Undoubtedly, knowing some programming language provides a key and competitive advantage in today's era.

After all, programming is one of the rising professions of the future with very good salaries and job opportunities in a wide range of business sectors and beyond.

Of course, due to the large amount of data and the emerging needs for efficiency and productivity, there are some essential tools that significantly help developers meet the demands of their work every day.

So in today's guide we've put together 10 must-have developer tools to help early-career developers get a clearer picture and become even more efficient.

The tools we will analyze are the following:

 Docker

 Kubernetes

 Git

 Visual Studio Code

 Stack Overflow

 Maven

 npm

 pip

 Chrome DevTools

 PowerShell

Let's start.

 Tool #1: Docker

Docker is an open source container platform that enables developers to develop, run and manage applications in different environments in a very efficient way.

Using Docker developers can specify the environment in which various applications run, including versions and libraries.

 Tool #2: Kubernetes

Kubernetes (known by the abbreviation K8s) is an open source container orchestration system for automating software development, scaling and management.

Kubernetes includes built in commands to develop and apply changes to applications according to changing needs, making it easier for developers to manage applications.

 Tool #3: Git

Git is a version control system or source code control system.

It records the changes made to each project, helping to synchronize the developers of a team in a company.

Originally developed in 2005, it places a strong emphasis on speed and data integrity.

GitHub which is a cloud-based hosting service, allows developers to easily manage Git repositories. 

 Tool #4: Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code or VS Code is a code editor created by Microsoft for Windows, Linux and macOS platforms.

Features include support for debugging, code refactoring, and built-in Git.

In addition, Visual Studio Code can be used with a wide range of programming languages such as C++, Java, JavaScript and Python.

 Tool #5: Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a question and answer website for developers and was created in 2008 by Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky.

It has a large community of developers and includes questions and answers on basic computer programming topics.

 Tool #6: Maven

Maven is an automation tool for managing and better understanding software projects.

It is an open source and was developed by the Apache Group to create and develop multiple projects simultaneously for more efficient project management.

Maven can be used to build and manage projects in languages such as Java, C#, Ruby and Scala.

 Tool #7: npm

npm (Node Package Manager) is a popular package manager for the language JavaScript.

nmp is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring programs for a computer in a simple and consistent manner.

In general, package managers are designed so that there is no need for manual updates and installs.

 Tool #8: pip

pip is the standard package manager for Python.

It gives the possibility to Python Developers install and manage packages from the Python Package Index as well as other indexes.

 Tool #9: Chrome DevTools

Chrome DevTools is a set of web development tools and is built into the browser Google Chrome.

These tools allow web developers to edit and debug the code, layout of a site or web application in real time.

Developers using these tools can easily fix problems on websites, optimize the performance of their code and test their web apps on different devices and screen sizes.

 Tool #10: PowerShell

PowerShell is a cross-platform configuration and task automation tool (Windows, Linux και macOS), by Microsoft.

It consists of a command line shell and the associated scripting language.

In addition, it is worth noting that there are other tools that belong to the category shell tools, with the most well-known being the Zsh and Bash Shells, which are Unix shells and are mostly used in Linux and macOS.

 In a Few Words

We talked about the essential tools that developers can use to make their work easier and more efficient.

​Each tool has its own key features and caters to the unique needs of each developer.

​Some tools may be more ideal for someone working with the popular Python programming language, as we've seen.

So if you are a new professional and want to learn everything about Python, check out the Python for Data Science Course and immediately and dynamically start your career!