Curated List of Useful Search Engines, Tools, and Online Resources for Developers
This article provides a comprehensive, English-language compilation of popular search engines, image and regex utilities, file conversion services, online compilers, front‑end development tools, mind‑mapping applications, and cloud‑based note‑taking platforms to help developers efficiently locate information and streamline their workflow.
Search Resource Websites
When learning technology, we often need search engines to retrieve information; domestically Baidu is common, but Google is recommended if possible. Alternative options include:
Bing
International version: https://cn.bing.com/ – a reliable alternative.
DuckDuckGo
https://duckduckgo.com/ – does not collect user data and has no ads.
Stack Overflow
https://stackoverflow.com/ – a vast source of technical answers, useful when Google is unavailable.
Gitlogs
https://www.gitlogs.com/ – a search engine specialized for GitHub projects.
Jiumo Search (鸠摩搜书)
https://www.jiumodiary.com/ – helps find technical documents and manuals, many hosted on Baidu Cloud.
Ebooke
https://ebookee.org/ – free e‑book download search engine.
Iconfinder
https://www.iconfinder.com/ – icon search for logos and graphics.
TinEye
https://www.tineye.com – reverse image search by uploading an image or providing its URL.
Semantic Scholar
https://www.semanticscholar.org/ – free academic search engine indexing journals and conference papers.
LibreStock
https://librestock.com/ – high‑quality free stock photos.
CC Search
https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/ – searches for copyright‑free images.
Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/ – free high‑resolution photos.
Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/ – another source of free high‑quality images.
The App Store
https://theappstore.org/ – search tool for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS applications.
Tool Categories
Image‑Related Tools
TinyPNG: https://tinypng.com/ – free online image compression.
picdiet: https://www.picdiet.com/zh‑cn – JavaScript algorithm compresses images up to 80% without quality loss.
SmartResize: https://www.smartresize.com/zh‑cn – batch image cropping and scaling tool.
Regular‑Expression Tools
https://regexr.com/ – visual regex editor.
https://jex.im/regulex/ – another visual regex explorer.
File Conversion Tools
https://smallpdf.com/cn, https://convertio.co/zh/, https://www.online-convert.com/, https://www.pdftoword.com/, https://tools.pdf24.org/zh/, https://cn.office-converter.com/ – support conversion among PDF, images, Word, and other formats.
Online Compilers
https://rextester.com/, https://www.onlinegdb.com/, https://c.runoob.com/ – run and test code for various languages (PHP, Java, C, etc.) online.
HTML, CSS, JS, Design Tools
JSFiddle: https://jsfiddle.net/
CodePen: https://codepen.io/
Runoob: https://c.runoob.com/front‑end/61
JSON Parser: https://c.runoob.com/front‑end/53
Online PS: http://www.kantu.com/
Table Converter: https://tableconvert.com/ – converts between Markdown, HTML tables, CSV, and Excel.
DesignCap: https://www.designcap.com/ – online poster design with templates.
Mind‑Mapping Tools
Xmind: https://www.xmind.cn/ – cross‑platform mind‑mapping software.
ProcessOn: https://www.processon.com/ – free online diagramming with real‑time collaboration.
MindMaster: https://www.edrawsoft.cn/mindmaster/ – supports Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile platforms.
MindMeister: https://www.mindmeister.com/zh – online mind‑mapping with millions of users.
Baidu Brain Map: http://naotu.baidu.com/ – simple online mind‑map tool.
Gliffy: https://www.gliffy.com/ – Chrome extension for creating flowcharts, UML, wireframes, BPMN, and org charts.
Document and Note‑Taking Platforms
Evernote: https://www.yinxiang.com/
Youdao Note: https://note.youdao.com/
OneNote: https://www.onenote.com/
Mubu: https://mubu.com/
WizNote: https://www.wiz.cn/
Shimo Docs: https://shimo.im/
Google Keep: https://keep.google.com/
Simplenote: https://simplenote.com/
These platforms enable cloud‑based note‑taking, knowledge organization, and cross‑device synchronization.
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