Web developers use a lot of tools to build websites and applications. These tools include extensions that extend the functionality of a web browser and modify the browser’s behavior or change how the web page is displayed. The extensions available for different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari can give you more capabilities and customization options, making it easier to use your favorite browser for web development.

What Are Browser Extensions?

A browser extension is a piece of software that modifies the functionality of an internet browser. It improves your web experience and is also used by developers to debug and test their code in real-time.

Browser Extensions are essential because they allow you to customize your web browser. They range from simple background tweaks to complex programming tools. Some can supplement your current development workflow, while others can be used as a replacement tool. Some are just for fun, and some are more useful than others, but all offer a way to customize your browsing experience.

Are Browser Extensions Safe?

Browser extensions are highly beneficial if they are from a trusted company and have been vouched by other professionals. Check the description and further details on the store page and see if other people have rated and reviewed them.  If downloaded from an untrusty source, you may find yourself taking the risk of downloading unknown code or malicious browser scripts. So make sure you install them through a trustworthy and reputable source.

Top Ten Browser Extensions For Chrome

There are gazillions of browser extensions available in the web store to help increase productivity. They let you perform actions in the web browser without requiring you to visit a website and log in to a platform. These extensions are built on web technologies such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. They run in a separate sandboxed execution environment and interact with the Chrome browser.

The extensions mentioned below are all free and can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. They are also available for other popular browsers like Firefox and Safari.

1. Chrome Regex Search

It is an extension offered by Roger Shen. It dynamically highlights regex matches on the web page as you type. You can cycle through matches with ENTER and SHIFT+ENTER or by clicking the arrows with your mouse. You can customize highlighting and text color through the extension options. To load the content script, you must refresh any tabs you already have opened.

2. Library Detector

The Library Detector extension is by John Michel. This extension discovers which Javascript libraries are being utilized on webpages you visit and displays their icons, along with a link to the library’s homepage, in the address bar. Use this extension to determine which excellent libraries are powering today’s websites.

3. uBlock Origin

The uBlock Origin is a free and open-source, cross-platform browser extension for content filtering offered by Raymond Hill. With the uBlock Origin extension, you can easily block ads and tracking software. uBlock Origin’s extension is available foremost among widely used browsers, including Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Opera, Firefox, and Safari.

4. Linkclump

Linkclump, offered by Benjamin Black, allows you to drag a selection box around links using your mouse to open new tabs quickly, open in a new window, save as bookmarks, or copy to a clipboard. With the Smart Select option, select only the essential links on the page. Turn off this option to open all selected links.

5. Web Archives

Web Archives by Armin Sebastian is a browser extension that enables you to find archived and cached versions of web pages. Searches can be initiated from the context menu and the browser toolbar. A diverse set of archive and cache sources are supported, which can be toggled and reordered from the extension’s options.

6. JSON Formatter

JSON Formatter by Callum Locke lets you view and validate JSON documents in Chrome. It has a collapsible tree with a clickable URL and allows you to toggle between raw and parsed JSON. It works on any valid JSON page and local files.

7. WhatFont

The easiest way to identify fonts on web pages is to install this extension offered by Chengyin Liu. With this extension, you can inspect web fonts by hovering on them. It’s fast, effective, and identifies individual fonts within a page in seconds. It also determines the family, size, weight, and color within a small popup window in the browser.

8. GoFullPage – Full Page Screen Capture

This add-on by Peter Coles simplifies taking screenshots of your current browser window. You can capture a clear screenshot of the current page with no unnecessary permissions. This one-click Chrome extension is beneficial for web developers who want a complete overview of a webpage. The advanced screen capture technology handles complex pages—including inner scrollable elements and embedded iframes—unlike any other extension.

9. Fake Filler

Fake Filler fills all inputs on a page with fake/dummy data. If you’re a web developer who works with forms, this Chrome extension is a must-have. It eliminates the need to manually enter values in form fields and lets you customize what type of fake data to put in. The plugin also ignores hidden, disabled, read-only, or CAPTCHA fields. It offers two subscription plans for advanced features starting at 3.99$ per month.

10. Session Manager

Session Manager is another valuable generalist tool offered by Teddy Cross. It is for developers and any type of web user. It’s a ‘save it for later’ tool that can save all open tabs into a single session for later access. It will keep your selected tabs for an indefinite period on your computer. When you want to open the tabs, click on the session to launch all the tabs with a single click.

Take Away

That ends our list of the ten best Chrome extensions for web developers provided by the team of experts. These extensions are great for boosting the productivity of web developers and helping them save time.

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