🛠 The Tools That Power My Day-to-Day Workflow (as a MERN Stack Dev)

As a MERN stack developer, juggling backend logic, frontend UI, databases, and deployment can get chaotic fast. Over time, I’ve settled into a set of tools that help me stay focused, ship faster, and debug smarter.

Here’s a look at the core tools that power my daily workflow:

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💻 1. VS Code

My primary editor. With the right extensions, it feels like a complete IDE.
Must-have extensions:

• Prettier (auto-formatting)

• ESLint

• GitLens

• Thunder Client (for quick API testing)

• Tailwind CSS IntelliSense

• Reactjs code snippets

• Path intellisense & npm intellisense & import cost

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🌐 2. Chrome DevTools & React Developer Tools

I lean heavily on these for debugging UI behavior, inspecting component trees, and tracking network requests. Simple, powerful, essential.

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🔧 3. HTTPie

Still my go-to for thorough API testing, especially during backend dev. I use environments for staging vs production and save collections per project.

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🗃 4. MongoDB Compass

Sometimes CLI is faster, but Compass makes it easy to visualize data structures and quickly query large datasets when I'm neck-deep in debugging.

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🔄 5. Git + GitHub

I stick to a clean Git workflow: feature branches, regular commits, and pull requests with clear commit messages. GitHub Issues & Projects help keep things organized on solo and team projects.

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⚙️ 6. Node + Nodemon + Concurrently

For backend work, I rely on:

• nodemon for hot reloading

• concurrently to run frontend and backend dev servers together

Simple setup, huge time saver.

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🧪 7. Jest + Supertest (for testing)

Writing tests isn’t glamorous, but these two make it straightforward to test APIs and backend logic without too much ceremony.

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🧠 8. Obsidian (for dev notes and snippets)

I keep a personal “dev brain” in Obsidian — reusable code snippets, gotchas, lessons learned, and architecture notes. Helps me avoid solving the same problem twice.

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🔊 9. Spotify (for focus)

Whether I’m grinding through backend logic or fine-tuning a responsive layout, music keeps me in the zone. I usually queue up deep focus playlists or ambient soundtracks to block distractions and stay immersed in code.

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Conclusion

Mastering the MERN stack takes more than just technical know-how — it takes a smart toolkit. These tools don’t just make me faster; they help me stay organized, avoid burnout, and keep shipping high-quality work.