In the current era dominated by advancements in artificial intelligence, prioritizing AI developer tools, this list places them at the forefront.

Github Copilot – AI developer tool

GitHub Copilot is a paid tool that is worth giving a try. GitHub Copilot will significantly boost a developer’s productivity in several ways:

  • Code Suggestions: GitHub Copilot provides code suggestions as you type, helping you write new code faster.

  • Learning New Languages: It can provide examples in languages or frameworks that you’re not familiar with, helping you learn new technologies more quickly.

  • Reducing Context Switching: Instead of constantly searching the web for code snippets or documentation, you can get suggestions directly in your IDE.

  • Writing Tests: GitHub Copilot can suggest tests for your code, helping you ensure your code is robust and works as expected.

  • Reducing Boilerplate: It can generate boilerplate code for you, allowing you to focus on the unique aspects of your application.

  • Discovering New Methods: GitHub Copilot can suggest methods or libraries that you might not be aware of, helping you write better, more efficient code.

Remember, while GitHub Copilot can be a powerful tool, it’s important to review and understand the code it suggests before using it.

I’ve been using Git Copilot with both PHPStorm IDE and Visual Studio Code. It’s been instrumental in accelerating my learning curve with new frameworks. I highly recommend giving it a try, or alternatively, exploring the free version of ChatGPT.

Github Copilot Suggestion UnitTest

Docker

Even seasoned developers find setting up the local environment for large applications such as Magento to be a challenging task. However, Docker simplifies the process of setting up and managing local development environments, leading to increased productivity and improved collaboration.

I prefer Warden for Magento 2 environment. Warden is a command-line utility designed to orchestrate Docker-based developer environments. It facilitates the concurrent running of multiple local environments without encountering port conflicts by employing a small set of centrally managed services to direct requests to the appropriate environment’s containers.

Warden

PHPStorm IDE and Magento PHPStorm plugin

For Magento 2 development, I utilized PHPStorm IDE, which is a paid software. Despite its cost, I consider it the top choice for Magento development.

AI tools such as GitHub Copilot provide code suggestions, but manual file creation is still required. If you prefer automatic code generation, consider using Magento PHPStorm from Adobe, which is available for free.

Magento PHPStorm Plugin

XDebug

XDebug serves as a valuable asset for Magento developers, offering a range of benefits. It simplifies debugging tasks, allowing developers to set breakpoints, inspect variables, and analyze code execution flow, thereby expediting issue resolution. Additionally, XDebug enhances code comprehension by providing insights into runtime behavior, facilitating informed development decisions.

XDebug

Monitoring Performance tools

Monitoring the performance of a production Magento store is crucial for ensuring its optimal operation and user experience. Here are some tools you can use to monitor Magento performance:

New Relic: New Relic offers comprehensive application monitoring solutions, including APM (Application Performance Monitoring) specifically tailored for Magento. It provides insights into server performance, database queries, transaction traces, and more.

Dynatrace: Dynatrace offers an extensive array of valuable insights, encompassing a multitude of aspects spanning from the application level, where it provides detailed analytics on performance, errors, and user interactions, to the infrastructure level, where it offers comprehensive monitoring of servers, databases, and network components.

Blackfire.io: Blackfire.io is a performance profiling tool that helps you identify performance bottlenecks in Magento code. It offers detailed performance metrics and recommendations for optimizing code and improving overall application performance.

Datadog: Datadog is a cloud monitoring platform that offers Magento integration for monitoring server performance, application performance, and user experience. It provides customizable dashboards, alerts, and performance analytics to help you optimize your Magento store.

Application-Performance-Monitoring-and-Observability-2023

As of the time of writing this blog, Dynatrace stands out as the leading performance monitoring tool. I have had the opportunity to work with both Dynatrace and New Relic. However, from my perspective, I prefer New Relic due to its intuitive interface and ease of use.

By adopting these tools and strategies, you can enhance your productivity while working with Magento 2, resulting in more efficient development processes, improved store performance, and better outcomes for your business.

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