Discover the Best Dev Tools Apps
Mobile app development is more popular than ever. But coding on the go comes with unique challenges for developers. Thankfully, mobile dev tools apps are revolutionizing development workflows for coders on the move.
Having access to robust code editors, debuggers, databases, and API tools right on your phone or tablet can massively boost productivity. These mobile apps allow you to program, test, and deploy software from anywhere while traveling or away from your desktop.
In this post, we'll highlight the top mobile developer apps across key categories. We'll compare the leading options for coding, debugging, databases, and APIs to help you optimize your mobile dev workflow.
The Power of Mobile Dev Tools
Mobile dev tools offer game-changing convenience for developers, especially when traveling or working remotely.
Need to squash bugs during a client demo? Debug on the fly from your phone. Have inspiration for new features on your commute? Crank out code on the bus ride home. On site with users and want visibility into real-world app issues? Monitor performance remotely in real-time.
The capabilities of mobile coding apps today rival desktop IDEs. You can edit, build, test, and deploy apps right from Android or iOS. Seamless syncing with services like GitHub or desktop IDEs keeps your progress consistent across devices.
For teams, mobile dev tools unlock new levels of agility and collaboration. Developers can push updates from anywhere, while managers have up-to-the-second visibility into projects. Issues get resolved faster. New features ship seamlessly. The entire dev workflow evolves.
Let's explore some of the top mobile apps that are revolutionizing development for coders on the go.
Code Editors
For writing code on mobile, you'll need a robust code editor app. The top options provide fluid coding with features like syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and version control integration.
Coda
Coda offers a polished UI and excellent sync with its Mac app. The robust editor has distraction-free Zen mode, Markdown preview, and support for many languages like Python, PHP, and JavaScript. At $14, it's a premium mobile coding option.
Textastic
Textastic shines for web devs, with smooth editing for HTML, CSS, JS, and Markdown. Advanced features like seamless sync, integrated SFTP browser, and theming make Textastic very capable. It's free to try with unlock at $8.99.
Code Hub
Code Hub simplifies collaborating on GitHub repos from mobile. It enables managing branches and reviewing commits alongside a solid code editor for languages like C# and PHP. At $2.99, it's a cost-effective GitHub solution.
Recommendation: Textastic
For versatile mobile web development, Textastic balances great editing with remote access essentials like FTP and syncing. The excellent language support and custom theming accelerate development.
Debugging Tools
Debugging crashes and hunting down bugs is a key part of app development. Advanced mobile debuggers make this process easy through log streaming, crash reporting, and real-time monitoring.
Popular options like Bugfender, Flipper, and React Native Debugger enable you to understand issues right from user devices. Their remote access and diagnostic capabilities surpass traditional simulators.
Bugfender
Bugfender is an excellent remote debugger for iOS, Android, and cross-platform apps. Its standout feature is real-time streaming of an app's logs as users interact live.
Beyond logging, Bugfender has full remote debugging, crash reporting, and custom analytics. Its starter plan is free.
Recommendation: Bugfender
For continuous visibility into real mobile user issues, Bugfender is our recommendation. The ability to watch logs in real-time as your app runs on devices is extremely powerful.
Database Tools
Managing databases while traveling is simple with today's robust mobile database apps. Top options like SQLite Browser, Dash, and TablePlus simplify working with SQL and NoSQL databases efficiently from your phone.
These mobile tools enable running queries, modifying tables, controlling user access, and syncing data across devices. Whether you need to check database status, populate new data, or export results, mobile database apps have you covered.
SQLite Browser
SQLite Browser delivers an intuitive interface for creating tables, editing rows, and running SQL queries against SQLite databases from mobile. The open source tool is free and works great for SQLite mobile access.
Dash
For connecting to diverse databases like MySQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL from your phone, Dash is a top choice. It makes building and running complex queries easy with auto-complete, saved snippets, and variable management.
Recommendation: Dash
Dash stands out for its extensive database support beyond just SQLite. The robust tools for running and optimizing queries on the go make Dash our recommendation.
API Tools
Testing APIs during development traditionally required being at your workstation. New mobile API tools remove this limitation by enabling API workflows from anywhere.
Leading options like Postman, Insomnia, and Hoppscotch simplify the entire API dev process on mobile. Handy features like environment management, real-time monitoring, mocks, and collaboration accelerate development.
Postman
Postman makes constructing any API call simple with its intuitive editing and syncing. It auto-generates code snippets while supporting team collaboration through shared workspaces. Postman offers free and paid plans starting at $8/month.
Recommendation: Postman
Postman is our recommendation for excellent API development features alongside intuitive mobile usability. It helps developers quickly build, monitor, test, and collaborate on APIs from mobile.
Start Optimizing Your Mobile Workflow
The top mobile dev tools covered in this post will supercharge your productivity when coding on the go. Robust options like Textastic, Bugfender, Dash, and Postman give you desktop-class editing, debugging, databases, and API workflows optimized for mobile.
No matter your specialty, integrating mobile apps into your dev process will help you achieve more from anywhere. Visit DevHunt to explore more excellent mobile developer tools to take your on-the-go coding to the next level. The convenience and flexibility offered by modern mobile dev apps provide awesome advantages for today's developers and teams.