If you have been following the monthly Hot Web Dev magazine, you will find at the end of each edition, I recommend a tool of the month. Over the years, the tools used have varied from open-source apps and JavaScript UI frameworks to server tools, AI, CSS, desktop and web applications. Here’s a list of the tools from 2024, along with updates on new features and development (or lack of).
Starship ✅
Starship is a cross-platform shell prompt that integrates with bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell and many more. A shell prompt is a command-line interface provided by a program that interprets and executes user commands. Starship is written in Rust and can be fully configured to work with tools and programming languages such as Git, Rust and Java. It also comes with community-powered presets and themes to enhance the style to something you prefer. As of 2025, Starship is still going strong.
Arc ❌
February’s 2024 tool of the month was promising. Arc features a privacy-oriented, productivity-boosting web browser based on Google Chrome. Sadly, at the time of writing, it looks like Arc has been abandoned in favour of a new premium AI browser.
Warp ✅
Developers spend a lot of time using the command line. Warp is a terminal with a difference. Its main features include terminal-based editing with IDE quality and an integrated AI feature that assists with commands.
Warp Drive helps save workflows, making you more productive and enabling efficient teamwork. Built using the modern Rust programming language, the themeable terminal is available for Mac and Linux, with talk for Windows and web versions in the pipeline.
ServBay ✅
ServBay is more than just a web server; it’s a complete development platform. ServBay supports a range of databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL and NoSQL, ensuring you have everything you need to build dynamic websites and applications. With support for custom domains and SSL certification, you can be assured that your projects will be secure and professional. Currently, ServBay is only available for macOS, and there are no plans for Windows or Linux versions.
Ark UI ✅
The tool of the month is Ark UI, a fully customisable library for building accessible components for web apps. A good selection of components is available, including cards, menus, pagination, toasts, tooltips, tabs and many more. Requests can be made to add more via their roadmap. Ark exports components for React, Vue and Solid projects. All components come unstyled, giving you the ultimate freedom to put your stamp on them. In 2025, Ark UI supports Svelte.
Icons Gallery ✅
Are you looking for a comprehensive gallery of icons for your latest project? Icons Gallery contains over 10,000 icons that can be copied or exported in SVG format. It previews libraries such as Material Design, Cupertino, Icofont, Bootstrap and Ionic. It also features a convenient search function which displays the icons you need from all the libraries. It’s a must for any developer to have in their toolbox.
DynaUI ✅
July’s tool of the month is DynaUI, an animated UI library built with React, Tailwind CSS and Framer. Each component has subtle animations which provide a real lift to your home or landing page. Components available are modals, notifications, tooltips, buttons, animated text, stacked cards and more.
Individual components are free to use, with an option to unlock lifetime access to features, including sections and templates for a cost of £49. If you are a busy developer who needs to set up an app or website without the hassle of building your own, this is the library for you.
The Algorithms ✅
August’s recommendation is more of a reference tool in the form of a website that hosts a list of algorithms together in one place. The Algorithms offer popular algorithms, including search and sorting algorithms such as quick sort. Other categories include machine learning, graphs, neural networks and many more. Many of the algorithms are in programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, Java, C, C++ and many more.
Tru Devtools ✅
Do you ever want to format CSS or JavaScript or generate Lorem ipsum for your document? If so, you may wish to bookmark True Dev Tools. The client-side app comprises more than 45 tools, including Image compressors, converters and resizers. A regex tester, word counter, markdown previewer and various text tool converters. No data is sent to a server, as everything is done on the front end, inside the browser. You can also install it as an app on your desktop.
Tauri ✅
Tauri is similar to Electron, a powerful cross-platform alternative that has been in development since 2013. It uses the Chromium browser engine and Node.
It supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript alongside frontend frameworks, including the popular Vue, Svelte and many more. It can hook into Node, using Sidecar and has plugins to connect to the file system, database, and clipboard.
Daily Dev ✅
Do you enjoy consuming developer content, yet often struggle to read RSS feeds or email newsletters? The solution is Daily.dev, where you can personalise your news feed, join dev communities, search and share your favourite articles. It is available as a web app or a browser extension. It is constantly being improved, and one such feature is dev squads, where you can have a network of your favourite findings.
MarkWhen ✅
MarkWhen is a project management creation tool for project and visual timelines using Markdown. It is currently available as a web app and a Mac version, currently in beta. The offline version features a calendar, maps, Gantt views, a command-line interface (CLI), and a Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extension. A personal license to use the Meridiem editor is available for USD 10.00 and USD 18.00 if used for your work. With real-time collaborative editing, custom links and a future upgrade that features email notifications.
Conclusion – Hot Web Dev Magazine Tools for 2024
Over the years, new tools have emerged, and some have faded into obscurity. Browsers introduce more built-in options, and what was once a popular framework is no longer the most used. It’s hard to keep track. One of my favourites of 2024 was Arc the browser, which had so much promise. Unfortunately, they have abandoned development of it, and it’s unlikely that The Browser Company will open source any of their code.
If you have a recommendation for the top tool of the month for future editions of the Hot Web Dev magazine, you can get in touch using the contact form or message me on social media. See you next year for updates on the top tools from 2025.