The IntelliJ Platform Experience Gap: New developers need onboarding, experienced pros want technical depth. We break down the survey results & what it means.

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A 2025 survey of IntelliJ Platform plugin developers reveals a significant experience gap in how developers approach the SDK. Experienced developers (4+ years) read Platform source code 240% more often than newcomers and are 460% more likely to use community channels. New developers struggle most with navigating a large codebase (78% find it challenging), unfamiliar terminology, and version compatibility. They rely heavily on Stack Overflow and YouTube, and prioritize introductory guides. Experienced developers prefer technical depth, better API documentation comments, and inline code clarity. Across all levels, SDK docs and source code are the top resources, with 87% preferring written technical documentation over video. The findings are shaping JetBrains Platform team priorities around documentation and community support.

The experience gap: How developers’ priorities shift as they grow

How do new developers cope with these challenges?

What experienced developers do differently