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Online Editor

Whenever we are starting our coading it is not always that we have a good system to work on and I believe that because of this learning should not stop. And thanks to the technology now we can do almost everything in the cloud and it is very simple. The best part is since it is in the cloud so we can acess it from almost any browser or device and learn on the go.

What is an IDE?

Basically, IDE is a piece of software with a wide range of functions that help in the development of other software. IDEs increase programmer productivity by combining common activities of writing software into a single application: editing source code, building executables, and debugging.

What is the difference between IDE and Text Editor?

The short answer to this question is that code/text editors only allow you to write and edit, maybe with some advanced features. On the contrary, IDEs do all the things simple text editors do plus a huge number of more advanced stuff you can’t do with text editors. Above you can see features that usually come with a good IDE. Basically, they equip you with everything you need to turn code into a functioning app or program.

For some people, the true distinction between an IDE and a plain text editor is the ability to compile your code right inside the tool.

A code editor is roughly an advanced text editor for working with code. As a rule, the most important functions of a code editor are syntax highlighting, indicating errors, and working with files – these differ from a regular text editor.

Best Online React Editors

So here I am going to list few of the Online Editors for React which we can use to learn and create React Applications.

1. replit

When it comes to online editing, Repl.it is the beast and supports almost every programming language. Repl.it is arguably the best online react editor available out there in the wild, and it is free for basic use.

Repl.it is easy to use, lightweight and comes packed with features to help you play around with React without spending too much time.

Features
  • Inbuilt debugger for easy of code development
  • Super performant linting
  • Option to include third party packages
  • Live updates with hot module reload
  • And well, you can save and host your repls (projects) in the cloud, no need to save anything on the computer. Entire code runs in the cloud, login from any machine and continue from where you left.

2. codesandbox

CodeSandbox is fast becoming an online editor of choice for small to medium scale projects development, prototyping, school projects, hobby projects and much more.

As of today, code sandbox happens to be one of the most used online react editors for creating web applications.

Features
  • Embedding – You can create your code project and the entire sandbox can be embedded in any webpage. Viewers would be able to run your code and see it live on the web page without the need to visit CodeSandbox website. So, well, it is ultra-lightweight in this regard and doesn’t make your webpage too heavy.
  • Learn and Share – You can search sandboxes created by others, as of writing this article, there are around 3,248,964+ sandboxes available that one can search and play around with to learn.
  • NPM support – Need an npm dependency, most probably you will get out of the box, else there is an option for you to create one with ease.

3. snack.expo.io

Snack Expo is a dedicated online react native editor and comes packed with features to help you create your first mobile app in a matter of minutes. You can create universal apps that can run on iOS, Android as well as on the web.

You can create a native app by including required packages and libraries in the browser itself and check the live output by

  1. Using an online emulator or
  2. By installing client apps for android and iOS on your mobile (in Expo App) or
  3. by moving the developed code on your mobile directly.
Features
  • Searching React components to drag and drop in the code files
  • Checking device logs directly in the editor
  • Out of the box support for ESLint
  • You can shave and share snacks right from the browser, a perfect option for quick demos and getting feedback on your prototypes.
  • Well, you get access to the native features including Camera, image picker, Social Authentication, File Picker, Location, Accelerometer and much more.
  • Hot module reloading and remote debugging

Conclusion

React is a leading programming framework for developing front end applications and used for hobby projects, by students as well as for enterprise grade apps development.

Everyone into the game of frontend development wants to explore and react, and the best way is to open the browser, start writing the code and see the output live, and for that reason, an online react editor is all you need for hassle free onboarding . So you can use any Editor of your choice.