Three Powerful Profilers for Ajax

Profilers are simple tools that could be plugged into the application so that developers will have performance data of their application. These are non-obtrusive to the application as the server and the client relationship is independently observed by the profiler.

The importance of this tool become clearer when web based applications and websites started to come out with very long codes. Profilers could easily monitor the performance of these codes. When something is wrong with the coding, the developer will find which part of the coding should be fixed, eliminating development and troubleshooting time.

This tool became very important for developers who are building an Ajax based application. Not only JavaScript is used in building Ajax but a slew of web development languages, making Ajax a difficult web development technique. Even though there are frameworks today that can assist in the development of Ajax, coding will still end up complicated that without profilers, developers might end up more confused because there are no tools that will guide them to the exact location of error. Because of the popularity of Ajax profilers specific for JavaScript have been developed. Here are three of the well known and highly recommended for an Ajax based application:

1. Ajax View – This profiler is injected to the server’s proxy. This will enable Ajax View to observe the application especially the communication of the server and the client. This application is still in prototype after so many years of development but don’t say this is still a young tool. This tool was developed by Microsoft and is one of the widely used today. The great thing about this profiler is that it can adapt to different types of coding. Because of its ability to adapt, it can pinpoint to the most specific problem of the code so that developer could execute troubleshooting.

2. JsLex – Aside from JavaScript optimization, JsLex is geared towards optimization of the simpler but very important component of an Ajax based application – HTML. Optimizing HTML is very important in an Ajax based application because it is used as a stage for JavaScript and other web development tools for building Ajax. This tool however, could only be used in Eclipse but had been very impressive when the developer is familiar with Eclipse. Like the Ajax View, this tool is not a plug-in but a simple code injected in the tool so that it could run in different browsers.

3. Yahoo Profiler – One of the simplest yet very powerful tools offered by Yahoo to developers around the world. What sets this tool slightly different from other profilers for JavaScript is its ability to monitor the application in real time. Developers can use Yahoo Profiler at the same time the application is running and because of this feature, more testing could be done and performance could be easily optimized.

Like most profilers, these tools could be downloaded for free. This essential tool could be easily integrated to the coding of the application so that developers could greatly reduce development time.