# Apple Developer Tools

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Suite of software tools from Apple

This article is about the software tools. For the website, see [Apple Developer (website)](/source/Apple_Developer_(website)). For for the iOS app, see [Apple Developer (app)](/source/Apple_Developer_(app)).

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2012)

Apple Developer Tools Developer Apple Stable release 26.5 / May 11, 2026; 51 days ago (2026-05-11) Written in C++, C, Objective-C, Swift, AppleScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Ruby Operating system macOS Available in English Type IDE Website developer.apple.com/xcode/ As of May 2026

The **Apple Developer Tools** are a suite of software tools from [Apple](/source/Apple_Inc.) to aid in making software dynamic titles for the [macOS](/source/MacOS) and [iOS](/source/IOS) platforms. The developer tools were formerly included on macOS install media, but are now exclusively distributed over the [Internet](/source/Internet). [Xcode](/source/Xcode) is available as a free download from the [Mac App Store](/source/Mac_App_Store).

## 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.[1]

### 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](/source/Core_Image) units, which function similar to [Adobe Photoshop](/source/Adobe_Photoshop) filters. Each has a specific action, with parameters customize the action. Showcases Core Image, a technology introduced in [Mac OS X 10.4](/source/Mac_OS_X_Tiger), supported by newer graphic hardware.

### CrashReporterPrefs

A developer utility for setting report parameters for Apple's [Crash Reporter](/source/Crash_Reporter_(OS_X)) 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](/source/NeXTSTEP), 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 opendiff command provides the ability to launch FileMerge from the command line. The -ancestor parameter can be used for [three-way merging](/source/Merge_(revision_control)#Three-way_merge).

### Help Indexer

Creates an [index file](/source/Index_(database)) for the macOS built-in [Help Viewer](/source/Help_Viewer).

### icns Browser

Views the resources for an [.icns](/source/Apple_Icon_Image) file, displaying the Mini, Small, Large, Huge, Thumbnail & Tile sizes in all [color depths](/source/Color_depth) and [masks](/source/Mask_(computing)).

### Icon Composer

**Icon Composer** was an [icon](/source/Icon_(computing)) editor that does not have any editing features other than composing [Apple Icon Image](/source/Apple_Icon_Image) files and [Windows ICO files](/source/ICO_(file_format)). 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.[2]

A new version of Icon Composer was reintroduced with WWDC 2025 for creating Liquid Glass icons.[3]

### Instruments

Main article: [Instruments (software)](/source/Instruments_(software))

[Instruments](/source/Instruments_(software)) is a GUI for tracing framework [DTrace](/source/DTrace) from Sun's [OpenSolaris](/source/OpenSolaris). It is used to profile time usage, memory allocations, system activity, call trace analysis, GPU performance analysis, energy logging (on iOS devices) etc.[4]

### Jar Bundler

[Java](/source/Java_(programming_language)) tool that aids in packaging an application's component files into a single [double-clickable](/source/Double_click) application. Properties can be modified to optimize the code.

### MallocDebug

Assistance for assessing memory usage and detecting [memory leaks](/source/Memory_leak) 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](/source/Bonjour_(software)) 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](/source/OpenGL) 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](/source/OpenGL) GPU programs ([Shaders](/source/Shader)) 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/C_(programming_language)) source code to initialize [OpenGL](/source/OpenGL) (using the [GLUT](/source/OpenGL_Utility_Toolkit) 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](/source/Bundle_(macOS)) for installing applications using the [Installer](/source/Installer_(macOS)) application.

### Pixie

A [magnifying glass](/source/Magnifying_glass) application for magnifying small sections of the computer's screen, centered around the mouse [cursor](/source/Cursor_(computers)), giving the user a detailed view of the screen, as well as the [pixel](/source/Pixel) 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](/source/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

Main article: [Quartz Composer](/source/Quartz_Composer)

A [visual programming language](/source/Visual_programming_language) for processing and [rendering](/source/Rendering_(computer_graphics)) data. Using [OpenGL](/source/OpenGL), [Core Image](/source/Core_Image), [Core Video](/source/Core_Video), and other technologies to build an [API](/source/API) and serves as a simple visual programming paradigm. Quartz Composer is a core technology of the macOS. Quartz Composer creations work in any [QuickTime](/source/QuickTime)-aware application (beginning with Mac OS X 10.4), from the Quartz Composer application, or embedded into [Cocoa](/source/Cocoa_(API)) or [Carbon](/source/Carbon_(API)) applications.

