---
schema_version: "1"
id: 63cfcff130304b14e79345481aae872a78706db3b725b6826cdeac5bf037df8b
title: Apex Developer Guide and Developer Tools
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/code_apex_dev_guide_tools.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.code_apex_dev_guide_tools.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 62228c988c9dd5590f4fe1976195ee096d6cd928873cb0af1294cf97295fe373
description: The Apex Developer Guide and Apex Reference Guide provide the complete reference for the Apex programming language. The Apex Developer Guide explains how to invoke Apex, how to work with limits, how to write tests, and more. The Apex Reference Guide provides reference information on Apex classes, interfaces, exceptions and so on. To write Apex code, you can choose from several Salesforce and third-party tools.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Apex Developer Guide and Developer Tools

The Apex Developer Guide and Apex Reference Guide provide the complete reference for the Apex programming language. The Apex Developer Guide explains how to invoke Apex, how to work with limits, how to write tests, and more. The Apex Reference Guide provides reference information on Apex classes, interfaces, exceptions and so on. To write Apex code, you can choose from several Salesforce and third-party tools.

- [Apex Developer Guide](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_dev_guide.htm)
- [Apex Reference Guide](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_ref_guide.htm)

Use these tools to write Apex code:

- Developer Console
- [Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code](https://forcedotcom.github.io/salesforcedx-vscode/)
- [Code Editor in the Salesforce User Interface](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.code_define_package.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Salesforce stores Apex classes as metadata.")

Search the Web to find Salesforce IDEs created by third-party developers.