Definition:
A development environment is a set of procedures and tools that are used to develop a source code or program. This term is sometimes used as a synonym for integrated development environment (IDE), which is the software development tool used to write, build, test, and debug a program. They also provide developers with a common user interface (UI) for developing and debugging in different modes.
When choosing in development environment or IDE (Integrated Development Environment) it is essential to have defined which programming language will be used both in the Frontend (the visible part of the web) and in the Backend.
Levels of the development environment
The development environment typically has three levels of servers, classified as development, assembly, and production. The three levels together are generally referred to as the DSP.
- Development Server: This is where the developer tests the code and checks if the application runs correctly with that code. Once the implementation has been tested and the developer believes that the code is working correctly, the application is then moved to the intermediate mount server.
- Integration Server: This environment is made to look exactly the same as the production server environment. The application is tested on the staging server to check reliability and to ensure that it does not fail on the actual production server. This type of testing on the intermediate server is the last step before the application is deployed to a production server. The application has to be approved in order to deploy it to the production server.
- Production Server: After approval, the application becomes a part of this server.
Characteristics of development environments
So-called IDEs must meet some basic characteristics to meet user expectations. One of them is that they must be cross-platform and have an attractive and practical interface to work with. They must facilitate the integral process of programming and it is also important that they have a help assistant and forums where users can express their doubts.
Some of the most commonly used development environments are Eclipse or NetBeans. Eclipse, initially developed by IBM, is now managed by an independent non-profit foundation that encourages the creation of an open source community. It allows the installation of extensions and plugins that can be added depending on the needs of the user.