Nick's Personal Web Developer Tools
Inspired by Fellow Developer Wes Bos' Uses.tech
Explore my curated collection of Personal Web Developer Tools showcasing a comprehensive tech stack designed to enhance web development productivity and creativity.
As a WordPress and front-end developer, my Personal Web Developer Tools represent the essential toolkit that powers innovative digital solutions and streamlines my development workflow.
These Personal Web Developer Tools form the backbone of my coding environment, enabling efficient and innovative web development.
Professional Development
Learning Resources and Tech Industry News
As a Calgary web developer, staying current with rapidly evolving technologies is essential. These podcast and news resources complement my development tools, ensuring my WordPress and front-end expertise remains sharp and industry-relevant.
Professional Development Impact
I rely on these podcast and blog resources to stay informed about the latest developments in JavaScript frameworks, CSS techniques, WordPress updates, accessibility standards, and digital marketing trends. This continuous learning helps me keep my technical skills current and ensures I can tackle new challenges as they emerge in web development.
Web Development Podcasts via AI-powered podcast player Snipd
- Design System Office Hours - Component libraries, scalable architecture, and UI/UX development
- Honest UX Talks by Wix Studio - UI/UX development
- JavaScript Jabber - modern JavaScript Programming
- React Native Radio - Conversations on React Native
- ShopTalk Show - WordPress development workflows, performance optimization, and accessibility standards
- Syntax FM Podcast - JavaScript ES6+, React, Node.js, and modern framework best practices
- The CSS Podcast - CSS Grid, Flexbox, responsive design, and front-end optimization techniques
- The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source - Technical linterviews
- Working in UX Design - UX Design Interviews
Primary Blog Resources
Web Design and Development
- Accessible Web Blog
- ByteByteGo Newsletter & Blog
- Chrome for Developers Blog
- CSS-Tricks Articles
- DEV (Dev.to) JavaScript Blog
- freeCodeCamp Programming Blog
- JavaScript Weekly Newsletter
- Generative Engine Optimized Blog (www.generativeengineoptimized.com)
- Github Changelog Blog
- MDN Blog (MDN Web Docs, previously Mozilla Developer Network)
- Node Weekly Newsletter Blog
- React Status Newsletter Blog
- Socket.dev Blog
- Smashing Magazine Articles
- Syntax FM Podcast Website Blog
- The CSS Podcast Blog
- The PHP Foundation News
- The Termageddon Blog: Website Privacy and Policies Information and News
- UXmatters Blog on Research, Web Accessibility and UX Design
- V8 JavaScript Engine Dev Blog
- web.dev Blog by the Google Chrome Team
- WordPress Developer Blog
- WPBeginner Blog
Digital Marketing
- Adster Creative Edmonton Blog & Digital Marketing
- Ahrefs Blog
- Backlinko
- Google Analytics & Tag Manager News and Tips
- Grace Leung Digital Marketing on YouTube
- GrowME Marketing Calgary Digital Marketing Blog
- Hootsuite Blog
- HubSpot Blog
- Learn AI Search Optimization (AISO) Blog Articles
- Neil Patel's Digital Marketing Blog
- The Moz Blog
- Search Engine Journal SEO Blog
- Search Engine Land SEO Blog
- Semrush Blog
- Tiller Digital Calgary News
- WordStream Blog
- Yoast SEO Blog
Secondary Blog Resources
Web Design and Development
- Brad Frost Web Development Blog
- Chris Coyier Blog
- CSS { In Real Life } Blog
- David Walsh Blog (DWB)
- Figma Shortcut Blog
- Hashnode JavaScript Developer Blog
- Josh W. Comeau Articles
- LogRocket Blog
- Stephanie Walter's The UX Research and Design Blog
- TLDR - A Byte Sized Daily Tech Newsletter
- Warp.dev Blog
- Wordfence Research and News Blog
- WordPress News Blog
- WP Rocket Blog
Personal Web Developer Tools
- VS Code (Visual Studio Code) - Primary IDE Editor for Mac I use for writing code - usually a dark mode theme like Github Dark or Visual Studio Code Dark and or Cobalt 2 from Wes Bos depending on the time of day
- Windsurf (formerly CodiumAI) - VS Code extension for code completion assistance with AI
- Warp.dev - Primary Intelligent AI based command line terminal
- Chrome DevTools (Google Chrome) - debugging HTML/CSS and JavaScript source code in the browser
- GitBook - personal documentation platform for storing front-end development and coding knowledge
