Glossary of Code Editors & Web Devs Terms and Acronyms

Important Links to Related Pages

1.      Return to Explore the 32 Category Master List of Productivity Software Applications

2.      See our Side-by-Side Comparison of Web Development Tools

3.      Return to the Web Development Tools Category List

4.      Scan Through the List of Web Development Tools FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

💡 Glossary: Code Editors & Web Development Tools – Category-Specific Terms

Auto-Completion (IntelliSense)

A feature that suggests and completes code as you type, improving speed and reducing errors.

Build Tools

Programs or scripts that automate common development tasks such as compiling, bundling, and deploying code (e.g., Webpack, Gulp).

Breakpoint

A marker set in your code to pause execution during debugging and inspect variables or application flow.

Code Linter

A tool that checks code for stylistic and syntactic errors, helping ensure code quality and consistency.

Command Palette

A quick-access menu (notably in VS Code and Sublime Text) that allows you to perform commands without navigating menus.

Debugger

A built-in or external tool used to step through code, inspect variables, and identify bugs or errors in real-time.

Extension / Plugin

A downloadable add-on that enhances an editor’s functionality—such as syntax highlighting, linters, or Git integration.

File Watcher

A background tool that triggers an action (like compiling or reloading) when a file is saved or changed.

Framework

A prewritten collection of code libraries that provide a structure for building web apps (e.g., React, Angular, Laravel).

Live Preview / Live Server

A feature that updates the browser view in real time as you edit your HTML, CSS, or JS files.

Package Manager

A tool for managing libraries and dependencies (e.g., npm for JavaScript, pip for Python).

Refactoring

The process of restructuring code internally without changing its external behavior—improves readability and maintainability.

Snippets

Reusable pieces of code or templates that can be inserted quickly via shortcuts or tab triggers.

Syntax Highlighting

The color-coded formatting of code to make it easier to read and understand.

Terminal / Console

A command-line interface built into many editors where developers run scripts, compile code, or interact with Git.

Version Control

A system for tracking changes in code over time, usually integrated with Git and platforms like GitHub or GitLab.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)

A visual editor that lets users design interfaces and see a preview of what the final page will look like (e.g., Dreamweaver).

Workspace

A collection of files and settings in an editor, often stored as a project folder with custom configurations.

🔤 Glossary of Acronyms – Code Editors & Web Development Tools

API – Application Programming Interface

A set of rules for how software components communicate with each other—often used to connect web apps to external services.

CLI – Command Line Interface

A text-based interface used to run scripts or development commands (e.g., via Terminal or Bash).

CSS – Cascading Style Sheets

Used to style HTML content—controls layout, colors, fonts, and responsiveness.

DOM – Document Object Model

The programming interface for web documents, allowing scripts to update content, structure, and styles.

HTML – HyperText Markup Language

The standard language for creating web page structure.

IDE – Integrated Development Environment

A full-featured development tool that combines code editing, debugging, project management, and more (e.g., IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse).

JS – JavaScript

The scripting language of the web used for interactivity and dynamic content.

MVC – Model-View-Controller

A design pattern for building organized and modular web applications.

NPM – Node Package Manager

Used to manage and install JavaScript packages and dependencies.

PHP – Hypertext Preprocessor

A server-side scripting language used in dynamic web development.

REST – Representational State Transfer

A standard design approach for creating scalable web APIs.

SASS / SCSS – Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets

An advanced CSS preprocessor with variables, nesting, and mixins.

SQL – Structured Query Language

Used for managing and querying data in relational databases.

UI / UX – User Interface / User Experience

UI refers to how a site looks; UX refers to how it feels and functions for users.

VS Code – Visual Studio Code

Microsoft’s open-source, cross-platform code editor widely used in modern web development.

Important Links to Related Pages

1.      Return to Explore the 32 Category Master List of Productivity Software Applications

2.      See our Side-by-Side Comparison of Web Development Tools

3.      Return to the Web Development Tools Category List

4.      Scan Through the List of Web Development Tools FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)