The code is everywhere with us today. As you swipe click, type or snap codes are at work processing your every command. All your favorite apps and programs have been created by code editors.

There are plenty of code editors that offer you a means to make your coding experience both quick and easy.

We have scoured the Linux jungle and come up with a neat list of good Linux code editors that have plenty to offer towards giving you an out-of-this-world coding experience. They are quite distinctive and rich in features that will work well with your Linux OS.

1. ATOM

This is a stylish, intelligent, intuitive, and practical code editor. Atom is completely hackable allowing you to tweak and twist it to any of your preferences.  You can make Atom do whatever you want it to do.

Atom will put a wide grin on your face with its ability to perform cross-platform editing, support for several panes, and the find and replace function.

atom linux code editor

Features:

  • Easy to Customize
  • Built-in Package Manager
  • Cross-platform Editing
  • Find and Replace
  • Multiple Panes 
  • Smart Autocompletion Tags and Classes
  •  File System Browser

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/atom
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install atom 

How to Uninstall

sudo apt remove --purge atom

2. Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free IDE built for developing and debugging web applications.  it has integrated Git control & terminal. moreover, has a very large plugin system that probably rivals the Sublime quality and surpasses it for web language.

vs code linux editor

Features:

  • IntelliSense
  • Git commands built-in
  • Extensible and customizable
  • Built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript and Node.js
  • Lightweight
  • You can tune your installation to the development technologies you care about.

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo dpkg -i <file>.deb

sudo apt-get install # Install dependencies

How to uninstall

sudo apt-get purge code

3. SUBLIME TEXT 3

Welcome to a classy experience packed coding moments with Sublime Text 3. Code, style, and markup have never been this well put together. This code editor allows you to better arrange, highlight and present your code. Experience faster loading and indexing through the custom regex engine built in Sublime Text 3. As you code the functions and settings you frequently use will be put together for you under the command palette feature.  Tailor Sublime Text 3 to any way you want it. Via its JSON files like Macros, Menus, Completions, Key Bindings, and Snippets the code editor gets to works according to your unique preferences.

sublime text linux code editor

Features:

  • Easy to Customize Anything
  • Multiple Selections to Change Many Lines at Ones, Rename Variables, and Manipulate Files Fast.
  • Distraction Free Mode
  • Command Palette Holds Infrequently Used Functionality
  •  Split Editing to Edit Files.

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

echo "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.list

sudo apt update

sudo apt install sublime-text

How to Remove

sudo apt-get remove sublime-text

sudo apt-get autoremove

4. ECLIPSE + CodeMix

Looking for an efficient way to create web apps? Look no further – CodeMix is here to give you an entirely new experience. Touted as one of the top cross-platform, open-source code editors in this programming day and age, Eclipse doesn’t disappoint at all. A great graphical UI with drag and drop support offers users a means to quick and easy putting together of elements. Eclipse makes the code workflow interesting with source navigation and syntax highlighting support.

CodeMix eclipse plugins
Eclipse + CodeMix

Features:

  • Project Creation Support
  • Managed Build for Various Tools
  • Source navigation
  •  Syntax Highlighting Support
  •  Several Knowledge Tools Such as Call-graph, Type-hierarchy, Built-in Browser, etc.
  •  Hyperlink Navigation and Folding Support
  •  Code Generation alongside Source Code Refactoring
  •  Visual Debugging Tools
  •  Disassembly Viewers

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

• Ubuntu make installation your system comes first:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-desktop/ubuntu-make

sudo apt update

sudo apt install ubuntu-make

• For Eclipse IDE for Java Developers run the following command:

umake ide eclipse

• For Eclipse IDE for Java Enterprise edition Developers run the following command:

umake ide eclipse-jee

• For Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developer run the following command:

umake ide eclipse-cpp

• For Eclipse for PHP Developers run the following command:

umake ide eclipse-php

5. BRACKETS

Brackets is one code editor designed for web development and design. Brackets is open-source and can be accessed and used on Windows and Mac OS X operating systems in addition to Linux. As you work with Brackets you will notice its inline editing, live preview, cross-platform editing, and preprocessor capabilities.

linux code editor

Features:

  • Preprocessor Support; SCSS and LESS
  • Inline Editors
  •  Extensions Support
  • Emmet
  • Indent Guides
  • W3C Validation
  • Beautify
  • Git integration
  • Cross-platform Editing
  • Live Preview (applicable in Google Chrome)

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/brackets

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install brackets

How to Remove

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove brackets

6. VIM (FREE – GNU COMPATIBLE)

The UNIX system creators have definitely got it right with the code editor Vim. The faithful following that Vim has shown that it is indeed a capable text editor. As a modal editor, Vim enables you to view and edit separately. Efficiency is part of Vim, allowing you to create and alter all manner of text with ease.

