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Eclipse vs IntelliJ IDEA vs NetBeans IDE: What are the differences?
Key differences between Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans IDE
Introduction:
In the domain of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans IDE are three prominent options. Each of these IDEs has its own set of features and functionalities, which distinguish them from one another. In this Markdown document, we will highlight the key differences between these IDEs in a succinct manner.
Compilation and Build Systems: Eclipse primarily uses its built-in Java Compiler (ECJ) for compilation and build process. On the other hand, IntelliJ IDEA and NetBeans IDE utilize the standard Java Compiler (javac). IntelliJ IDEA additionally offers seamless integration with Maven and Gradle build systems, providing more flexibility and convenience in project management.
User Interface and Look-and-Feel: Eclipse provides a highly customizable user interface with a rich set of plugin options, which allows developers to tailor the IDE according to their preferences. IntelliJ IDEA, known for its sleek and modern design, offers a more streamlined and intuitive user interface with advanced coding assistance features. NetBeans IDE follows a visually appealing and user-friendly approach, making it ideal for beginners.
Code Analysis and Refactoring Tools: IntelliJ IDEA stands out with its extensive code analysis and refactoring capabilities. It offers various tools, such as intelligent code completion, inspections, and quick-fixes, which help in writing clean and error-free code. Eclipse also provides these features but to a lesser extent compared to IntelliJ IDEA. NetBeans IDE offers a decent range of code analysis and refactoring tools, making it suitable for small to medium-sized projects.
Support for Programming Languages: While Eclipse is primarily focused on Java development, it also provides support for other programming languages like C/C++ and Python through plugins. IntelliJ IDEA, apart from Java, offers excellent support for multiple programming languages such as Kotlin, JavaScript, and more. NetBeans IDE provides support for a wide range of programming languages, including Java, PHP, HTML, and C/C++.
Version Control Systems Integration: All three IDEs (Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans IDE) offer integration with popular version control systems like Git and SVN. However, IntelliJ IDEA provides more advanced features and built-in tools for version control, making it easier to manage and track code changes compared to Eclipse and NetBeans IDE.
Plugins and Community Support: Eclipse boasts a vast collection of plugins and a thriving community that actively contributes to its ecosystem. It offers a wide array of plugins for almost any use case. IntelliJ IDEA, although it has a smaller plugin marketplace compared to Eclipse, has a strong community and is known for the quality and reliability of its plugins. NetBeans IDE also has a good number of plugins available, but it lags behind Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA in terms of community support.
In summary, Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans IDE differ in various aspects such as compilation systems, user interface, code analysis and refactoring tools, support for programming languages, version control system integration, as well as the availability of plugins and community support. The choice between these IDEs depends on individual preferences, project requirements, and the desired level of functionality and flexibility.
UPDATE: Thanks for the great response. I am going to start with VSCode based on the open source and free version that will allow me to grow into other languages, but not cost me a license ..yet.
I have been working with software development for 12 years, but I am just beginning my journey to learn to code. I am starting with Python following the suggestion of some of my coworkers. They are split between Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA for IDEs that they use and PyCharm is new to me. Which IDE would you suggest for a beginner that will allow expansion to Java, JavaScript, and eventually AngularJS and possibly mobile applications?
Pycharm is great for python development, but can feel sometimes slow and community version has Somme very annoying restrictions (like they disabled jupyter notebooks plugin and made it premium feature). I personally started looking into VS Code as an alternative, and it has some very good potential. I suggest you take it into account.
The Community version of PyCharm is free and should give you what you need to get started with Python. Both PyCharm and IntelliJ are made by JetBrains. IntelliJ is initially focused on Java but you can get plugins for lots of other things. I subscribe to JetBrains' Toolbox: https://www.jetbrains.com/toolbox-app/ and have access to all of their great tools.
Hi, I will give my opinion based on my experience. I have used PyCharm, both community and Professional version. The community has limited functions, like you can't use a Jupyter notebook whereas it's available in the Professional version. PyCharm is slower compared to Visual Studio Code. Also Visual Studio Code is an editor which supports various languages. I myself have used both Visual Studio Code and PyCharm. I feel Visual Studio Code would be better choice. You may as well decide based upon your requirements.
I couldn't imagine using a development tool other than the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate All Products Pack. A single license allows me to work directly on my server running Ubuntu and/or my workstation running Windows 10 Pro simultaneously. My current project uses HTML, W3CSS, JavaScript, Java, Groovy, Grails, C, GO, Python, Flask, and Rust. For me it's worth every penny of the $150 license fee. And you can try it for free.
I'd personally recommend Visual Studio Code as it gives you the flexibility of working in any language, so long as there are extensions to support it. It gives you the flexibility to learn Python, venture into Java, Javascript, and eventually AngularJS, and potentially mobile applications. It's also free and you can install it on your personal computer. I think Visual Studio Code would serve your intended use case best.
Visual Studio code is easy to use, has a good UI, and a large community. Python works great with it, but unlike some other editors, it works with most languages either by default or by downloading a plugin. VS Code has built in linting, syntax coloring, autocompletes (IntelliSense), and an api for plugins to do there own tooling.
