IDE stands for integrated development environment. IDEs are typically powerful applications that are used for creating software. They often come with tools that enable people to debug, test, execute, and deploy code. They also often come with features that make programming less tedious, such as autocompletion and syntax feedback. Examples of common IDEs are Eclipse, PyCharm, IntelliJ, and CLion.

Another popular environment for creating software is a text editor. Text editors are commonly far less powerful than an IDE, and are what they sound like - an application or place to simply edit text or code. These are the more lightweight alternative to IDEs, and are less complicated for novice programmers. Examples of common text editors are Vim, Visual Studio Code, Sublime, and Atom.

IDEs are great for large scale projects; with all the features you need within one application, you can make sure any software you create is done so in the most complete manner.

Text editors are a more streamlined way to write code. Often times, IDEs can be confusing; all the bells and whistles, while helpful, can be overwhelming and not directly applicable to your goals. Thus, a text editor helps by placing a focus on the code and logic with minimal distractions.