Exercise can come in many forms- a quick jog, a 30-minute gym session or a quick swim even.