8 Open Source Tools Every Developer Should Know 🔥

Published: (December 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM EST)
2 min read
Source: Dev.to

Source: Dev.to

HMPL.js – Fetch HTML, render it safely, and keep apps dynamic, modern, and small

A small template language that lets you create designs on the server and transfer them to the client on any domain. HMPL.js provides the flexibility to build server‑driven templates with minimal JavaScript.

View the HMPL.js repository

GitMCP – Free, open‑source remote MCP server for any GitHub project

A server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP) that connects LLMs directly to a GitHub repository. GitMCP transforms any GitHub project (repositories or GitHub Pages) into a documentation hub.

View the GitMCP repository

Linux kernel – Linux kernel source tree

The core of the Linux operating system, managing hardware and providing essential system services.

View the Linux kernel repository

Redis – Preferred, fastest, and most feature‑rich cache, data‑structure server, and document/vector query engine

A non‑relational NoSQL database management system that delivers rapid responses for caching and data‑structure operations.

View the Redis repository

Readme.so – Online drag‑and‑drop editor to easily build READMEs

An intuitive editor that helps developers create polished README files for their projects.

View the Readme.so repository

Shadcn UI – Beautifully designed, accessible component library

A collection of accessible and customizable UI components that can be copied and pasted into applications. Free and open source, ideal for building modern designs quickly.

View the Shadcn UI repository

Tweakcn – Visual no‑code theme editor for shadcn/ui components

A visual editor for creating custom themes for Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components, featuring AI‑assisted theme generation and a set of beautiful presets.

View the Tweakcn repository

LangChain – Build context‑aware reasoning applications

A rapidly growing framework for building LLM‑powered applications. LangChain helps chain together interoperable components and third‑party integrations, simplifying AI application development while future‑proofing decisions.

View the LangChain repository

Conclusion

Understanding these projects deepens your grasp of various development challenges and can save a lot of time. This list highlights essential tools for AI, backend development, and more.

Thank you for reading!

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