5 Best Developer Platforms Every Developer Should Be Using
Are you a software developer looking for the best developer platforms and tools to maximize productivity, enhance efficiency, resolve coding issues, manage tasks, and so on? If yes, you’ve reached the right place!
Developers face many challenges when it comes to working on different projects. According to a study, debugging, releasing new updates, and even understanding the user will be some of the most common issues that you will even hear from them if you sit down and have a conversation.
It is essential that a professional developer uses the right developer platforms and ensures that they like using these platforms. There are many platforms out there that developers have probably heard of but aren’t sure if it is good enough for them or not. Be it any type of custom software development covering mobile app development, ERP/CRM, web app development, etc. choosing the right developer platform matters a lot.
That’s why in this article, we will show you the top five and best software developer platforms every developer out there should be using!
5 Most Popular Development Platforms
1. Linux- best open-source platform
You may have guessed it right because every developer out there should know about Linux and most likely feels more comfortable using this platform. Only last year, the popularity of Linux doubled and kept rising every single year as one of the most popular development platforms.
Most developers prefer Linux because it is open-source software. Even though Microsoft is still a widely used platform by developers, you would be surprised that they could never level Linux only because they were a closed-source software, something many developers don’t prefer.
To close this gap, Microsoft has now started to offer open-source software and isn’t just desktop software anymore. They are even part of the open invention network (OIN) and have shared 60,000 patents for supporting Linux and protecting them from patent lawsuits. Even though Microsoft isn’t 100% open-source, it is still great news for developers.
When it comes to Linux, most supercomputers use it, every Android device runs on Linux Kernel, and even the Internet of Things (IoT) all run on some type of Linux. Google runs on Linux as well, but they have their own variations that they use, while the only market Linux still hasn’t cracked yet is desktop operating systems. Maybe in the future, Linux will be in this market as well.
2. Docker- best uprising platform
In only the past few years, we have seen a vast change and revolution being made to Docker and DevOps.
DevOps has bought new approaches to companies that are now allowed to develop apps in order to solve challenges that rise much quicker, scale quicker and bigger than ever before, and even be a fierce competitor in the market.
In the beginning, Docker was only a platform that would be used for technological experiments, but now it is adopted by many large companies, and those that have more than 1000 hosts will most likely be using Docker.
What are the main reasons behind the rise of Docker as one of the best developer platforms?
● Its ease of use
● The software delivery is super efficient
● Supports software-defined networking
● A cheap alternative for scaling a business compared to buying many different servers
● It offers lots of flexibility
3. Attest- best consumer insight platform
If you want to use the best consumer insight platform, then Attest is the right choice to go with. Developers need to pay attention to platforms that help professionals gather consumer data and use it as feedback for them.
Attest is a well-set-up platform packed with endless and powerful features to use. No matter what you are, a professional who is looking for big opportunities or even a marketer who is trying to understand more about their audience, you can do this by gaining the proper insights in only a few minutes.
This developer platform has over 100 million consumers and operates in nearly 50 markets. A broad range of demographic filters makes it easy to reach your audience. Once surveys are filled-in and complete, the data can be easily analyzed through built-in tools and AI-driven insights. Support is given from the team of developers working with Attest and provides lots of flexibility to assist you.
Attest’s platform is well-known for the following:
● Data quality
● Research support
● Speed and flexibility
● Competitive costs and more
Only recently, Attest managed to secure a $64 million Series B funding and provides many combinations that provide easy access to consumer insights across any business industry.
Mobile Development Platforms
The two platforms that are the most dominant in the market today are Android and iOS. The two operating systems have a lot of differences between each other, where Android is an open OS and iOS is closed. Developers can easily modify Android, while that isn’t the case with iOS.
In addition to that, when you use a product that is operating on Android, it might not always look the same as it would on another Android product because of the many modifications that are made. For example, the phone manufacturer OnePlus and Samsung’s devices operate on Android but don’t have the same UI design and many other modifications.
About 85% of users worldwide use Android, while iOS has a much lower percentage. However, iOS still generates more revenue than Android does, and for many cases, the operating system is much smoother. Let’s have a look at some of the best software development tools when it comes to iOS and Android mobile app development.
4. Google’s Android- best open OS
Google was the one who came up with Android that was modeled right after Linux. It is the most popular OS in the world, and the best part about Android is that it is open-source software; it gives all phone manufacturers a free license to be able to modify the OS of their own devices. The freedom that is given for modifying Android also comes with a few challenges along the way.
It was only a couple of years ago when Android released Android 9.0, aka Android Pie, that implemented artificial intelligence (AI). It was an incredible innovation for Android, leading to many changes.
Popular phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, Motorola all have their own UIs and even AI features. Xiaomi uses Mi, Samsung uses One UI, OnePlus uses Oxygen OS, and more.
The official development tool that allows this to be possible is the integrated development environment (IDE) by Android Studio. It is free to use, whereas many developers will be using Eclipse, and before, they would use plugins for Google’s Android Development tools, but Google doesn’t support these anymore.
The basic Android 'Software Development Kit' can be considered as a great developer platform offering easy tools for API documentation, debugging, and other tools that flawlessly go well with the Google ecosystem.
Even when developers create a mobile app, there is no fee for them when posting them on Google Play. The only fee is at the beginning for registration which costs $25; after this, you won’t be paying any fees.
5. Apple’s iOS- best closed OS
As you know, Apple’s iOS powers all Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads. There are billions of iOS devices worldwide, and even though they are much less than Android, they still generate more revenue than Android devices do.
Opinions may vary, but some developers prefer Apple’s iOS over Android and vice versa. So, developers who are fans of iOS will prefer it over Android because of the following:
- Higher chances of making much more revenue
- Fewer devices than Android
- Cleaner interface and better testing environment
- Android uses too much RAM compared to iOS
- iOS is better optimized
iOS’s 2nd release ever introduced application concepts, and from here on, Apple implemented a secure and new method of working with devices. Apple’s development tool is Xcode which is available for free. In 2014, Apple, the Swift programming language, was supported by the IDE in order to simplify development for all developers. In this case, developers can use Swift or Xcode to build applications on macOS, iOS, and more. Indeed, it is the only and the most popular development platform for iOS app development.
The Apple Developer Program has a yearly cost of $99 and allows you to submit apps on the iTunes App Store. Reasonably different from Android, which will only require you to pay a one-time fee.
Wrapping It Up
Well, that’s about it for this article. These were our five recommended developer platforms that every developer should consider using. Generally speaking, there are many platforms out there, but we showed you the more frequently used ones by most developers.
This article goes into in-depth research of top-rated platforms for developers. We recommend you carefully read through each section and see how you can use any of these platforms for web servers and mobile devices.
Use all the resources you have- technical, financial, and human- to generate the best results you can. Whether you are a developer that works on your own or works for a business, it is always a good idea to read more about what your programming skills can do for you.
Are you a business enterprise that wants its custom software development needs to be met by seasoned software developers who are experts in using these developer platforms optimally? If yes, call us now! We will help you hire the best developers with the right skill sets that you need.
About Vicky Frissen
Vicky Frissen is a freelance copywriter based in Barcelona. She helps brands and businesses like mybrightwheel.com stand out from the crowd by putting some personality in each piece of copy she writes—whether it’s a 1,000-word blog post or a short and snappy Instagram caption.
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