Posted by the IDX crew

Six months in the past, we launched Challenge IDX, an experimental, cloud-based workspace for full-stack, multiplatform software program growth. We constructed Challenge IDX to simplify and streamline the developer workflow, aiming to scale back the ocean of complexities historically related to app growth. It definitely looks as if we have piqued your curiosity, and we love seeing what IDX has helped you construct.

For instance, we not too long ago realized about Tanaki, an AI-enhanced content material creation app constructed utilizing Challenge IDX:

Pasquale D’Silva one of many builders that constructed Tanaki, mentioned:

“Utilizing the IDX shared workspace to construct Tanaki has been so enjoyable. It permits our distant crew of imagineers to construct collectively in a single place. It’s a magic collaboration portal!”

Builders at Google have additionally been utilizing IDX internally to assist velocity up growth throughout numerous initiatives. One instance is the the Firebase Weblog, the place the complete authoring, growth, and deployment of the Astro-powered mission is dealt with utilizing IDX:

One other attention-grabbing mission leveraging IDX’s extensibility mannequin is Malloy, a brand new open-source knowledge language out there as a VS Code extension that operates in opposition to databases like BigQuery:

Lloyd Tabb, a Distinguished Software program Engineer at Google, advised us:

“I exploit IDX with the Malloy mission. I usually have a number of totally different knowledge initiatives going concurrently and IDX lets me rapidly spin up an occasion to resolve an issue and it’s trivial to configure.”

If you wish to share what IDX has helped you construct, use the #ProjectIDX tag on X.

What’s new in IDX?

Along with seeing the way you’re utilizing IDX, a key a part of constructing Challenge IDX is your suggestions, so we’ve continued to roll out options so that you can check. We’re excited to share the most recent updates we have carried out to expedite and streamline multiplatform app growth, so you possibly can ship with velocity, ease and high quality.

Preview your app instantly in IDX with our iOS simulator and Android emulator

We’re bringing the iOS Simulator and Android Emulator to the browser. Whether or not you’re constructing a Flutter or net app, Challenge IDX now lets you preview your purposes with out having to depart your workspace. Whenever you use a Flutter or net template, Challenge IDX intelligently hundreds the suitable preview surroundings to your utility — Safari cell and Chrome for net templates, or Android, iOS, and Chrome for Flutter templates.

IDX’s net and Android emulators help you develop, check, and debug instantly out of your workspace, consolidating your multi-step, multiplatform course of into one place. With iOS simulation you possibly can spot-check your app’s format and habits when you work. This characteristic remains to be experimental, so make sure you check it out and ship us suggestions.

Get began quick with a wealthy library of mission templates

4 of our prime ten characteristic requests have been to help extra templates, so we’re happy to share that we’ve added new templates for Astro, Go, Python/Flask, Qwik, Lit, Preact, Stable.js, and Node.js. Use these templates to leap proper into your mission so you possibly can spend much less time establishing and extra time creating.

Take a look at our new and improved template gallery

In fact you possibly can nonetheless import your individual repo from GitHub, instantly out of your native information, or you possibly can select your individual setup utilizing a customized Nix surroundings.

Shortly construct and customise your IDX workspace with enhancements to Nix

IDX makes use of Nix to outline the surroundings configuration for every workspace to present you flexibility and extensibility in IDX – even our templates and previews are configured utilizing Nix to make sure they’re working accurately inside IDX. We’re repeatedly engaged on Nix enhancements to assist enhance your productiveness, so now you possibly can:

• Customise IDX starter templates simply by leveraging Nix extensibility.
• Cut back the probability of errors and write code extra effectively with Nix file enhancing, together with help for syntax highlighting, error detection, and instructed code completions.
• Get well from damaged configurations rapidly and keep away from pointless rebuild makes an attempt with main enhancements to the environment customization workflow, together with seamless surroundings rebuilds and troubleshooting.

Simply construct, check, and deploy apps with extra new IDX options and assets

• Auto-detect community ports wanted for purposes or providers and modify the firewall settings to allow ingress and egress with none extra configuration in your finish.
• Immediately run command-line instruments, scripts, and utilities instantly inside workspace with out the necessity to set up them regionally in your machine.
• Simplify the method of working with Docker containers and pictures instantly from the event surroundings by enabling Docker in your dev.nix file.

AI launched in 15 new areas

We’ve launched our AI capabilities within the following 15 international locations: India, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Extra international locations might be enabled with AI entry quickly – point out your curiosity for AI growth on this characteristic monitoring submit and keep tuned for extra AI updates.

Bettering collectively

We’re always engaged on including new capabilities that can assist you do increased high quality work, extra effectively, with much less friction. We’ve addressed dozens of your characteristic requests and stuck a large number of bugs you flagged for us, so thanks to your continued help and engagement – please preserve the suggestions coming by submitting bugs and characteristic requests.

For walkthroughs and extra data on all of the options talked about above, take a look at our documentation web page. In the event you haven’t already, go to our web site to enroll to strive Challenge IDX and be a part of us on our journey. Additionally, make sure you take a look at our new Challenge IDX Weblog for the most recent product bulletins and updates from the crew.

We will’t wait to see what you create with Challenge IDX!