The Apple Developer Tools are a suite of software tools from
Apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
to aid in making software dynamic titles for the
macOS
macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
and
iOS platforms. The developer tools were formerly included on macOS install media, but are now exclusively distributed over the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
.
Xcode
Xcode is a suite of developer tools for building apps on Apple devices. It includes an integrated development environment (IDE) of the same name for macOS, used to develop software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It w ...
is available as a free download from the
Mac App Store
The Mac App Store (also known as the App Store) is a digital distribution platform for macOS apps, often referred to as Mac apps, created and maintained by Apple. The platform was announced on October 20, 2010, at Apple's "Back to the Mac" eve ...
.
Applications
Applet Launcher
A graphical interface for JavaScript's Plug-in, which aids developers by demonstrating how Java applets perform on macOS. Provides tools to adjust the performance, behavior and user experience in applets in development.
Audio Unit Lab
A graphic presentation of audio units helping software developers to examine their results in decibels. AU Lab can be used to test audio units, conduct live mixing, and playback of audio content. Audio units are controlled visually with the audio unit's graphic interface and touch screen.
Computer Hardware Understanding Development Tools
A set of software tools, collectively Computer Hardware Understanding Development Tools (CHUD Tools) measure software performance on macOS, to aid in optimizing. Also provides hardware system benchmarks.
Core Image Fun House
Used in testing
Core Image
Core Image is a pixel-accurate, near-realtime, non-destructive image processing technology in Mac OS X. Implemented as part of the QuartzCore framework of Mac OS X 10.4 and later, Core Image provides a plugin-based architecture for applying filt ...
units, which function similar to
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc., Adobe for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital ...
filters. Each has a specific action, with parameters customize the action. Showcases Core Image, a technology introduced in
Mac OS X 10.4, supported by newer graphic hardware.
CrashReporterPrefs
A developer utility for setting report parameters for Apple's
Crash Reporter application.
* Basic: Shows a dialog asking the user what to do.
* Developer: Provides additional debug info and automatically shows the mail to Apple window.
* Server: Runs silent, but keeps all the logs.
* None: Disables the dialog prompt. Crash reports are neither displayed nor logged.
FileMerge
A staple of macOS's developer tools since the days of
NeXTSTEP
NeXTSTEP is a discontinued object-oriented, multitasking operating system based on the Mach kernel and the UNIX-derived BSD. It was developed by NeXT, founded by Steve Jobs, in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was initially used for its ...
, FileMerge graphically compares two or more versions of a file. True to its name, FileMerge allows the user to easily merge the two or more versions into one file. The utility is often used to track changes to source code.
macOS's command provides the ability to launch FileMerge from the command line. The parameter can be used for
three-way merging.
Help Indexer
Creates an
index file for the macOS built-in
Help Viewer.
icns Browser
Views the resources for an
.icns file, displaying the Mini, Small, Large, Huge, Thumbnail & Tile sizes in all
color depths and
masks.
Icon Composer
Icon Composer was an
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
editor that does not have any editing features other than composing
Apple Icon Image files and
Windows ICO files. External editors must do all the image manipulation, then the results may be imported into the converter to create the finished icon. As of Xcode 8.2, Icon Composer is no longer available in Additional Tools, as it cannot create high resolution icons. Apple recommends using the command-line utility iconutil, which ships with macOS.
A new version of Icon Composer was reintroduced with WWDC 2025 for creating Liquid Glass icons.
Instruments
Instruments is a GUI for tracing framework
DTrace
DTrace is a comprehensive dynamic tracing framework originally created by Sun Microsystems for troubleshooting kernel and application problems on production systems in real time.
Originally developed for Solaris, it has since been released un ...
from Sun's
OpenSolaris
OpenSolaris () is a discontinued open-source computer operating system for SPARC and x86 based systems, created by Sun Microsystems and based on Solaris. Its development began in the mid 2000s and ended in 2010.
OpenSolaris was developed as ...
. It is used to profile time usage, memory allocations, system activity, call trace analysis, GPU performance analysis, energy logging (on iOS devices) etc.
Jar Bundler
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
tool that aids in packaging an application's component files into a single
double-clickable application. Properties can be modified to optimize the code.
MallocDebug
Assistance for assessing memory usage and detecting
memory leaks in programs.
Assesses an application's memory usage by monitoring a user as they interact with an application, which allows MallocDebug to build a memory profile that unfortunately is limited in size.
OpenGL Driver Monitor
Real time access to the inner workings of the graphics processing unit. Runs locally or over a network using
Bonjour which is less likely to interfere with the statistics it is gathering with the exception of some disk fragmentation devices.
OpenGL Profiler
This tool assists developers in debugging and optimizing
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...
usage under macOS.
Supported features:
* Launch or attach to an application
* Breakpoints and execution control
* Error detection including thread safety checks
* Scripts
* Buffer views
* Resource viewing/editing
* Statistics gathering
* OpenGL call traces with stack traces and timings
OpenGL Shader Builder
An integrated environment to develop and debug
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...
