July 28, 2007 — 02:15 AM PDT — by Cameron Chapman —

As rewarding as web development is, it can also be a pain sometimes, especially if you spend half your time looking for the right tools and resources. Well, we’ve done the work for you with this one, and have compiled a list of over 120 web development resources to make your life easier.

Reference and General Resources

TechCheatSheets – A collection of programming cheat sheets and reference guides.

Creative Commons – Use this to grant partial or full usage rights for the web apps you create.

Yahoo! Design Pattern Library – Yahoo!’s repository of patterns (optimal solutions for common problems within specific contexts).

General Development Tools

TurboDbAdmin – A browser-based solution for exploring and editing databases without having to refresh or submit.

Springloops – Code management tool built for web development teams to organize workflow, keep things updated, and give instant previews.

GENNIT – Does code generation for you, saving you lots of time.

Launchpad – Offers free hosting, project management and collaboration services for free software (including web apps).

Coda – A single-window development program aimed at those who hand-code their web applications.

roScripts – Save your programming resources online for present or future projects.

Kaosweaver – Dreamweaver extensions including “Advanced Random Images” and “Breadcrumbs”.

Widgetbox – Directory and syndication platform to distribute the widgets you build.

Application Builders

Coghead – Build web-based applications with an intuitive UI.

Iceberg On Demand – A web based platform for building, sharing and selling web applications.

Nenest – A web application framework that includes a form builder and database with no programming necessary.

ActiveGrid – Integrate existing services into Web 2.0 applications with ActiveGrid.

caspio – Create database applications without programming. They also offer free ready-made apps.

LongJump – Easily customize a large collection of ready-made web applications.

rBuilder Online – Build customizable software appliances, or use appliances others have already built.

Code Snippets, Search Engines and Repositories

krugle – A code search engine.

QuickRef – Another code search engine.

All The Code – Source code search engine.

Ohloh – Open source software directory.

Koders – A code search engine that searches more than 700 million lines of code.

Naslu – Online storage for your code snippets that also allows you to share and reuse them.

CodeFetch – Searches source code from programming books.

Google Code Search – Public source code search from Google.

UCodit – Code search engine.

scriptvote – Vote on php and javascript scripts, or search for one that meets your needs.

DZone Snippets – Public source code repository. Build your own personal collection of code snippets, categorize them with tags/keywords, and share them with the world.

Codase – Code search engine that searches 250 million lines of code.

OSZone – A repository of open source code.

Development Environments and Frameworks

BackBase Ajax 360 – Backbase is an enterprise level ajax development framework.

Maguma Workbench – Full-featured Integrated Development Platform for PHP and Python.

qooxdoo – qooxdoo is an Open Source multipurpose AJAX framework with a GUI toolkit for developers.

WebORB – Platform for deployment of Rich Internet Applications that allows for connectivity between UIs built with Flex, Flash or AJAX and server-side applications developed with Java, .NET, Ruby on Rails, PHP or XML.

Workspace – An online development environment for management of your web-based projects.

Clearspring – Cross-platform widget development app.

Nenest – A web application framework that includes a form builder and database with no programming necessary.

WebGUI – Content application framework that allows for easy content management and the ability to create and install custom applications.

Apache Cocoon – Web development framework that uses the notion of “component pipelines” that makes it possible to put components together without any required programming.

Apache Struts – An open-source framework for creating Java web apps.

AppFuse – Open source tools built on the Java platform to help efficiently and quickly develop web applications.

Aranea – Open source Java web framework for an Object-Oriented approach to creating web apps.

Grails – An open source web application framework bringing the “coding by convention” paradigm to Groovy.

Spring – The leading full-stack Java/JEE application framework that increases development productivity and helps improve test coverage and quality.

Tapestry – Open-source framework for creating Java web applications that are dynamic, robust, and highly scalable.

Apple WebObjects – Rapid application development environment that makes it easy to develop and deploy enterprise-class web services and Java applications.

Webwork – A Java application development framework that specifically aims to increase developer productivity and code simplicity.

Wicket – A Java web application framework with a refreshing lack of XML.

ZK Project – Web development framework that enables Web apps to have low development costs and a rich user experience.

Helma – An open source web application framework that’s written in Java and uses JavaScript for its server-side scripting environment.

Mashups and APIs

OpenKapow – OpenKapow is a mashup editor and hosting service.

gotAPI – Searchable database of APIs.

Dapper – Dapper allows you to pull an RSS, XML or other type of feed from just about any website and make it available for your mashups or other applications.

Programmable Web API Dashboard – A repository of APIs, how-tos and other API resources.

Zimki – Zimki offers APIs that allow for rapid development of your web apps. Scales, is fault tolerant, and reliable, and can be implemented quickly and without investment in expensive technologies.

Mashery – An on-demand API infrastructure that controls your access management, tracking, metrics, commerce, and performance optimization. They also offer developer tools.

OpenLayers – Allows you to put a dynamic map on any web page.

Popfly – Popfly Creator is a set of visual tools for building web pages and mashups. Popfly Space is an online community of creators where you can interact with creators and their creations, as well as host and share your own.

Google Mashup Editor – Currently in limited test, it will allow for mashups to be created using Google products as well as external feeds.

