10+ Essential IntelliJ IDEA Plugins in 2025

For years, IntelliJ IDEA has been recognized as one of the most powerful and intelligent integrated development environments (IDEs), particularly valued in the Java and Kotlin ecosystems, but also excelling with many other languages and technologies. IntelliJ IDEA’s strength lies not only in its advanced built-in features but also in its extensive plugin ecosystem, which allows for customizing the environment to individual needs and significantly boosting productivity. In 2025, as projects become increasingly complex and efficiency and collaboration are paramount, well-chosen plugins can fundamentally change your daily work.

The year 2025 presents new challenges for developers – from the growing influence of artificial intelligence on the software development process, through the established norm of remote and hybrid work, to the relentless focus on quality, security, and speed of application delivery. IntelliJ IDEA, with its rich set of tools and extensibility, is perfectly equipped to meet these demands. Our list of plugins for 2025 will help you fully leverage the potential of this IDE.

1. GitHub Copilot (or AI alternatives like Tabnine, Amazon CodeWhisperer)

• What it is: An advanced AI assistant that integrates with IntelliJ IDEA, suggesting entire code blocks, functions, and helping with writing unit tests and documentation.
• Why it’s a must-have in 2025: In 2025, AI-powered coding assistance is no longer a luxury but a tool that genuinely enhances productivity. These plugins analyze the context of your work, speeding up development, reducing repetitive tasks, and aiding in the exploration of new solutions. Remember to critically evaluate AI suggestions and adapt them to project standards.

2. Built-in Code Inspections and Formatter (The Foundation of Quality)

• What it is: IntelliJ IDEA offers incredibly extensive, configurable inspection mechanisms (linters) for many languages and a powerful, intelligent code formatter.
• Why still crucial: Cleanliness, consistency, and adherence to standards are fundamental to any professional project. IntelliJ’s built-in tools allow for automatic detection of potential issues and maintenance of a uniform code style, which is invaluable in teamwork. Regularly using these features is an investment in long-term quality.

3. GitToolBox (Enhanced Git Capabilities)

• What it is: While IntelliJ IDEA has excellent native Git integration, GitToolBox adds useful information and features, such as displaying branch status, the number of commits to sync, and inline blame (annotate) directly in the editor.
• Why it’s worth it: It streamlines daily Git workflows by providing more contextual information without needing to switch between views, which speeds up history analysis and understanding the current repository state.

4. Docker (Manage Containers from Your IDE)

• What it is: The official plugin from JetBrains providing full integration with Docker. It allows for managing images, containers, Docker Compose files, and even debugging applications running in containers.
• Why it’s a must-have in 2025: Containerization is standard. This plugin makes working with Docker incredibly convenient, allowing full control over development and production environments directly from IntelliJ IDEA.

5. Code With Me (Real-Time Collaboration)

• What it is: JetBrains’ native tool for remote collaboration and pair programming. It allows for sharing a project, editing code, debugging, and even using the terminal and tools in real-time with other team members.
• Why it’s a must-have in 2025: In an era of remote and distributed teams, effective collaboration tools are crucial. Code With Me eliminates geographical barriers, enabling smooth and productive teamwork.

6. Key Promoter X (Discover Keyboard Shortcuts)

• What it is: A helpful plugin that displays a notification with the keyboard shortcut whenever you perform an action with the mouse for which a shortcut exists.
• Why it’s worth it: IntelliJ IDEA is packed with powerful keyboard shortcuts. This plugin helps you gradually discover and learn them, which significantly speeds up your work and makes it more ergonomic in the long run.

7. Rainbow Brackets / Indent Rainbow (Improved Code Readability)

• What it is: Plugins that color-code matching pairs of parentheses, braces, and other symbols, or indentations, making it easier to visually track code structure, especially in nested blocks.
• Why still useful: They improve the readability of complex code snippets, reducing the risk of errors related to mismatched brackets and facilitating a quick understanding of logic.

8. .env files support (Support for .env Files)

• What it is: A plugin that adds syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and other conveniences for .env files, which are often used to store environment variables.
• Why it’s worth it: It simplifies managing application configuration, which is often stored in these types of files, making working with them more transparent.

9. String Manipulation (Advanced Text Operations)

• What it is: Offers a wide range of operations on selected text, such as case changes, line sorting, escaping/unescaping, encoding/decoding (e.g., Base64, URL), and many more.
• Why useful: We often perform various transformations on strings. This plugin automates many of them, saving time and eliminating the need for external tools.

10. Material Theme UI / Atom Material Icons (Aesthetics and Personalization)

• What it is: Plugins that allow you to change the color theme of the IntelliJ IDEA interface and file icons, giving the environment a more modern and personalized look.
• Why it’s worth it: While it’s a matter of taste, working in a visually pleasing environment can positively impact comfort and well-being during long coding sessions.

Trends for 2025 and What Else to Watch in the IntelliJ Ecosystem:

• Deeper Support for Specific Technologies: JetBrains continuously develops plugins (often built into the Ultimate version) for the latest frameworks, languages, and cloud platforms.
• Security Analysis Tools (SAST): Integration with tools like Snyk or SonarLint is becoming increasingly important for early vulnerability detection.
• Support for Microservices Architecture: Plugins facilitating work with distributed systems, e.g., for visualizing dependencies or managing configurations.
• JetBrains Gateway and Remote Development Evolution: JetBrains’ remote development solutions will likely continue to evolve, offering even better integration and performance.

Summary:

IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful tool, and well-chosen plugins can unlock even more of its potential. This list serves as a starting point for exploring the rich JetBrains Marketplace ecosystem in 2025. Remember to tailor your set of plugins to the specifics of your projects, the technologies you use, and your individual workflow. Investing time in learning and configuring your IDE is an investment in your daily efficiency and coding satisfaction.