Coffee break #30. Technical design tools that may be needed when developing an application. 5 Best Tools for Java Developer in 2020

Technical design tools you may need when developing an application

Source: Dzone Gone are the days when design was considered a secondary element in software development. Coding, of course, still remains the most important stage in a programmer’s training, but technical design can no longer be neglected. Every year there are more and more developers. Among the many options offered, customers choose the one that can most effectively attract the target audience of the application or service. If you decide to create an application yourself, without the help of a professional designer, you will have to learn how to work with several useful tools, which we will now discuss. They will also be indispensable in ensuring interaction between the designer and developer if joint work on the layout is carried out remotely.

Conceptual and technical design - what's the difference?

Simply put, conceptual design is the representation of an idea. It can use a variety of elements: block diagrams, CRC cards, component diagrams, wireframes, etc. Once the conceptual design is complete, you have a rough idea of ​​the structure of your software. Once it is clear what should go where, the design moves on to the next stage: the technical aspect. A technical project is being developed - an architecture that determines the further development and assembly of the software. The use of design tools is recommended here. I want to recommend to you those that I consider the most convenient.

Sketch

Sketch is a design platform that can be used to create various diagrams, frameworks, and prototypes. It is mainly used in user interface, website and mobile app design. Mastering a tool like Sketch is extremely useful and important for every designer: both professional and amateur. If you are developing an application for the Apple ecosystem, then you simply cannot do without Sketch.

Moqups

Moqups is a bit similar to Sketch. But if Sketch is focused on macOS, then Moqups is created as an online service compatible with any operating system. Sketch has a little more functionality, but Moqups can be a good alternative if your designer doesn't use a Mac. Moqups also has an excellent library of professional templates.

InVision

According to the creators of InVision, this tool is developed by designers for designers. It differs from other services not only in its speed, but also in the ability to collaborate on the Freehand board. InVision lets you easily draw, wireframe, and instantly get feedback on finished designs, mockups, and interactive prototypes. The tool supports importing sketch files.

Figma

Figma is a cloud-based alternative to the popular Sketch tool. Essentially, all the basic features of Sketch are available in Figma. Besides this, it has another important advantage - this tool supports teamwork. For many designers this is extremely important.

Zeplin

Zeplin is another collaboration tool. It is capable of providing communication not only between two or more designers, but also between a designer and a developer. The option when a coder or team lead can make edits directly in the layout will be useful for any team. Zeplin is created as a web application, so you can work with it from anywhere in the world. In addition to the above-mentioned tools, you can always use more traditional applications for designers - Adobe Illustrator and other professional software. But if teamwork is important to you, modern solutions may well become a full-fledged alternative.

5 Best Tools for Java Developer in 2020

Source: Medium Having a lot of experience developing in Java, I noticed that the tools that I had the opportunity to use over the years have now changed a lot. In this article, I will try to highlight among them those that I consider the best for Java developers in 2020.

Intellij IDEA

Intellij IDEA is by far the best IDE I've ever used. I had experience with Eclipse, but I can't say that I liked the environment. I've always been frustrated by the very slow text search in Eclipse. IDEA solved this problem for me. In the list of the most useful functions of this development environment, I would like to note:

• fast text search;
• modern decompiler and debugger;
• amazing Git integration;
• Full integration with Spring, JUnit;
• excellent refactoring tools.

YourKit

YourKit is the best Java profiler you'll ever find. Thanks to integration with IntelliJ IDEA, you can run profiling of applications of any complexity locally. It has an excellent Java agent for profiling remote applications with support for most web servers. YourKit will allow you to solve any performance problems that may arise in your work.

VisualVM

VisualVM is a free tool used as a visual interface to the JDK command line tools. It has profiling functionality, but its main advantage is JMX monitoring. With VisualVM you can see all the metrics present in the JVM, and it also allows you to view MBeans and other management extensions.

DataGrip

DataGrip belongs to the same family of IDEs as IntelliJ IDEA. This tool is designed for managing databases, writing complex queries and similar things. If you've ever used a GUI to manage PG Admin (new or old), you've probably had a rough time. You experience approximately the same thing when working with Oracle SQL Admin. But DataGrip is great - it supports most of the database engines you need and works great. Programming with it is as convenient as with IDEA.

Postman

There are many API clients now. Even IDEA includes a pretty good client. But my favorite is Postman. Its ability to intercept requests from Chrome and then use them in Postman is amazing. Moreover, this tool has an excellent user interface. I've tried working with many API clients, but always come back to Postman.