Magento 2 frontend tools for developers

As developers we know how an extra 15 mins could help us in cross-checking the work and improve if something is lacking. Not every developer has those extra 15 minutes, but you can make room for them by picking up the pace and using Magento 2 frontend tools for developers that are already built into your workflow. That’s how you keep things tight, efficient, and moving forward without stress.

The blog is important for all the Magento developers who want to speed up Magento 2 frontend development using Chrome extensions.

Why should we use Chrome extensions for Magento 2 Frontend Development?

Do you have an issue with the finding template/block without enabling a template hint?
Taking time while theme development/customization for finding a correct block/layout/phtml?
Having difficulties identifying which queries are executed on a particular page?
Do you want to increase the theme development speed?

Available Chrome extensions

I have checked the various available extensions to speed up Magento 2 frontend development. I have found the best 2 extensions, which I have mentioned below. You can use any of them. Mage chrome toolbar by Magespecialist

JH Block Logger

Above, both extensions have their own benefit,s but it depends on your requirement. Both tools are very easy to install & use.

Benefits

It allows you to quickly access the information you need to debug your Magento performances, to build your new theme, or to modify an existing one.
Easy and fast access to observers, profilers, and theme information.
Help to identify phtml/layout/block for an element.
Help to identify locale, theme & stack.
Get information about which queries are executed on the page and how much time taken by each query.
All this information are available with one click after one-time setup & configuration.

Comparison

Global Page Information

From the main panel you can see information from:

Theme
Controller / Router
Request parameters
Layout and Layout updates
Observers
Data Models inspector
Collections inspector
Blocks, Containers, uiComponents
Profiler

Item Information

By selecting an item on your page, you can see:

Block information
Used template
Server elapsed time
Block nesting
Template file
Cache information
uiComponent information
Container information

Go to the project root directory in the CLI and run the following command
- composer require msp/devtools
Now execute the command below to update the database
- php bin/magento setup: upgrade
Turn off full-page caching while using this tool.
Open Magento backend and go to Stores > Settings > Configuration > MageSpecialist > DevTools
Enable the devtools and set IP restrictions (This extension works on restricted IPs only)
To enable Profiler to do the following.
- Add line below to pub/index.php

Copy Code

$_SERVER['MAGE_PROFILER'] = [
     'drivers' => [
          [
      'output'=>'MSP\DevTools\Profiler\Driver\Standard\Output\DevTools'
      ]
   ]
];

Or you can add a line below to .htaccess

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SetEnv MAGE_PROFILER MSP\DevTools\Profiler\Driver\Standard\Output\DevTools

Now, install Chrome extension from link below

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/magespecialist-devtools-f/odbnbnenehdodpnebgldhhmicbnlmapj

That’s it installation & configuration is done. I had followed some basic and simple steps to use tools. Now, let’s check some screens of this tool which I had taken it from my instance.

Special thanks to @wearejh & @magespecialist for providing such nice tools to Magento Developers.

Using Magento 2 frontend tools for developers is an easy way to boost your speed without cutting corners. These Chrome extensions simplify template checks, layout tracing, query insights, and overall theme workflow.

They keep things clean, fast, and aligned with how devs have always handled frontend tasks. If you want to tighten your process and save those extra minutes, these tools get the job done with zero drama.

I hope this blog will help you with frontend development. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. And if you have any queries about this blog, I will be happy to solve them. Thanks and cheers … 🙂