As Engineer I use some tools quite frequently. This is my incomplete current set of the last 12 Months.

Draw.io

Draw.io is a free, web-based diagramming application used for creating various types of diagrams such as flowcharts, network diagrams, organizational charts, UML diagrams, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with a wide range of shapes, icons, and connectors to help users visualize their ideas and concepts. Draw.io allows users to collaborate in real-time, save diagrams to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox, and export diagrams in various formats such as PNG, JPEG, PDF, or SVG. It is popular among professionals, students, and anyone who needs to create diagrams for presentations, documentation, or brainstorming purposes.

We use it to visualize the architecture diagram, and the application flow.

Postman

Postman is a popular collaboration platform for API development. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows developers to design, test, document, and monitor APIs efficiently. Postman offers a variety of features, including:

  1. API Testing: Developers can create and execute automated tests for APIs using Postman’s testing capabilities. This helps ensure the correctness and reliability of APIs.

  2. API Documentation: Postman allows developers to generate comprehensive documentation for their APIs automatically. This documentation includes details about endpoints, request parameters, response bodies, and more.

  3. API Monitoring: Developers can monitor the performance and availability of their APIs in real-time using Postman’s monitoring features. This helps identify and address issues quickly to ensure optimal API performance.

  4. API Mocking: Postman enables developers to create mock servers for their APIs, allowing them to simulate API responses without implementing the actual backend logic. This is useful for testing and prototyping.

  5. API Collections: Postman allows developers to organize their APIs into collections, making it easy to manage and share them with team members or the broader community.

Overall, Postman is a valuable tool for API development that streamlines the process of designing, testing, and managing APIs, ultimately improving developer productivity and collaboration.

Detailed instructions how to use Postman

Azure Storage Explorer

Upload, download, and manage Azure Storage blobs, files, queues, and tables, as well as Azure Data Lake Storage entities and Azure managed disks. Configure storage permissions and access controls, tiers, and rules.

We use Azure Storage Explorer to check output of the different stages, the configuration, and the reference data.

Azure IoT Explorer

Azure IoT Explorer is a graphical user interface (GUI) tool provided by Microsoft for managing and interacting with Internet of Things (IoT) devices and solutions deployed on the Azure IoT platform. It’s part of Microsoft’s Azure IoT toolkit, designed to simplify the development, deployment, and management of IoT solutions.

Azure IoT Explorer offers various features, including:

  • Device Management: It allows users to register, monitor, and manage IoT devices connected to the Azure IoT Hub.
  • Telemetry Monitoring: Users can view real-time telemetry data generated by IoT devices, enabling them to monitor device status and performance.
  • Message Routing: Azure IoT Explorer facilitates the configuration of message routing rules to route messages between devices and Azure services based on predefined conditions.
  • Device Twin Management: Device twins are JSON documents that store device metadata and configuration information. Azure IoT Explorer provides functionalities to manage device twins, including updating desired properties and querying reported properties.
  • Direct Method Invocation: It enables users to invoke direct methods on IoT devices remotely, allowing for actions such as firmware updates or device reboots.
  • Device Simulation: Users can simulate IoT devices and their behavior within Azure IoT Explorer, which is helpful for testing and development purposes.

Overall, Azure IoT Explorer serves as a convenient tool for developers, administrators, and IoT solution architects to streamline the management and monitoring of IoT deployments on the Azure platform. However, it’s worth noting that features and capabilities may evolve over time, so it’s a good idea to check the latest documentation for any updates.

PowerShell Core for Linux & Mac

sudo apt-get install powershell

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a lightweight, cross-platform source code editor developed by Microsoft. It’s designed to be highly customizable and efficient for various programming and scripting languages. VS Code provides features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging support, version control integration (e.g., Git), and an extensive ecosystem of extensions to enhance functionality.

Key features of Visual Studio Code include:

  • Cross-platform: VS Code is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent development experience across different operating systems.
  • Extensions: VS Code has a vast marketplace of extensions that can be easily installed to customize and extend its functionality. These extensions can add support for new languages, provide new themes, integrate with external tools, and more.
  • Integrated terminal: It includes a built-in terminal, allowing developers to run commands, scripts, and terminal-based tools directly within the editor.
  • Debugging: VS Code offers built-in support for debugging various programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and more. Debugging can be done directly within the editor using breakpoints, watch variables, and other debugging features.
  • Git integration: VS Code provides seamless integration with Git and other version control systems, allowing developers to perform common version control operations such as committing changes, branching, merging, and resolving conflicts without leaving the editor.
  • Customizable: Users can customize almost every aspect of VS Code, including themes, keybindings, syntax highlighting, and more, to suit their preferences and workflow.

Overall, Visual Studio Code is widely popular among developers for its simplicity, performance, and extensive customization options, making it a versatile choice for various software development projects.

Latest Update: February 2024