Free Web Development Tools
This resource list was originally developed for the CS-SIS sponsored AALL program 30 Cheap Web Development Tools in 30 Minutes.
Web Servers | Web Authoring Software | CSS Templates | Color Pickers | Graphic Editors | FTP Clients | Validators & Link Checkers | Log Analyzers | Blog Tools | Application Services |
Web Servers
- Apache
- http://www.apache.org/
- Runs on Windows, Unix, Mac, Netware platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Online documentation
- Mailing lists
- Sambar
- http://www.sambar.com/
- Runs on Windows and Red Hat Linux platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Online documentation
- Forums
- Savant
- http://savant.sourceforge.net/
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- Online documentation
- Mailing lists
Web Authoring Software
- Amaya – WYSIWYG
- http://www.w3.org/Amaya/
- Runs on Windows, Mac, and Unix platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Mailing lists
- Online presentations
- Nvu – WYSIWYG
- http://nvu.com
- Runs on Linux, Mac, Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Demos
- Forums
- Mailing lists
- 1st Page 2000
- http://www.evrsoft.com/1stpage2.shtml
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- Forum
- HTML-Kit
- http://www.chami.com/html-kit/
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Forums
- Tutorials
- Newsgroups
CSS Layout Templates
- Glish Layout Techniques
Color Pickers
- MoreCrayons Color Cube and Slider
- http://www.morecrayons.com
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Links to articles on using color on the Web
- Blog
- Contact form
Graphic Editors
- GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)
- http://www.gimp.org/
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Unix platforms
- Support available:
- Online user manual
- Help files
- Mailing lists
- Tutorials
- Commercially published books
- Photofiltre
- http://www.photofiltre.com/
- Free for private, educational, and nonprofit use
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- Forum
- Tutorial
- StudioLine Basic 2.2
- http://www.studioline.biz/
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- Forum
- Online hints and tips
- XnView
- http://www.xnview.com/
- Free for private, educational, nonprofit use
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris (and more) platforms
- Support available:
- Forum
FTP Clients
- Core FTP Lite
- http://www.coreftp.com/
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Forums
- Online documentation
- Filezilla
- http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Forums
- Online guides
Validators & Link Checkers
- W3C (X)HTML Markup Validation Service
- http://validator.w3.org/
- Checks (X)HTML coding conformance to Web standards
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Help
- User's guide
- W3C CSS Validator
- http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
- Checks CSS conformance to W3C standards
- Support available:
- Limited online documentation
- Wave Accessibility Tool
- http://www.wave.webaim.org
- Available as an online service, toolbar, or bookmarklet
- Free for noncommercial use
- Support available:
- Icon and explanation page
- Web Accessibility Toolbar
- http://www.nils.org.au/ais/web/resources/toolbar/index.html
- Free for noncommercial use
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Online documentation
- Tutorials
- W3C Link Checker
- http://validator.w3.org/checklink
- Checks anchors and links in an html document
- Support available:
- Limited online documentation
- Xenu's Link Sleuth
- http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
- Runs on Windows platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- User group
- Dr. Watson
- http://watson.addy.com/
- Online service that verifies links, validates HTML, spell checks, estimates download speed, checks link popularity and search engine compatibility
- Limited number links that it checks
Log Analyzers
- Analog
- http://www.analog.cx/
- Runs on Windows, Unix, Mac, Linux, BSD, Solaris, and more platforms
- Support available:
- Online documentation
- Tutorials
- Awstats
- http://awstats.sourceforge.net/
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Online documentation
- Forums
- Webalizer
- http://www.mrunix.com/webalizer/
- Runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, Solaris, BSD, and more platforms
- Support available:
- FAQ
Blog Tools
- Blogger
- http://www.blogger.com/
- Support available:
- Online help documents
- Ask Support feature, status blog
- Bloki
- http://www.bloki.com/
- Blog, forums, Web pages
- Support available:
- FAQ
- Help pages
- Support request form
- WordPress
- http://wordpress.org
- Requires a host
- Support available:
- FAW
- Online documentation
- Tutorials
- Forums
Application Services
- Lazlo Soundblox
- http://soundblox.blogspot.com
- Embed an MP3 player on your site
- Master.com
- http://www.master.com
- Delivers limited application services such as calendars, message boards, search polls, and surveys without obnoxious advertising