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My Essential Developer Tools for 2024

A curated list of tools, extensions, and workflows that boost my productivity as a developer.

#tools#productivity#workflow#vscode

My Essential Developer Tools for 2024

Over the years, I’ve refined my toolkit to include only what truly enhances productivity. Here’s my current setup.

Editor: VS Code

Still the king of editors. My essential extensions:

  • Error Lens: Inline error messages
  • GitLens: Enhanced Git integration
  • Prettier: Automatic formatting
  • GitHub Copilot: AI pair programming

My must-have settings:

{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true,
  "editor.guides.bracketPairs": true,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "editor.cursorBlinking": "smooth",
  "editor.cursorSmoothCaretAnimation": "on"
}

Terminal: Warp + Fish

Warp is a game-changer:

  • AI command suggestions
  • Blocks for organizing output
  • Native speed with modern UI

Combined with Fish shell:

  • Autosuggestions out of the box
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Smart completions

Version Control

GitHub CLI for everything:

# Create PR
gh pr create --fill

# Check CI status
gh pr checks

# Review PRs
gh pr review 123 --approve

LazyGit for visual Git:

  • See branches, commits, diffs
  • Stage hunks easily
  • Interactive rebase made simple

Database Tools

TablePlus for SQL databases:

  • Clean interface
  • Multiple connections
  • Query saving

Supabase Studio for:

  • Real-time table editing
  • SQL editor with intellisense
  • API documentation

API Development

Bruno (open-source Postman alternative):

  • Git-friendly collections
  • No cloud sync required
  • Scripting support
// Pre-request script
const token = await bru.getEnvVar('AUTH_TOKEN');
req.setHeader('Authorization', `Bearer ${token}`);

Note-Taking & Documentation

Obsidian for personal notes:

  • Markdown-based
  • Graph view for connections
  • Plugins for everything

Linear for project management:

  • Fast keyboard shortcuts
  • GitHub integration
  • Minimal yet powerful

Productivity Boosters

Raycast (Mac) for:

  • App launching
  • Clipboard history
  • Window management
  • Custom scripts

Fig for terminal autocomplete:

  • Works with any shell
  • Custom completions
  • IDE-like experience

Browser Extensions

  • React DevTools: Component inspection
  • Redux DevTools: State debugging
  • Wappalyzer: Tech stack detection
  • JSON Viewer: Pretty JSON

Monitoring & Debugging

Sentry for error tracking:

  • Real-time alerts
  • Stack traces
  • Performance monitoring

Vercel Analytics for:

  • Core Web Vitals
  • Real user monitoring
  • Geographic data

The Key Takeaway

The best tools are the ones you actually use. Don’t chase every new thing—invest time in mastering a focused toolkit.

What tools are essential in your workflow? I’m always looking to discover new gems!