Once you have Magento Open Source installed and developer mode turned on, the next thing to master is the toolkit. The right tools save hours every week.
Step one: install Open Source and turn on developer mode
Adobe Commerce installation guide →
Developer mode is what reveals the platform’s internals. Errors get displayed instead of hidden, caches behave less aggressively, and you can actually see what’s happening when something breaks.
Step two: learn the admin panel
A great Magento developer knows when to configure the system via the admin portal versus when to write custom code. Many “requirements” turn out to be admin configurations the merchant didn’t know about.
The toolkit
- phpStorm — the Magento IDE. JetBrains phpStorm →
- Magento phpStorm plugin — Magento-specific code completion and navigation. GitHub →
- Altair GraphQL Client — essential for headless / GraphQL work. altairgraphql.dev →
- Dev Bar (QuickDevBar) — in-page developer info on every page load. GitHub →
- Postman — API proofing tool. Postman downloads →
- MageReport — basic security scanner. magereport.com →
Pair programming
The fastest way to ramp up a new Magento developer is to pair them with a senior developer on a real project. Many of the patterns and philosophies in Magento make more sense when you see an experienced developer use them in context.
Adapted from the Adobe Commerce Primer, slide 40. Last reviewed May 2026.