ExtendsClass - Online Tools for Developers - Interview with Cyril Bois

One of the great things about being a developer is that you can literally create your own tools to make it easier to do your work.

Cyril Bois has been developing a set of tools at ExtendsClass for a while and now we have a good chance to learn more.

Can you tell a bit about yourself?#

My name is Cyril Bois, a French developer passionate about coding. I have been working for an independent software vendor specialized in Retail for 14 years (I am faithful!).

During my free time (I have a wife and three boys), I work on my platform ExtendsClass.

How would you describe ExtendsClass to someone who has never heard of it?#

ExtendsClass is an online toolbox for frontend and backend developers. You can find quite a wide variety of tools:

• Playgrounds
• Code checkers
• Random data generators
• Comparators
• Converters
• Formatters

It's a bit of a Swiss Army knife for developers!

The service can save time for doing quick tests without having to install any software on your computer.

How does ExtendsClass work?#

Using ExtendsClass is simple. Just use a browser!

For some tools, HTTP APIs are available, and you should make HTTP calls against them. In specific cases, you have to create an account to obtain an API key to avoid abuse.

How does ExtendsClass differ from other solutions?#

The main difference is the variety of tools available.

As soon as people ask me, I make the source code of specific tools available at my GitHub account.

Why did you develop ExtendsClass?#

I developed ExtendsClass to pass the time and mainly because, in my work, I started coding less since I became a solution architect, and I missed coding!

What next?#

First, I still have plenty of features to add to existing tools. Secondly, given some tools are only available via a browser, I am looking to make them accessible via HTTP API. Finally, the platform begins to have some amount of technical debt I'll have to address. I won't have time to be bored!

What does the future look like for ExtendsClass and web development in general? Can you see any particular trends?#

It's a good question. :)

A few years ago, I thought Node would be a tidal wave; I was wrong! Maybe Deno will succeed where Node failed.

I am keeping an eye on Python as it's healthy as a platform, but I would not venture to make predictions.

What advice would you give to programmers getting into web development?#

My advice is to be curious!

Nowadays, we find excellent tutorials and video conferences in free access on the Internet, and we can learn a lot of technologies quite quickly. We have no excuse!

Who should I interview next?#

Perhaps Ryan Dahl so he can tell you about Deno!

Any last remarks?#

No! Thanks for the interview. :)

Conclusion#

Thanks for developing the platform, Cyril! I can see there are any tools on the service I'll find useful in my work and I hope others find it as well.

See ExtendsClass site to learn more.