Developer Tools
Focused developer tools articles with clear context, practical examples, source links where needed, and honest limits.
13 articles in this section.
Limit open pull requests from users without write access
GitHub introduced controls to limit open pull requests from users without write access. Set a reasonable limit, publish contribution guidance, and preserve a path for legitimate large efforts.
Restrict GitHub issue creation to collaborators: reduce public repository spam
GitHub added controls that can restrict issue creation to repository collaborators. Use the restriction only with a visible alternative for security reports, support, and community feedback.
GitHub release asset download counts: interpret adoption without bad conclusions
GitHub now shows per-asset download counts in the Releases UI for users with write access; source archives are not included. Compare assets by platform and version while labeling bots, retries, and missing archive downloads as limitations.
GitHub issue fields: structure work without turning issues into forms
Use GitHub issue fields for priority, effort, customer impact, and ownership while keeping issue workflows simple and searchable.
GitHub pull requests dashboard: filters and saved views that matter
Use GitHub’s new pull requests dashboard to organize reviews, CI failures, merge-ready work, and cross-repository searches without tab overload.
npm approve-scripts workflow for teams upgrading to npm 12
A practical team workflow for reviewing npm lifecycle scripts, committing approvals, testing CI, and avoiding blanket trust.
npm 12 allow-remote explained for URL and tarball dependencies
Understand npm 12 allow-remote, identify remote tarball dependencies, and migrate URL-based installs to safer reproducible packages.
How to fix npm 12 blocked git dependencies with allow-git
Fix npm 12 installs that block Git dependencies, find transitive Git URLs, and decide whether to allow or replace them safely.
npm 12 allowScripts explained: why install scripts no longer run by default
Understand npm 12 allowScripts, approve trusted lifecycle scripts, and fix installs that stop building native modules or generated clients.
Package typosquatting explained: one wrong install can hurt a project
How package typosquatting works, why npm install mistakes are risky, and how developers can reduce dependency confusion.
npm provenance explained: how to know where a package came from
What npm provenance means, how it helps supply-chain security, and how developers should think before trusting a dependency.
npm trusted publishing explained for JavaScript developers
A simple explanation of npm trusted publishing, OIDC, package publishing without long-lived tokens, and why maintainers should care.
VS Code vs JetBrains for students: which should you use?
A clear VS Code vs JetBrains comparison for students, with advice for JavaScript, Python, Java, web development, pricing, extensions, and learning speed.