Closure Compiler vs CodeKit

Closure Compiler vs CodeKit: What are the differences?

Developers describe Closure Compiler as "A JavaScript checker and optimizer". The Closure Compiler is a tool for making JavaScript download and run faster. It is a true compiler for JavaScript. Instead of compiling from a source language to machine code, it compiles from JavaScript to better JavaScript. It parses your JavaScript, analyzes it, removes dead code and rewrites and minimizes what's left. It also checks syntax, variable references, and types, and warns about common JavaScript pitfalls. On the other hand, CodeKit is detailed as "Mac app that compiles Less, Sass, Stylus, Jade, Haml, Javascript, and Markdown files automatically each time you save". Process Less, Sass, Stylus, Jade, Haml, Slim, CoffeeScript, Javascript, and Compass files automatically each time you save. Easily set options for each language.

Closure Compiler and CodeKit are primarily classified as "JavaScript Optimizers" and "Live Reloading" tools respectively.

Some of the features offered by Closure Compiler are:

• parses JavaScript, analyzes it, removes dead code and rewrites and minimizes what's left
• checks syntax, variable references, and types, and warns about common JavaScript pitfalls
• transpiling some ECMAScript 6 code to ECMAScript 3

On the other hand, CodeKit provides the following key features:

• Compile Everything - Less, Sass, Stylus, CoffeeScript, Typescript, Jade, Haml, Slim, Markdown & Javascript.
• Auto-Refresh Browsers - Refresh browsers across devices: Mac, PC, iOS, Android & kitchen fridge. Never hit command+R again.
• Bower Built-In - Install 6,000+ components with a single click: Bootstrap, jQuery, Modernizr, Zurb Foundation, even WordPress.

Closure Compiler is an open source tool with 5.02K GitHub stars and 923 GitHub forks. Here's a link to Closure Compiler's open source repository on GitHub.