- MindNode Next - visual mind mapping tool for organizing web development concepts, project workflows, and code architecture planning
- RunJS - JavaScript (JS) playground that executes code snippets for testing front-end development ideas and experiments in a streamlined environment
- TextMate - streamlined code editor perfect for testing small files and making quick edits to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript when working on front-end development projects
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Claude AI by Anthropic - primary coding assistant for more concise results
- Perplexity - using it for utilize both search and AI capabilities from technologies:Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Artificial Intelligence Search Optimization (AISO), and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- ChatGPT by OpenAI - General AI assistant for coding assistant for quick answers for lower-level priorities
- GitBook - uses AI to generate diagrams based on code, description of the code and reformatting code
- Windsurf (formerly CodiumAI) - VS Code extension for code completion assistance with AI
- Gemini by Google - coding assistant to pull information from Google services such as YouTube and Google Search for research and quick reference
- NotebookLM by Google - deep research tool for gathering information from YouTube videos, coding files, uploading images/videos
- Otter.ai - collecting notes on meetings
- Apple Intelligence - writing tools to assist in speeding up written communications
- Readwise and Readwise Reader using the Ghostwriter AI feature to summarize information and saved highlights
- Snipd Podcasts - AI feature to create snips of useful information on podcast episodes for gathering useful informative and information
Digital Marketing
- Copy.ai
- Google Analytics 4 (GA-4)
- Google Search Console (GSC)
- Google Tag Manager (GTM)
- Google Pagespeed Insights
- Google Rich Results Test
- Microsoft Clarity
- Neil Patel's (NP Digital) AnswerThePublic - Search Listening Tool for SEO, Content Strategy & Brand Building
- Neil Patel's (NP Digital) Ubersuggest - SEO & Keyword Research Tool
- Semrush
- Schema Validator
Project Management and Communications
- ClickUp
- Teamwork.com
- Basecamp
- Trello
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Zoom
- Otter.ai
UX Design & Graphic Design
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Figma
- Canva
- Affinity Photo
Remote Office Setup
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPad Pro M1 3
- Apple Watch Series 10
- Apple TV 4K
- MacBook Pro 16.2" M1
- IKEA Bekant Sit and Standup Desk
- Mophie Powerstation Pro XL - mobile external battery for the MacBook Pro
- SINGMICS Lap Desk, Cushioned Bed Tray with Phone Tablet Slot
- Philips Hue Smart Lights
- Hilusen Extra Large Laptop Backpack
Web Browsers
- Google Chrome - Primary Browser for coding
- Mozilla Firefox - Secondary Browser for coding
- Mozilla Firefox (Developer Edition) - Browser for testing new features
- Apple Safari - Browser for testing websites for WebKit, mobile responsive testing and debugging for iOS devices
- Microsoft Edge, Brave and Opera - Browsers used when caching issues occur with other browsers
- Perplexity Comet - Gained access to the upcoming web browser that will add AI features and will be thoroughly tested to see how it can be integrated into my web development skills workflow
Security Services
- NordVPN
- Apple Passwords
Website Services
- Font Awesome - Font Awesome Free License(Opens in a new tab), utilizing version 6.7.2 to provide scalable vector icons across the site's design
- Pixabay - Images on this website are sourced from Pixabay Royalty-Free License(Opens in a new tab), providing high-quality visuals that power the visual elements across my web development portfolio, enabling commercial and creative use without attribution requirements
- Termageddon - Policy service used on Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service
WordPress Development
- Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
- Contact Form 7 (CF7)
- Elementor Pro
- Events Calendar Pro
- Formidable Forms
- Gravity Forms
- Gutenberg Editor
- W3 Total Cache
- WordFence Security
- WooCommerce
- WP Engine
- WP Migrate DB
- WP Rocket
- WP Sitemap Page
- WPBakery
- WPForms
- WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)
- Yoast SEO Premium