Free tools every developer should know 🌝
Tags: webdev, tools, devops, beginners
Published: 2024-05-17 11:22:32

Hey everyone,

In today's tech-driven world, where subscription-based models reign supreme, the term "freemium" has become commonplace, offering tantalizing glimpses of what could be with just a simple upgrade. Yet, amidst this trend, there's a plethora of services that not only enhance our daily lives but also support our work endeavors.

Today, I'm excited to share my go-to list of tools and services that have been super helpful for me!

**TL;DR:**

Git repositories + CI/CD: GitHub or GitLab - $0 ✨
Static site hosting: Vercel - $0 ✨
Domain registrar: Cloudflare - $10.18 for .dev domain
DNS and CDN: Cloudflare - $0 ✨
AI completion: ChatGPT + GitHub Copilot - $0 ✨

## [GitHub](https://github.com/)

Some of us probably still remember when GitHub used to charge for private repositories and many seeked alternatives at BitBucket or GitLab instead. [Since 2019](https://github.blog/2019-01-07-new-year-new-github/), GitHub offers unlimited private repositories for all developers! This makes it easier to work on some small personal or commercial projects. 

What you are getting for free?
- Unlimited personal/private repositories 
- 2000 CI/CD minutes per month
- 500 MB packages storage

Paid plan starts at $4/mo, adding advanced code review tools, and enhanced security features.

You can always upgrade if you need more but it's quite a generous gift for everyone.


## [GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/)

While personally I prefer GitHub, GitLab mentioned above offers unmatched CI/CD and CVS features and it's all for free and open source! I honestly fell in love with the capabilities of their CI/CD and Docker image hosting a while ago.

Premium plan starts at $29/mo which might be quite pricey comparing to GH.

## [Vercel](https://vercel.com/)

Vercel is a fantastic platform for deploying web projects seamlessly. It offers a simple and intuitive interface, automatic deployments, and integration with popular version control systems like GitHub and GitLab. I'm using it to host my personal website at https://bazan.dev and it rocks 🚀!

Free tier includes:
- Unlimited personal projects
- Automatic deployments
- Preview deployments for feature branches and PRs
- Custom domain support

Paid plan starts at $20/mo, offering advanced features like analytics and team collaboration tools (personally I don't need them).

## [Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/)

While Cloudflare for business is quite expensive, their free tier allows you to add basic CDN and firewall functionality to your website.

For $0 you are getting:
- Content Delivery Network (CDN): Speeds up website loading times by caching static content on Cloudflare's servers distributed worldwide.
- DDoS Protection: Protects websites from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, helping ensure uptime and availability.
- SSL/TLS Encryption: Provides HTTPS encryption for secure data transmission between website visitors and servers.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Guards against common web application vulnerabilities and malicious traffic.
- Analytics: Basic analytics and insights into website traffic and performance.

Additionally, Cloudflare offers domains at very competitive prices (my .dev costed me only $10.18 per year).

Paid plan starts at $20/mo with many more features.


## [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com)

ChatGPT by OpenAI is an AI-powered chatbot that can assist developers in various ways, such as debugging code, generating code snippets, and providing explanations for complex concepts.

Free plan offers a limited number of queries per month but should be enough for personal use.

Paid plan starts at $20/mo and offers access to newer models and faster response times.

## [GitHub Copilot](https://github.com/features/copilot)

Another AI tool, providing AI code completion directly in the IDE of your choice. Amazing pair-programming partner, which helps with repetitive tasks and typos. 🪄

While it's not actually a free subscription ($10/mo), there are many ways to get it for free if you are student, teacher or open-source project maintainer!


## Conclusion

The availability of free and affordable services empowers developers to choose the right tools without breaking the bank. Whether you're looking for version control, cloud hosting, or collaboration tools, there's a service out there to meet your needs. Exploring and leveraging these resources can significantly enhance your development process and productivity.