vim linux editor

Features:

  • Support for Hundreds of Modern and Old Programming Languages and File Formats
  • Easy to Customize
  •  Extensive Plug-ins
  •  Powerful Search and Replace
  • Tenacious, Multi-level Undo Tree
  •  Integrates With Many Tools and Templates

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/vim

sudo apt update

sudo apt install vim

How to Remove

sudo apt remove vim

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:jonathonf/vim

7. GEDIT

vim text editor

Gedit comes along with the Linux desktop setting for GNOME and by default serves as the code editor. Efficiency and simplicity was the backdrop upon which Gedit was created. It, therefore, serves the general purpose of code editing and has complete internationalized text support. Any syntax highlighting you may require is covered. Gedit’s syntax highlighting will work to your needs regardless of the programming language at hand.

Features:

  •  Internationalized Text fully supported
  • Syntax Highlighting Configurable for a majority of Programming Languages (Java, C, C++, HTML, Perl, XML, Python, amongst others)
  • Offers Undo/Redo.
  •  Remote Place File Editing.
  • File Relapsing.
  • Support for Print and Print Preview.
  • Clipboard Facility (cut/copy/paste)

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:mc3man/older

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gedit gedit-plugins gedit-common

8. BLUEFISH

For the web developer out there this one is for you. The Bluefish code editor has been put together and tailor-made for several operating systems in the market. Working with Bluefish gives you a coding experience that eases you through your coding. Tag and class completion plus auto indentation are a great plus as you code and Bluefish gets thumbs up for this. Simple looks hide an array of advanced features that Bluefish has.

Features:

  • Lightweight Clean and Neat GUI Editor.
  •  Auto-Recovery after a Crash or Shutdown
  •  Fast loading of tons of files at a go by the Code Editor
  • Support WebDAV, FTP, CIFS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, and More.
  •   Multiple Document Interfaces
  • Multi-threaded Support for Remote Files,
  •   Error Detection and Advanced Text Processing handling capability.
  •   Unlimited Undo/Redo.
  •  Easy Integration for External Programs Such as Lint, Web-lint, XML-lint, Javac, Tidy, or Your Personal Program

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:klaus-vormweg/bluefish

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install bluefish

9. CODELITE

codelite linux editor

 CodeLite is another in the list of choice code editors that are open-source, cross-platform and free. Should you be working with languages like JS, PHP, C++ or C then CodeLite will definitely meet your preferences. CodeLite brings plenty to the coding table, with aspects like code navigation, refactoring and source control plugins.

Features:

  •  Code Navigation
  •  Supports Several Compilers
  •  LLDB Next Generation Debugger Support
  •  Offers 2 Code Completion Engines
  • Support For Refactoring
  • Source Control Plugins
  • Shows Errors as Code Glossary
  • GDB support
  •  RAD (Rapid Application Development) Tool
  • Remote Development Using Inbuilt SFTP

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:eugenesan/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install codelite -y

How to Remove

sudo apt-get remove codelite -y

10. CODE::BLOCKS

Code::Blocks is an IDE that provides users with most of the features that coders demand and consider ideal. Consistency is key and is what has made Code::Blocks get to where it is right now.   Code::Blocks allows and offers an array of plugins from its own repository and from individuals. When it comes to file opening and editing, Code::Blocks works really fast.

codeblocks ide

 

Features:

  • Several Compiler Support Including GCC, C++ 5.5, Clang, Borland, and More.
  • Very Fast
  • Allows Installing Several Plug-ins
  • Interfaces GNU GDB
  •   Syntax Highlighting
  •    Workspace Supports Combining the Projects
  •  Display Local Functions Symbols
  • Custom Memory Dump
  •   Support for Full Breakpoints
  •  Customizable and Extensible User Interface
  • Multi-target Projects

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:damien-moore/codeblocks-stable

sudo apt update

sudo apt install codeblocks codeblocks-contrib

11. GEANY

This great IDE has continually delivered a brilliant development environment for programmers out there. Geany fits the bill of a code editor whose workings reflect those of an IDE. All major and recent programming languages are supported by this lightweight code editor.  Geany’s user interface is well arranged, clean and highly customizable to fit your coding preferences.

linux ide

Features:

  •  Extensible through Plug-ins
  •  Auto-completion Tags
  •  Symbol Lists
  •  Code Navigation
  •   Built-in System to Compile Users Code
  •   Code Folding
  •   Support for Syntax Highlighting
  •   Simple Project Management Tool
  •   Supports Major Programming Languages

Installation Guide in Ubuntu via PPA

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install geany

Conclusion

As a programmer/developer, your choice of code editor will depend on your preferences and overall project objectives. So feel free to test and feel each code editor and then take on the one that meets your fancy.