Tools & Resources

3 min read

I’m passionate about finding and using tools that improve my productivity and help me deliver better solutions. This page showcases products and resources I genuinely use and recommend. Some links below are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you.

Development & Programming

Books and resources that have shaped my development practice:

Books

Tools & IDEs

  • Visual Studio Professional - Comprehensive IDE for .NET development
  • Visual Studio Code - Lightweight, extensible code editor I use for web development and scripts

Cloud Platforms

  • Microsoft Azure - My primary cloud platform for hosting and infrastructure
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) - Secondary cloud platform for multi-cloud strategies

Monitoring & Observability

  • Grafana - Visualization and monitoring platform
  • Prometheus - Metrics collection and alerting
  • OpenTelemetry - Standardized approach to observability

Professional Development

Resources for continuous learning and career growth:

Conferences

  • NDC London - Europe’s premier software development conference with world-class speakers and diverse tracks
  • DDD North - My local DDD meetup hosted in Hull every year
  • Local tech meetups and community events - Connect with fellow developers and stay current with trends

Learning Platforms

  • Pluralsight - Comprehensive video courses for developers and IT professionals

Affiliate & Referral Programs

I also recommend several services I personally use.

Octopus Energy

I have been with Octopus Energy for a few years now and have been very happy with the service. They have a range of tariffs to suit your needs and are very competitive on price. If you sign up using my referral link we both get £50 credit on our accounts.

I have also blogged about my experience with Octopus Energy here .

https://share.octopus.energy/amber-eel-810

Monzo Bank

I have been using Monzo as my main bank account for a few years now and have been very happy with the service. They have a great app and are very competitive on price. If you sign up using my referral link we both get £5 credit on our accounts.

https://join.monzo.com/c/74pdts4

Connect Fibre

I struggled with slow internet for a while, so as soon as Fibre was available in my area I signed up. I have been very happy with the service and the speed. If you sign up using my referral link we both get £60 credit on our accounts.

https://www.connectfibre.co.uk/referral?referrer=11505401

Mindful Chef

My diet is not great, so I signed up to Mindful Chef to get healthy meals delivered to my door. At first glance it looks expensive, but if you compare it to a takeaway, it is a similar price and with Mindful Chef you get a few healthy meals to cook, and no guilt that you have been naughty again! If you sign up using my referral link you will get 25% off your first four boxes.

https://www.mindfulchef.com/ref-F1E4A7

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I genuinely use and believe in. Your support through these links helps me continue writing and sharing knowledge with the tech community.