Welcome to Brackets!

Brackets is a modern open-source code editor for HTML, CSS and JavaScript that's built in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

What makes Brackets different from other web code editors?

• Tools shouldn't get in your way. Instead of cluttering up your coding environment with lots of panels and icons, the Quick Edit UI in Brackets puts context-specific code and tools inline.
• Brackets is in sync with your browser. With Live Preview, Brackets works directly with your browser to push code edits instantly and jump back and forth between your real source code and the browser view.
• Do it yourself. Because Brackets is open source, and built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, you can help build the best code editor for the web.

Brackets may have reached version 1, but we're not stopping there. We have many feature ideas on our trello board that we're anxious to add and other innovative web development workflows that we're planning to build into Brackets. So take Brackets out for a spin and let us know how we can make it your favorite editor.

You can see some screenshots of Brackets on the wiki, intro videos on YouTube, and news on the Brackets blog.

How to install and run Brackets

Download

Installers for the latest stable build for Mac, Windows and Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) can be downloaded here.

The Linux version has most of the features of the Mac and Windows versions, but is still missing a few things. See the Linux wiki page for a list of known issues and to find out how you can help.

Usage

By default, Brackets opens a folder containing some simple "Getting Started" content. You can choose a different folder to edit using File > Open Folder.

Most of Brackets should be pretty self-explanatory, but for information on how to use its unique features, like Quick Edit and Live Preview, please read How to Use Brackets. Also, see the release notes for a list of new features and known issues in each build.

In addition to the core features built into Brackets, there is a large and growing community of developers building extensions that add all sorts of useful functionality. See the Brackets Extension Registry for a list of available extensions. For installation instructions, see the extensions wiki page.

Need help?

Having problems starting Brackets the first time, or not sure how to use Brackets? Please review Troubleshooting, which helps you to fix common problems and find extra help if needed.

For a list of common Linux issues and workarounds you can visit this guide.

Helping Brackets

I found a bug!

If you found a repeatable bug, and troubleshooting tips didn't help, then be sure to search existing issues first. Include steps to consistently reproduce the problem, actual vs. expected results, screenshots, and your OS and Brackets version number. Disable all extensions to verify the issue is a core Brackets bug. Read more guidelines for filing good bugs.

I have a new suggestion, but don't know how to program!

For feature requests please first check our Trello board to see if it's already there; you can upvote it if so. If not, feel free to file it as an issue as above; we'll move it to the feature backlog for you.

I want to help with the code!

Awesome! There are lots of ways you can help. First read CONTRIBUTING.md, then learn how to pull the repo and hack on Brackets.

The text editor inside Brackets is based on CodeMirror—thanks to Marijn for taking our pull requests, implementing feature requests and fixing bugs! See Notes on CodeMirror for info on how we're using CodeMirror.

Although Brackets is built in HTML/CSS/JS, it currently runs as a desktop application in a thin native shell, so that it can access your local files. (If you just try to open the index.html file in a browser, it won't work yet.) The native shell for Brackets lives in a separate repo, adobe/brackets-shell.

I want to keep track of how Brackets is doing!

Not sure you needed the exclamation point there, but we like your enthusiasm.

What's Brackets working on next?

• In our feature backlog, the columns to the right (starting from "Development") list the features that we're currently working on. "Ready" shows what we'll be working on next.
• Watch our GitHub activity stream.
• Watch our Waffle Kanban board: Work items in are next. The entire development process is outlined in the Developer Guide.

Contact info

• E-mail: admin@brackets.io
• Slack: Brackets on Slack (You can join by sending a mail to admin@brackets.io with the subject line slack registration request specifying the email addresses you would like to register).
• Developers mailing list: http://groups.google.com/group/brackets-dev
• Twitter: @brackets
• Blog: http://blog.brackets.io/
• IRC: #brackets on freenode