A bug-filled website is the fastest way to kill the growth of a business and initiate its downfall. But if the IT professionals manage to spot errors and resolve them before release, it offers a hassle-free user experience. When users don’t encounter obstacles, it increases conversion rates and of course, by extension, the ROI of a business.
Nowadays when there are so many browsers in use, it’s important to perform thorough cross-browser debugging to ensure an ideal user experience regardless of the browser or its version. Cross-browser debugging tools assist through the entire process. A good tool contributes to a stable release by ensuring consistent website behavior and high product quality.
- Firefox Developer Tools
Even though Google Chrome has the majority of market share in terms of users, Firefox is still a popular choice among many. This calls for the need for browser-specific tools for cross-browser debugging. Speaking of which, Firefox Developer Tools comprises an entire set of built-in web developer tools for Firefox. With the combination of all useful tools in one place, examining exploring, editing, and debugging web pages, as well as websites, could have never been easier! The core tools include the page inspector, web console, JavaScript debugger, network monitor performance tools, responsive design mode, accessibility inspector of bug like content://com.avast.android.mobilesecurity/temporarynotifications and an application panel.
Users can easily view as well as modify the CSS and HTML of a page. You can also use these tools for the examination and modification of JavaScript through the JavaScript debugger that is inbuilt. With the help of the stories inspector, you can inspect local storage, session storage, and cookies. Firefox developer tools have an entire section dedicated to detailed guides. They contain information about debugging Firefox for Android, extending Dev tools, and debugging the browser.
- Chrome Developer Tools
Google Chrome is known for its hype to house the highest number of browser users in the world. Well, it does have the highest market share in this area which makes Chrome developer tools a crucial set of assistance options for web developers. These tools are directly built into the browser, thus helping in building faster and better websites. You can easily eliminate errors in coding and edit pages in a hassle-free manner. If you wish to gain a tighter grasp on web development fundamentals, you can have access to Dev tools for beginners and use it as an impeccable learning opportunity.
The informative resources comprise live demonstrations for prototyping CSS, debugging CSS and JavaScript, and to perform a detailed analysis of load performance. For ease of use, Chrome developer tools offer different panels including the elements panel control panel sources panel, network panel, memory panel, application panel, security panel, and performance panel. Once you overcome the learning curve and start exploring the tool, you will realize that debugging JavaScript, optimizing website speed, viewing, and changing the page styles, etc. would be a cakewalk.
- Safari Developer Tools
Safari is the humble abode for Mac OS and iOS users. By now, it is safe to assume that the craze for Apple is not something that would decline anytime soon. This automatically means that developers and testers have to do everything in their power to make sure that a website works well on Safari just as on any other browser. This makes Safari developer tools all the more important for now and for years to come. The browser includes a powerful tool with the help of which developers can modify, and optimize a site to ensure optimal performance. Not to mention, this tool also helps in establishing compatibility on various platforms. It is known as Web Inspector.
It also features a responsive design mode with which users can preview their web pages for different screen orientations, resolutions, and sizes. Consider Web Inspector like a command center that provides easy and fast access to rich development tools. You can also preview your web pages across different user agents and custom reports. For instance, if a developer wants to resize a window all they need to do is drag its ages. You can access all these tools in the advanced preferences section by enabling the development menu.
Even though LambdaTest is one of the leading cross-browser testing platforms, its functionality is not limited only to testing. Developers can easily debug web applications for or a variety of desktop and mobile devices. Users get access to a wide array of debugging tools for different browsers and their versions. At the same time, they can also test for cross-browser compatibility.
It also provides an emulator with the help of which you can check a web application for bugs. We know that debugging and testing are two of the most crucial phases of any software development life cycle. Before the deployment of a web app or website out in the market, you have to make sure that its functioning is optimal. Offering an all in one solution, LambdaTest provides impeccable testing and debugging experience for perfecting your product.
- Fiddler
If you’re looking for a debugging proxy for different operating systems, Fiddler is one of the leading choices. You can analyze, monitor, capture, and inspect the HTTP traffic of a web page and debug a variety of web applications. This tool also helps in the diagnosis of network issues which you can use for any process application or browser. It has a user base of approximately 4 million developers and thousands of companies who are already using it to build, run, and debug.
Web debugging helps ensure the proper transferring of headers, cache directives, and cookies between client and server. Fiddler supports popular frameworks such as Ruby, Java, Dot net, and so on. It makes team collaboration easier by facilitating the sharing of captured traffic in a single click. Users can also highlight or mark sessions, add comments, and share sessions over the cloud with teammates. One of the most useful features for debugging includes setting up of the breakpoints. The extensibility of Fiddler can come in handy if users are trying to create their own scripts.
- HTTPWatch
If the above description of Fiddler made you think that it’s something you could work with, HTTPWatch is a cross-browser debugging tool that holds a great similarity to it. Users can easily locate network issues and fix them without the need for switching to a different tool. It’s also useful for measuring the network performance of web pages and making attempts to speed up the website. The tool doesn’t require any proxy setup and is easy to use. It also helps find security issues such as week SSL configuration on the server quickly.
The basic edition available free of cost facilitates remote diagnosis of performance issues and other problems. The HTTPWatch API automates HTTP testing by collecting performance data from automated site tests. They have a wide customer base including giants such as PayPal, Microsoft, Google, and eBay. Some of the prominent features include the exportation of captured data to CSV and XML, HTTPS traffic decryption to offer assistance in debugging, and the generation of request level time charts.
- Venkman JavaScript Debugger
If you are planning on optimizing a website in Mozilla-based browsers such as Netscape SeaMonkey, or Firefox, Bank man is the way to go. It is available as an add-on, extension package and Mozilla install distribution. The official website contains all the necessary documentation which decreases the steepness of the learning curve for users. Most developers nowadays use it as an add-on to debug complex JavaScript. Some also use it for the purpose of troubleshooting. The console view provides a command-line interface that is used for interacting with this debugger.
Final Words
If a business aspires to be omnipresent in the online world, cross-browser compatibility is a must. This makes cross-browser debugging and testing necessary for its successful internet presence. The best way to go is to opt for a tool that facilitates hand-in-hand testing and debugging. Of course, requirements can vary and you can try the above tools to determine the best fit for you.