Yahoo! Pipes – Allows you to mash up your favorite online data sources.

Testing, Bug Tracking and Project Management

spigit – Spigit is a community where developers can show off their new ideas and build up a professional network. Simulation allows you to build and refine an idea prior to launching a full public beta.

Rainbow9 – Online coding & testing program for javascript, css and html.

Lighthouse – Lighthouse is an issue tracking program for one user or many.

Unfuddle – Ticket, source control and project management tool rolled into one.

16bugs – Easy and unobtrusive bug tracking.

betabug – Bug tracking system with an associated community.

Porchlight – Bug tracking for small teams.

BugJuice – Hosted bug tracking solution for small development teams.

JTrac – Open source issue-tracking Java application.

Bugja – Bug tracking for ninjas.

JIRA – Bug & issue tracking and project management with a focus on task achievement.

Ticketish – A simple ticket tracking system that’s currently still in private beta.

Ruby & Ruby on Rails Resources & Tools

Ruby on Rails – An open-source web framework that favors convention over configuration.

Locomotive – A Ruby on Rails development tool for Mac OS X.

Instant Rails – Instant rails is a runtime solution containing Ruby, Rails, Apache and MySQL that’s all set to run with no installer.

Hobo – Hobo is a Rails extension package. It consists of a templating mechanism, ajax rendering, and more.

Aptana RadRails – Development environment for Ruby on Rails applications.

FiveRuns – An affordable and intuitive enterprise application platform.

Nitro – Ruby and JavaScript web application framework for easily creating Web 2.0 applications.

Ajax Resources & Tools

ajaxload.info – This handy web app allows you to create AJAX based load bars, flowers and other shapes that show a site’s load status.

dojo – Easily build dynamic features into web pages and more using JavaScript.

MochiKit – JavaScript libraries that will help you get your project done fast. Incorporates the good ideas from Python, Objective-C and other programming languages and adapts them to JavaScript.

Rico – Rico is JavaScript for Rich Internet Applications. Take some raw HTML and spring in some behaviors and you can easily build an Accordian component like those found in Macromedia Flex and Laszlo.

Aptana – A free, open-source JavaScript-focused development environment for building AJAX applications.

AjaxPatterns – A complete ajax wiki.

Script.aculo.us – Library of JavaScript for cross-browser user interfaces that’s easy to use.

Mini ajax – Mini ajax provides free, simple, downloadable ajax and dhtml code.

Yahoo! UI Library – Yahoo!’s set of JavaScript utilities and controls. Also includes several CSS resources.

Prototype – Easy to use AJAX toolkit that eases the development of dynamic web apps.

mooTools – Object-Oriented JavaScript framework for intermediate and advanced JavaScript developers that allows for power cross-browser code with a coherent API.

Fjax – Cross-browser XML parsing and handling with less than 65 lines of code.

PHP Resources & Tools

PHP Object Generator – Generates clean Object Oriented code for you PHP4/PHP5 applications.

Symfony – Symfony is a web application framework for PHP5 projects that has simple templating, Ajax support, smart URLs and more.

MODx – MODx is an open source PHP application framework that uses validating, accessible CSS layouts.

CakePHP – Cake is a rapid development framework for PHP which provides a structured framework enabling PHP users at all levels to rapidly develop flexible web applications.

Zend Studio – IDE for professional developers with all the components necessary for full PHP application development.

FirePHP – A Firefox extension for PHP application development.

PHP Coder – A free IDE for PHP programmers

DBG | PHP Debugger and Profiler – A native debugger for PHP that works transparently.

Maguma Studio – Integrated development environment for PHP programming for Windows.

Aukyla – Platform for web-based PHP5 application development and management.

BlueShoes – A PHP application framework and CMS rolled into one.

CodeIgniter – Write kick-ass PHP programs with this open source web application framework.

Horde Application Framework – PHP general-purpose web application framework.

PhpOpenbiz – PHP application framework for building data centric business applications with nice, clean code.

Qcodo – Open source PHP framework that allows you to code less and focus on functionality and usability.

Seagull PHP Framework – OOP framework for building PHP web apps.

Xaraya – Open source framework written in PHP to allow developers to create sophisticated web apps while allowing their designers flexibility.

Zoop – PHP coding in an object oriented framework that’s ajax friendly.

Flash Resources & Tools

flashvillage – Free flash templates that are really high quality. You do have to register to download.

Dontclick.it – A framework for building a click-free user interface.

Flash Developer Center – Adobe’s Flash Developer Center has downloads, samples, quick starts and a community.

Python Resources & Tools

Pylons – Pylons combines the best of Ruby, Python and Pearl into a lightweight web framework that allows for rapid development while remaining flexible.

Django – A Python web development framework that emphasizes clean design and rapid development.

Zope – Open source application server for building web apps in Python.

Webware – Suite of python web application tools.

Twisted – Event-driven Python networking engine licensed under the MIT license.

TurboGears – Web app platform that aims to make creating web apps faster, easier and more fun.

Spyce – Making web development fun again.

Nevow – Python web app construction kit.

Karrigell – Flexible Python web framework.

CherryPy – Object-oriented HTTP framework written in Python