Quartz Composer has many similarities to [Max/MSP](/source/Max%2FMSP) although its primary usage is for graphical rather than [audio processing](/source/Audio_signal_processing). Offers the ability to construct interactive video compositions that react to audio or [MIDI](/source/MIDI) signals and can be played from any [QuickTime](/source/QuickTime) aware application.

Pierre-Olivier Latour originally developed the predecessor to Quartz Composer under the name PixelShox Studio.[5]

A resurgence in interest in Quartz Composer has come about, as the [Facebook](/source/Facebook) 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](/source/Photoshop).[6]

### Repeat After Me

Optimizes the performance of the built-in [text-to-speech](/source/Text-to-speech) software for macOS. Tests the operating system's [phonemic](/source/Phoneme) translation engine, creates graphs of the generated tone, to visually adjust the intonation, and records samples for reference.

### Shark

Shark is a [profiler](/source/Profiling_(computer_programming)), used by [software developers](/source/Software_developer) 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](/source/Mac_OS_X_Lion), it is not on the Apple site any more and was replaced by [Instruments](/source/Instruments_(software)).

### 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](/source/Spinning_pinwheel) on macOS.[7]

Discontinued as of Xcode 4.2.

### Thread Viewer

Thread Viewer is a performance [tool](/source/Software_utility) which graphically displays activity across a range of [threads](/source/Thread_(computer_science)). 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](#Instruments) app, and can be accessed via "System Trace" instrument.

### Xcode

Main article: [Xcode](/source/Xcode)

Xcode is an [integrated development environment](/source/Integrated_development_environment) (IDE) for [macOS](/source/MacOS) containing a suite of [software development](/source/Software_development) tools developed by [Apple](/source/Apple_Inc.) for developing software for macOS, [iOS](/source/IOS), [iPadOS](/source/IPadOS), [watchOS](/source/WatchOS), [tvOS](/source/TvOS), and [visionOS](/source/VisionOS). Xcode supports developing [source code](/source/Source_code) for the [programming languages](/source/Programming_language) [C](/source/C_(programming_language)), [C++](/source/C%2B%2B), [Objective-C](/source/Objective-C), [Objective-C++](/source/Objective-C%2B%2B), [Java](/source/Java_(programming_language)), [AppleScript](/source/AppleScript), [Python](/source/Python_(programming_language)), [Ruby](/source/Ruby_(programming_language)), [ResEdit](/source/ResEdit) (Rez), and [Swift](/source/Swift_(programming_language)), with a variety of programming models, including but not limited to [Cocoa](/source/Cocoa_(API)), [Carbon](/source/Carbon_(API)), and Java.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["AU Lab by Apple - Plug-in Chainer / Rack Plugin Host Audio Unit"](https://www.kvraudio.com/product/au-lab-by-apple). *KVR Audio*. Retrieved 2026-05-13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Questions. ["macos - Where did Icon Composer go from Xcode? - Ask Different"](http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/59561/where-did-icon-composer-go-from-xcode#comment89893_59613). Apple.stackexchange.com. Retrieved 2022-03-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Icon Composer"](https://developer.apple.com/icon-composer/). *Apple Developer*. Retrieved 2025-06-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Instruments_Help_page_4-0)** ["Track CPU core and thread use- Instruments Help"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200620073428/https://help.apple.com/instruments/mac/current/). Archived from [the original](https://help.apple.com/instruments/mac/current/) on 2020-06-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [http://www.polhosting.info/web-archives/pixelshox_technology/](http://www.polhosting.info/web-archives/pixelshox_technology/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170129085329/http://www.polhosting.info/web-archives/pixelshox_technology/) 2017-01-29 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) PixelShox Technology

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Design Prototyping with Quartz Composer"](http://origami.facebook.com). Retrieved 13 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Using Spin Control"](https://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Performance/Conceptual/PerformanceOverview/InitialEvaluation/InitialEvaluation.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001410-CH206-CJBFHBDB).

## External links

- [Connection Tools](https://developer.apple.com/tools) – official site at [Apple Inc.](/source/Apple_Inc.)

v t e macOS developer tools Current tools Xcode Instruments FileMerge Former tools Interface Builder Dashcode Quartz Composer

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Apple Developer Tools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Developer_Tools) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Developer_Tools?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.