Boost Your Development Speed: Must‑Have Tools & Tricks for 2024

In everyday development, many engineers miss out on efficiency tools, which can slow down their workflow. Common pain points include lack of clipboard history, limited shell capabilities, and underutilized VSCode features.

Launcher

A launcher provides a quick‑access floating window triggered by a hotkey, allowing you to open applications, search the web, locate files, insert preset text, access clipboard history, generate QR codes, perform OCR, and more.

Alfred

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: A classic productivity tool; the free version is already powerful, and the optional Powerpack adds extensibility.

Launch Applications

Search and launch apps directly by name instead of hunting for icons.

Clipboard History

Two main features:

Clipboard history stores copied text, images, etc., for several days and allows keyword search for quick pasting.

Preset text lets you define frequently used snippets (e.g., addresses, IDs) that can be inserted via keywords.

Workflow

Extended capabilities require the Powerpack and support custom scripts. Common examples:

Translation

md5, base64, encodeURIComponent, decodeURIComponent

IP lookup, timestamp conversion, image download, compression

Kill unresponsive applications

Raycast

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: A newer, free alternative with strong plugin integration and a polished UI.

Utools

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: A domestic tool with good localization (OCR, WeChat integration) and reliable plugin resources unaffected by network issues.

Shell

While macOS ships with a basic Bash, many developers prefer more feature‑rich shells. This article highlights fish , a shell with syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, and custom functions.

fish

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: History, syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, and custom functions reduce the need to remember long commands.

Syntax highlighting

Autosuggestions

Tab Completions

Functions

Custom functions are handy, e.g., for adb operations:

function adb-lightproxy
    if count $argv >/dev/null
        adb -s $argv[1] shell settings put global http_proxy (ip):12888
    else
        adb shell settings put global http_proxy (ip):12888
    end
end

function adb-remove-proxy
    if count $argv >/dev/null
        adb -s $argv[1] shell settings put global http_proxy :0
    else
        adb shell settings put global http_proxy :0
    end
end

Terminal

The default macOS Terminal is functional but limited. Alternative terminals provide richer features.

iTerm2

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: More attractive UI and advanced features suited for developers.

Split Panes

Divide a tab into multiple vertical or horizontal panes for simultaneous sessions.

Hotkey Window

Press control + space to summon a transparent command‑line window without obscuring other apps.

Warp

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Built‑in commands and AI‑driven command generation can speed up workflows, though results vary.

Workflows

A.I. Command Search

Describe a task in natural language, and Warp generates the corresponding shell command. prepend "new-" to the names of all txt files Result:

for i in *.txt; do mv "$i" "new-$i"; done

Chrome Extensions

Chrome is the most widely used browser; the following extensions can boost productivity.

QuicKey

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Enables keyword‑based tab switching and Chinese search directly from the browser.

Auto Tab Discard

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Automatically unloads inactive tabs to save memory and improve browser speed.

Rearrange Tabs

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Keyboard shortcuts let you reorder tabs, useful for power users.

VSCode

Extensions

Github Copilot

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: AI‑assisted coding, though the $100/year price may be steep for some.

Turbo Console Log

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Generates a one‑line log statement for the currently focused variable.

const userInfo = xxx;
// shortcut generates
console.log("🚀 ~ file: user.ts ~ line 51 ~ UserService ~ setUser ~ userInfo", userInfo)

Command Shortcuts

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Frequently used commands (e.g., Go to Definition, Go to References) greatly speed up code navigation when bound to hotkeys.

Go to Type Definition

Jump directly to a type's definition.

Go to Definition

Navigate to a symbol's definition.

Go to References

Find all usages of a symbol, useful for refactoring.

Go Back / Go Forward

Return to the previous location or move forward, mirroring browser history navigation.

Go to File

Search for a file by name instead of browsing the Explorer panel.

Rename Symbol

Rename variables or functions across the codebase.

Misc

Keyboard

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Why: Adjusting key repeat settings can make cursor movement feel faster.

Overall, the tools and techniques presented can noticeably improve development efficiency, but they should complement, not replace, core skills such as coding, problem‑solving, and design.