What Are the Best Everyday Tools for Developers?

TL;DR

Refined GitHub, Excalidraw, Bruno, Raycast, SVGL, and OrbStack solve recurring problems in coding, communication, content creation, and Mac workflows. The strongest recommendations are tools that remove small daily frustrations, such as sorting pull requests by recent activity, testing API endpoints from Git-backed collections, drawing clear diagrams, copying SVG logos, launching apps with hotkeys, and running Docker containers without Docker Desktop.

Transcript

you couldn't tell, there's nothing I love more than finding a tool that solves a problem that I have. I made a video all about some underrated tools that I really liked last year, and y'all loved it. The feedback on the video was nuts, and I knew I had to film another. So, I collected a pile of tools that I love using, filmed the video, and then no... Read More

Key Insights

• Refined GitHub is a browser extension that improves GitHub with small interface changes, including recency-based colors, clearer update times, visible change-request status, and pull requests sorted by their most recent updates instead of their original opening dates.
• Excalidraw is a diagramming and whiteboarding tool that removes handwriting as a barrier to visual communication. It lets users express technical ideas through clear digital diagrams and can support team discussions, presentations, livestreams, and explanatory videos.
• Excalidraw is open source, allowing developers to inspect its code, experiment with it, or embed its canvas inside their own applications. A paid subscription also provides access to features such as multiple canvases, teams, and collections.
• Bruno is an open alternative for testing APIs through a simple, minimal interface. Its Git integration allows API schemas and test collections to live in a project folder, making it possible to version them with the repository and replay requests directly.
• Yaak is another open-source API tool mentioned as an alternative worth examining. It was created by the person who made Insomnia, but the presenter explicitly had not tried it personally, so the recommendation is based on community interest rather than direct use.
• Raycast is a Mac Spotlight replacement that supports computer-wide search, app launching, calculations, calculator history, clipboard copying, and configurable hotkeys. The presenter maps Control plus number keys to frequently used applications such as the browser, terminal, and editor.
• SVGL is a searchable source for SVG logos that supports copying, saving, and direct linking. Its Raycast integration can place a selected logo on the clipboard, allowing it to be pasted immediately into Affinity for faster thumbnail and visual-asset creation.
• OrbStack is an alternative to Docker Desktop on Mac that supports Docker containers and Docker commands. The presenter adopted it after finding Docker on Mac difficult during the ARM transition and describes it as avoiding the slow, messy bloat associated with Docker Desktop.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Refined GitHub improve pull request management?

Refined GitHub improves pull-request management by changing GitHub's default sorting so recently updated requests appear before requests that were merely opened recently. It also displays update times prominently and shows when changes have been requested. These additions help maintainers navigate repositories with many contributors, identify active work, and understand review status without repeatedly opening individual pull requests.

Q: Why is Excalidraw useful for technical communication?

Excalidraw makes technical communication easier by allowing ideas to be represented as digital diagrams without depending on physical handwriting. The presenter used it to explain what he was building, what needed to happen, and how he was thinking about problems. That visual communication became useful with teams at Twitch, conversations with friends, livestreams, and videos, including many of his most successful videos.

Q: Can Excalidraw be embedded in another application?

Excalidraw can be explored and embedded because its code is open source. The presenter specifically notes that developers can play with the code, embed the canvas in their own applications, or use the available source for other experiments. He also subscribes to the paid version to support the project and use conveniences such as multiple canvases, teams, and collections.

Q: How does Bruno support Git-based API testing?

Bruno can work with a folder inside a project that contains API schemas or the requests a team wants to test. After pointing Bruno at the repository, users can replay requests and inspect returned data through a simple interface. Because the collections live with the project and work with Git, they can follow the same version-controlled workflow as the surrounding code.

Q: What is the difference between Bruno and Yaak in the review?

Bruno is the API-testing tool the presenter has personally used as his preferred way to hit endpoints quickly and verify returned data. He praises its minimal interface, Git support, and simpler variable management. Yaak is presented as another open-source alternative created by the person who made Insomnia, but the presenter clearly states that he had not personally tried Yaak.

Q: How can Raycast make everyday Mac workflows faster?

Raycast replaces the presenter's normal Spotlight shortcut and handles more than application search. It can perform calculations, copy results to the clipboard, retain calculator history, and trigger frequently used applications through custom hotkeys. His setup maps Control plus number keys to tools including his browser, terminal, and editor, reducing the effort required to switch between common work contexts.

Q: How does SVGL help with video thumbnail creation?

SVGL provides searchable SVG assets that can be copied, saved, or linked directly. Through its Raycast integration, the presenter can search for a logo, place it on the clipboard, open Affinity, and paste it into a thumbnail. This workflow is especially useful when he needs recognizable assets such as the TypeScript or Bluesky logos without manually locating and downloading files.

Q: Why does the presenter use OrbStack instead of Docker Desktop?

The presenter uses OrbStack as an alternative way to run Docker containers and access Docker commands on a Mac. He began using it after finding Docker on Mac rough during the ARM transition. Although he generally tries to avoid Docker images, some recent projects required them, and OrbStack let him use those workflows without what he describes as Docker Desktop's slow, messy bloat.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Refined GitHub improves work on busy repositories by changing pull-request sorting to recent updates and displaying review status and update times more clearly. These small interface changes make large projects with many contributors easier to navigate, especially when maintainers need to identify active pull requests and see where changes have been requested.

• Excalidraw enables typed, hand-drawn-style diagrams without requiring readable handwriting. It became an essential communication tool for explaining systems, plans, and technical ideas to teams, friends, livestream viewers, and video audiences. Its source code is available for experimentation and embedding, while its paid version adds multiple canvases, teams, and collections.

• Bruno provides a minimal interface for testing API endpoints and can store collections inside project folders that work with Git. Raycast expands Mac search with calculations, clipboard-friendly results, history, app launching, and custom hotkeys. SVGL supplies quickly searchable SVG logos, while OrbStack provides Docker commands and containers without relying on Docker Desktop.