Essential Chrome Extensions for Developers to Enhance Productivity
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Chapter 1: The Evolution of Communication
In the past, reaching out to someone across the globe could take days, and waiting for the newspaper to catch up with the latest news was the norm. The advent of the internet transformed this paradigm entirely.
"The internet used to be about the internet. Now it's about everything. And it affects everything." — Ev Williams, Medium CEO
One of the powerful tools that have emerged from this digital age is the browser extension. These tools enhance various tasks by integrating valuable features directly into your browsing experience. Many of us are familiar with extensions like Grammarly or Todoist, which help us work more efficiently.
Previously, I shared an article highlighting browser extensions aimed at boosting productivity. In this piece, I will focus on several Chrome extensions that are particularly beneficial for developers.
Section 1.1: Check My Links
Check My Links is an incredibly helpful Chrome extension designed to scan web pages for broken links. It efficiently identifies and verifies all links on a given page, clearly indicating which ones are functional and which are not. With just a click, you can copy all invalid URLs to your clipboard.
Section 1.2: Lighthouse
Lighthouse serves as an open-source, automated tool aimed at improving the performance, quality, and accuracy of web applications. It audits a webpage by subjecting it to a series of tests and generates a report detailing the page's performance. You can leverage the results of failed tests to make enhancements to your application.
Section 1.3: BrowserStack
BrowserStack allows you to conduct real-time checks on web pages across various desktop and mobile browsers. This extension offers access to actual devices for testing purposes, rather than relying on emulators or simulators. With just a few clicks, you can initiate new testing sessions on real browsers, facilitating a smoother testing process.
Chapter 2: Discovering Technologies and Enhancing Privacy
The first video, 10 Cool Chrome Extensions You'll Wish You Had Before, showcases a variety of Chrome extensions that can significantly enhance your browsing and development experience.
Section 2.1: Wappalyzer
Wappalyzer is an excellent tool for uncovering the technologies that power any given website. With a simple click, you can discover programming languages, content management systems (CMS), databases, web services, analytics tools, and more.
Section 2.2: Ghostery
Ghostery is a robust plugin that blocks online advertisements and disables active trackers on websites, enhancing your browsing speed while protecting your privacy.
Section 2.3: JSON Viewer
For developers working with JSON data, the JSON Viewer extension is invaluable. It formats and organizes JSON data, making it easier to navigate and work with.
Although there are countless extensions available, the ones highlighted here are among my go-to tools. They are compatible with Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers like Brave. Of course, alternatives exist for other browsers such as Firefox, Opera, and Safari.
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The second video, 6 Chrome Developer Extensions You Need To Try in 2023, introduces essential extensions that can further aid your development journey.