Linux is a go-to OS for many developers. Because so many people use Linux for development, the platform is littered with dozens of development tools, both good and bad. If you’re sick of wading through programs to find a good code editor for your Linux development PC, we can help? Here are the five best code editors for Linux!
Best Code Editors For Linux Users
1. Atom
Atom, developed by the people behind GitHub is a modern code editing application that the creator’s promise is “hackable,” fully customizable, works with any developer, and fits into the life of a programmer in the 21st century.
The Atom code editor has a lot of traditional features, with some added additions that make it worth using, such as built-in Git source control support, smart code completion, and more.
Notable Features
- Atom is “hackable,” which means that it’s possible to tweak and modify the app to make it suit your workflow and needs better.
- Split-window mode means you can work on twice as much code on one screen without needing two monitors.
- The “smart” autocomplete feature can make writing code much faster.
- Full built-in support for pushing code directly from Atom to Git.
Download – Atom
Users can download in DEB and RPM format. Additionally, it is possible to grab a Snap or Flatpak release of the app. For more info on Atom, check their official website!
2. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is an open-source programming code editor and development environment for Linux and Windows. It is built with the web technology Electron, which allows the program to run incredibly light on most desktop environments.
MS Visual Studio Code doesn’t require the user to work on Microsoft-related programming projects. Instead, users can work on a variety of different types of development, such as web development, and even traditional Linux application development.
All and all, Microsoft has an excellent application here for Linux developers. Don’t let their checkered history with Linux scare you! It’s one of the best apps in its category!
Notable Features
- Microsoft’s “Intellisense” can automatically give you code hints and auto-complete too.
- Visual Studio Code has an integrated terminal, which is useful for development purposes, testing and other operations related to programming.
- Built-in Git support makes pushing code changes hassle-free.
- Support for a massive amount of programming languages.
Download – Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is available in multiple locations on Linux, including Snap, Flatpak, and distribution-specific packages.
3. Sublime Text
Probably one of the most used code editors in the Linux development community, Sublime Text offers up a lightweight, easy to use code editor with excellent features, such as powerful syntax highlighting, distraction-free mode, multi-selection mode, and a high level of customization not seen in many other code editors on Linux.
Sublime Text has a lot of strengths, such as it’s low resource usage. However, probably one of the best reasons to go with this code editor is that it’s truly versatile and up for any task, from editing a simple bash script to writing a text file, to writing code in Rust, Python, and other coding languages.
Notable Features
- Sublime Text is incredibly versatile and can double as a plain text editor on Linux.
- Distraction-free mode makes it easier to focus on coding.
- The multi-selection feature in Sublime Text makes editing multiple code snippets at the same time a breeze.
- The auto-save feature means you’ll never lose your work.
Download – Sublime Text
SublimeText isn’t a free program. It is proprietary. Due to its closed-source nature, there’s no possibility of it being in any Linux distribution’s code repository. Instead, to get your hands on it, you must purchase a license at sublimetext.com.
4. Adobe Brackets
Brackets is a slick code editor from Adobe. It’s open-source and is centered around the needs of web development and web designers who do programming in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
The program is very lightweight and has dozens of useful features, such as the ability to do a live preview of your code, inline editing and more. Better yet, the app is cross-platform and will work on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Suffice it to say; if you’re a web developer on Linux in need of a modern code editor, Brackets is one of the best choices out there.
Notable Features
- Brackets support in-line code editing.
- Brackets is cross-platform, so if you do web development on more than just Linux, there’s no need to juggle several different code clients.
- Adobe Brackets has a robust extension manager system that lets users tweak and improve it to suit their needs.
- “Live Preview” lets you view your work as you go, to check for errors and make improvements.
Download – Adobe Brackets
Adobe Brackets is open-source. Despite this, it’s not at all possible to install the program easily through traditional software repositories. Instead, you must download it from the Adobe website.
5. Geany
Geany is a small, IDE for Mac, Linux, and Windows. The main focus of the application is to be a full-featured IDE (Integrated Development Environment)/Code editor, with excellent, powerful features while not using a lot of resources.
Overall, Geany meets its goal of being extremely lightweight and full-featured, without question. Even though it uses only modest system resources, it manages to do everything from supporting code folding, automatic closing of XML/HTML tags, code navigation, and even a built-in code compilation tool that makes it painless to run and test code.
If you’re looking for a good Linux code editor, and want one that doesn’t use a lot of memory, yet has impressive features, Geany is one to try!
Notable Features
- Geany can automatically close XML and HTML tags so that you don’t have to do it.
- It’s a complete IDE, despite being lightweight, and even includes a code compiler.
- Code folding feature lets Geany users quickly hide blocks of programming they’re not currently working on.
Download – Geany
Geany has long been in many Linux distribution’s software repositories. As a result, nearly every mainstream OS has it. To install it, head over to Pkgs.org, and filter through for instructions on how to get it running on your machine.