GPU programs (
Shader
In computer graphics, a shader is a computer program that calculates the appropriate levels of light, darkness, and color during the rendering of a 3D scene—a process known as '' shading''. Shaders have evolved to perform a variety of s ...
s) under macOS.
Features supported by OpenGL Shader Builder:
* Realtime entry
* Preview window with shaders applied to a textured plane, sphere or teapot
* Example shaders
* Syntax checking
* Debugging and analysis of vertex / fragment programs
* Export to Xcode
One notable feature is 'Export to Xcode'. A sample Xcode project is created with
C source code to initialize
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...
(using the
GLUT library) and run the shader program.
Note that this program is no longer recommended for editing GLSL shaders as "GLSLEditorSample," available as an example program, is generally regarded as superior.
PackageMaker
Creates application
.pkg
installer
bundles for installing applications using the
Installer application.
Pixie
A
magnifying glass application for magnifying small sections of the computer's screen, centered around the mouse
cursor, giving the user a detailed view of the screen, as well as the
pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
coordinates of the mouse. Provides several levels of zoom, "locking" the image under the mouse for closer examination, and saves the magnified image one of several formats. Helps ensure visual elements are aligned precisely.
Property List Editor
Edits application preference
plist files. As of Xcode 4, Property List Editor is no longer included as a separate application and all editing of plist files is done within Xcode. The last stand-alone version was version 5.3 in Xcode 3.2.6.
Quartz Composer
A
visual programming language for processing and
rendering data. Using
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...
,
Core Image
Core Image is a pixel-accurate, near-realtime, non-destructive image processing technology in Mac OS X. Implemented as part of the QuartzCore framework of Mac OS X 10.4 and later, Core Image provides a plugin-based architecture for applying filt ...
,
Core Video, and other technologies to build an
API
An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...
and serves as a simple visual programming paradigm. Quartz Composer is a core technology of the macOS. Quartz Composer creations work in any
QuickTime-aware application (beginning with Mac OS X 10.4), from the Quartz Composer application, or embedded into
Cocoa or
Carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
applications.
Quartz Composer has many similarities to
Max/MSP although its primary usage is for graphical rather than audio processing. Offers the ability to construct interactive video compositions that react to audio or
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
signals and can be played from any
QuickTime aware application.
Pierre-Olivier Latour originally developed the predecessor to Quartz Composer under the name PixelShox Studio.
A resurgence in interest in Quartz Composer has come about, as the
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
design team has been showcasing their utilization of the program to prototype interactions that they couldn't have otherwise depicted with flat mockups in
Photoshop.
Repeat After Me
Optimizes the performance of the built-in
text-to-speech
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or Computer hardware, hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system conv ...
software for macOS. Tests the operating system's
phonemic translation engine, creates graphs of the generated tone, to visually adjust the intonation, and records samples for reference.
Shark
Shark is a
profiler, used by
software developer
Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...
s to optimize software programs on macOS. It samples software at set time intervals (or driven by hardware performance monitors events) taking snapshots of the stack, showing the functions which require more of the application's resources. Includes tools to analyze the data produced by a sampling run. Since
Mac OS X 10.7, it is not on the Apple site any more and was replaced by
Instruments.
Spin Control
Spin Control is a performance tool used for monitoring hang activity in software programs. The program gets its name from the
spinning pinwheel on macOS.
Discontinued as of Xcode 4.2.
Thread Viewer
Thread Viewer is a performance
tool
A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...
which graphically displays activity across a range of
threads. It provides color-coded time-line views of thread activity and can display backtraces of activity at specific points in time. It was merged in
Instruments app, and can be accessed via "System Trace" instrument.
Xcode
Xcode is an
integrated development environment
An integrated development environment (IDE) is a Application software, software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source-code editor, build automation tools, an ...
(IDE) for
macOS
macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
containing a suite of
software development
Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...
tools developed by
Apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
for developing software for macOS,
iOS,
iPadOS,
watchOS
watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc., Apple. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the o ...
,
tvOS
tvOS (formerly Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. The software for the second-generation and later ...
, and
visionOS. Xcode supports developing
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer.
Since a computer, at base, only ...
for the
programming language
A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs.
Programming languages are described in terms of their Syntax (programming languages), syntax (form) and semantics (computer science), semantics (meaning), usually def ...
s
C,
C++,
Objective-C
Objective-C is a high-level general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style message passing (messaging) to the C programming language. Originally developed by Brad Cox and Tom Love in the early 1980s, it was ...
,
Objective-C++
Objective-C is a high-level general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style message passing (messaging) to the C (programming language), C programming language. Originally developed by Brad Cox and Tom Love in ...
,
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
,
AppleScript,
Python,
Ruby
Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
,
ResEdit (Rez), and
Swift
Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to:
* SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks
** SWIFT code
* Swift (programming language)
* Swift (bird), a family of birds
It may also refer to:
Organizations
* SWIF ...
, with a variety of programming models, including but not limited to
Cocoa,
Carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
, and Java.
References
External links
* – official site at
Apple Inc.
{{MacOS developer tools
MacOS programming tools
TvOS software