IntelliJ really is the best for Java, I switched from eclipse years ago and never looked back. As for javascript, python and angular either using the standalone products from jetbrains (pycharm for python, webstorm for js) or installing the relevant plugins for InteliJ will be your best bet. Pycharm etc. are really just InteliJ with some additional plugins installed.
If you starting with Python then PyCharm is better. For Java I would suggest to go with IntelliJ IDEA but people also prefer eclipse so I would say try both and then decide. For JS/Angular/React I would suggest go with VSCode. I personally use it and prefer as its light weight and have good integration with chrome for frontend development.
PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA are both products of JetBrains. They have a free (limited feature) and paid edition. Eclipse is free. VSCode is also free.
All three are great, however, I believe that IntelliJ IDEA's multiple IDE's are slightly more straight-forward and more up-to date than Eclipse. If I had to choose one specifically for Python projects I would go with PyCharm.
Pycharm is all you need to get start coding in python or any of its framework. Its an awesome tool you should give it a try :)
This is a very easy to use tool and gives you the opportunity to start coding right after the installation with almost everything setup automatically by the tool.
Easy to learn and everything you need
Lightweight and versatile. Huge library of extensions that enable you to integrate a host of services to your development environment. VS Code's biggest strength is its library of extensions which enables it to directly compete with every single major IDE for almost all major programming languages.
I originally chose IntelliJ over Eclipse, as it was close enough to the look and feel of Visual Studio and we do go back and forth between the two. We really begin to love IntelliJ and their suite of IDEs so we are now using AppCode for the IOS development because the workflow is identical with the IntelliJ. IntelliJ is super complex and intimidating at first but it does afford a lot of nice utilities to get us produce clean code.
Pros of Eclipse
- Does it all131
- Integrates with most of tools76
- Easy to use64
- Java IDE63
- Best Java IDE32
- Open source9
- Hard for newbews3
- Great gdb integration2
- Professional2
- Good Git client allowing direct stage area edit2
- True open source with huge contribution2
- Great code suggestions2
- Extensible2
- Lightweight2
- Works with php0
Pros of IntelliJ IDEA
- Fantastically intelligent301
- Best-in-class ide242
- Many languages support190
- Java158
- Fast121
- Code analysis82
- Reliable79
- Out of the box integration with maven, git, svn76
- Plugin architecture64
- Integrated version control61
- Code refactoring support12
- Best java IDE11
- Local history7
- Code Completion6
- Kotlin6
- Integrated Database Navigator6
- Built-in terminal/run tools6
- All5
- Free for open-source development, students and teacher5
- Base for Android Studio5
- Free If you're a Student5
- ERD Diagrams4
- Free4
- Cross platform4
- IDE4
- Database/Code integration4
- Out Of The Box features3
- Column Selection Mode3
- Server and client-side debugger3
- More than enough languages for any developer3
- Typescript support3
- Multicursor support3
- Reformating Code3
- Intuitive3
- Command-line tools3
- Android Integration3
- Vim support3
- Special icons for most filetypes in project list3
- Supports many frameworks3
- Built-in web server3
- Live Templates3
- Scala support3
- Works fine with mac os catalina2
- A lot of plugin2
- Just works2
- Integrated Ssh/Ftp Managers2
- Full support2
- Task managers2
- Diff tools2
- File Watchers2
- Support for various package managers2
- Integrated Code Linting2
- Clean UI2
- Open source2
- So modernised2
- Efficient, one Stop solution2
Pros of NetBeans IDE
- Rich features76
- Crossplatform69
- Plugins(Git, SVN)49
- Easy to use38
- Extensible38
- PHP Support35
- Java support34
- File History28
- Code analysis21
- MySQL support18
- Free14
- Open source14
- Code completion10
- Strong Maven Support9
- NodeJs support8
- Webdev king6
- Easy maven project start6
- Best6
- Jira Plugin4
- Foss4
- Out of the box integration with maven, git, svn3
- History of changes, friendly tabs3
- Mandatory3
- Intuitive ui2
- Chrome plugin to live update javascript from browser2
- Groovy support2
- Native Nette support2
- I don't like NetBeans2
- Smarty support2
- Visual GUI Builder for Swing / AWT2
- Custom html tags support2
- Powerful refactoring1
- Composer commands inside IDE1
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Cons of Eclipse
- 2000 Design14
- Bad performance9
- Hard to use4
Cons of IntelliJ IDEA
- Large footprint required to really enjoy (mem/disc)20
- Very slow16
- Bad for beginners8
- UI is not intuitive7
- Not nearly as many tools to integrate as vs code5
- Constant reindexing5
- Needs a lot of CPU and RAM power4
- Built in terminal is slow3
- Doesn't work that well with windows 10 edu3
- Ruby is a plug in1
- Pesky warnings increase with every release1
- AAD0
Cons of NetBeans IDE
- PHP debug doesn't support conditional breakpoints2
