What Is The Full Form Of IDE, What Does IDE Stand For?

IDE Full Form: Integrated Development Environment 

The full form of IDE (ide full form) is Integrated Development Environments. Integrated Development Environments are software programs that consist of all the tools that developers might need while creating software applications. In simple terms, IDE combines various developer tools under a single Graphical user interface (GUI). 

Following are the least developer tools any IDE consists of: 

• Source Code Editor: A source code editor is simply a text editor and supports developers in writing and editing source code. It enhances the productivity of developers and facilitates the code development process by providing a unique set of features, including syntax highlighting, language-specific auto-completion, and code refactoring.
• Debugger: A debugger is a software program that assists developers in testing their source code and displaying the location of bugs in the original source code graphically.
• Compiler: A compiler is simply a tool that transforms the source code written in high-level programming languages (human-readable languages) into a low-level language or machine code that computers understand and can execute. 
• Local build automation tools: This is a tool that is developed to automate repeatable tasks to save time. For instance, compiling source code written in a high-level language into machine code (binary code), packaging binary code, and executing automated tests.

Whether you are a seasoned developer or a beginner in the development field, using an IDE significantly boosts your productivity. This is because it unites all the essential developer tools under a single roof. 

Languages supported by Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

There are many IDEs that are specific to a single programming language or a set of programming languages. Such IDEs offer features that align to the supported programming language. For instance, Xcode is an IDE that supports Swift and Objective-C languages. 

Moreover, there are multiple-language IDEs that support multiple languages rather than just one language. The table highlights the examples of some multi-language IDEs, along with the supported programming languages. 

Various Popular Kinds of IDEs

There are various prominent types of Integrated development environments (IDEs) available out there. The two major types are open-source and proprietary. However, there are many other characteristics that differentiate IDEs. 

Characteristics That Differentiate IDEs

• Supported languages: Some IDEs are entitled to work with a specific programming language. For instance, Xcode supports Swift and Objective-C, and IntelliJ primarily supports Java. On the contrary, some IDEs support multiple languages, like Eclipse and Komodo, as we can see in the above table. 
• Operating systems: IDEs are created to operate on particular platforms, just like other software programs. So, a key factor in determining which IDE to use for development is the operating system. Another restriction is depending on which operating systems the application you develop is designed for. 
• Automation features: Most IDEs typically comprise three specific tools, namely a debugger, compiler, and code editor. However, many IDEs come with special features, like code search, code refactoring, and continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools. 
• Plugins and extensions: Many IDEs come with the support for extensions in order to customize the workflow of developers based on their preferences.

Types of IDEs

Multiple-language Integrated Development Environment

Multiple language IDEs support multiple languages. These types of IDEs are ideal for beginners who want to learn and master different programming languages. 

1. Eclipse: Eclipse is the most prominent IDE when it comes to multiple language IDEs, and most professional developers highly recommend it. Primarily, it is a Java development environment, but due to the plugins available for other programming languages, it serves to be a multi-language IDE. It supports various languages, including C, C++, Java, Python, PHP, and Perl. 
2. Komodo IDE: It is an enterprise-grade IDE that supports numerous languages, including Perl, Python, PHP, Golang, Ruby, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and so on. 
3. Aptana: This IDE is popular amongst the community of web developers. It supports languages such as JavaScript, CSS, HTML, AJAX, and more via plugins. 

Mobile Development Integrated Environment

Mobile app development is gaining momentum in today’s era and has become the most important field among developers. To facilitate the development of mobile applications, a plethora of IDEs are accessible on the web. The primary consideration while choosing a mobile development IDE is to pick the one that supports cross-platform development, making your application work on different platforms with a single codebase.

1. IntelliJ IDEA: This mobile development IDE is primarily intended for developing mobile applications in Java. However, with the help of plugins, it can also support other languages.
2. Android Studio: It is an official and de-facto IDE to build mobile apps for the Android operating system. It supports Java and Kotlin, where Kotlin is now the official language for Android development. 
3. Xamarin: This is a cross-platform integrated development environment, and it is entirely free and open source. This IDE is used to create applications for both Android and iOS, and the supporting languages are Java and C#. 
4. Xcode: Developed by Apple, Xcode is an official IDE to build mobile applications that run only on iOS platforms. Moreover, it supports languages such as Swift, C++, and Objective-C.

Cloud-based Integrated Development Environment

These are IDEs that can be accessed from anywhere, unlike offline IDEs. They are also known as Software-as-a-service IDEs. In this type of IDE, there is no need to download software or configure local IDE so that developers can start contributing to the building of the application quickly. Plus, it solves the problem of code working on just one machine by providing the level of standardization across the team members. 

1. Cloud9: This is one of the most powerful IDEs that enables multiple members of a team to collaborate and work on a single file simultaneously. It is offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), a leading cloud computing service provider. 
2. CodeTasty: This is an IDE that has its own terminal with an output window. For collaborating with the team members, you have to use the premium features which come under the paid version.

Why do Developers Use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)? 

An integrated development environment (IDE) makes the whole process of writing code, compiling it, and debugging it hassle-free for developers. Without an IDE, a developer needs to download, install, and configure all the essential utilities required for development on the local system. However, with an IDE, a developer can straightaway start programming instead of wasting time downloading and configuring multiple utilities. 

As an IDE combines all tools under one application, there is no need for developers to frequently shift between different tools, such as a text editor, compiler, or debugger. This leads to significant time and effort savings with improved productivity.

Furthermore, some typical features of an IDE, like intelligent code completion, syntax highlighting, code folding, and automated code generation, are meant to save time for the developers. 

Common Features of IDE

Some of the basic features of the Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are: 

• Syntax Highlighting: Syntax highlighting is a feature that typically comes with a source code editor. It displays your source code in different colors and fonts depending upon the terms you use. This enhances code readability and immediately highlights syntax errors. 
• Automatic code completion: This feature increases the writing speed of the programmer by giving suggestions on what the programmer is going to type next. For instance, if the developer is going to type System, the auto code feature will identify it just after typing Sy. 
• Debugging: A debugger is an essential tool as it displays code errors. Every IDE comes with a debugger that graphically displays the location of errors so that developers can find them easily. 
• Refactoring: It is the practise of reorganising old code in order to make improvements while maintaining its original functionality. The primary goal of refactoring is to improve software design and structure. 
• Version Control: It is a process of keeping track of changes that have been done to a source code over time. We also refer to version control as source control. 

Most Popular IDE’s

The list of IDEs available is quite long but below you can see a recent poll of the most popular as of 2020.

FAQs and Meaning of IDE

This was all about the full form of IDE and the meaning of IDE. We hope you now have a clear idea of what does IDE stand for. Also, the IDE abbreviation has many full forms, and we have listed some of them in the article to have a better understanding. 

Sameeksha Medewar

Sameeksha is a freelance content writer for more than half and a year. She has a hunger to explore and learn new things. She possesses a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.