# About the Eclipse IDE [edit]

This page gives an overview of the Eclipse IDE.

## Introduction

An IDE is an "Integrated Development Environment". An IDE application contains most, if not all, of the tools that developers need all within a single application. If you have only developed with a text editor in the past, you will find that Eclipse contains much more functionality, such as editing, code validation, file and project management, and debugging. (Aptana Studio includes additional web development tools, such as FTP.) With the case of Aptana and Eclipse, you also have "plug-in" applications available that can extend the functionality of the original application.

Both Eclipse and Aptana are free and open source. To learn more about the Eclipse IDE and other Eclipse projects, visit the Eclipse web site:

http://www.eclipse.org/

## Related Topics

- Understanding how Aptana works with the Eclipse IDE
- Eclipse community resources
- About plug-ins

Retrieved from "http://aptana.com/docs/index.php/About_the_Eclipse_IDE"

Category: AptanaHelp