Codio has just launched a Web-based visual front-end IDE that addresses all aspects of the HTML5-based Web development lifecycle from prototype to deployment.

The platform allows developers to build and run HTML5 applications of any size, without the need of setting up servers for development or deployment. While Codio has the power of a desktop IDE it also comes with the simplicity and usability that people have come to expect from modern browser -based applications.

The IDE comes with features such as forking, collaboration, importing from Git repos and more, allowing developers to create a Web platform using their IDE of choice.

Codio includes features such as multi-pane code editing; development, staging, production deployment targets; WYSIWYG GUI editor; interactive code documentation for teaching; instant preview; ersion control and Node.js support.

According to company CEO Freddy May, modern Web applications have raised expectations with respect to usability. A Web based approach to Web development opens up a lot of exciting new possibilities.

“There is a lot of stuff to install, set up and configure before you can write a single line of code. We feel that there is no good reason for this and even developers, who deal with complexity on a daily basis, don’t like to waste time,” said CEO Freddy May.

The demand for Web app development has secured HTML5, CSS (News – Alert) and JavaScript its place among the most popular development languages. As a large number of applications now run on browsers, these languages have grown in popularity and have become an integral part of most software development projects.

“By concentrating specifically on HTML5, CSS and JavaScript we can focus on the largest part of the developer ecosystem. This allows us constantly to add significant value that would otherwise not be possible if we were to try to cater for all languages,” says May.     

With Codio, developers get an efficient, modern, and secure IDE whose code is accessible anywhere online via Codio workspaces and shareable with others in a similar way to Github. Developers can start using Codio without even signing up.

Codio not only supports development, but also creates a comfortable environment for deployment, collaboration, Git and Mercurial integration, as well as support for derivative languages such as Coffeescript, SCSS, LESS all without the need to install, configure and maintain hardware and software stacks.