JetBrains IDEs 2026: Best Practices for AI-Powered Development Workflows

JetBrains IDEs have always been powerful tools in the hands of developers, and now, the integration of AI technology has brought revolutionary changes to software development. Judging from the content of the tweets, JetBrains IDEs in 2026 will not only continue to evolve in terms of the IDE's own functionality, but will also deeply integrate AI assistants into every aspect of the development process. This article will delve into how to leverage JetBrains IDEs and their AI capabilities in 2026 to create efficient and secure development workflows, and share some practical tips and best practices.

1. Embrace AI: A Leap from Assistance to Automation

The tweets mention that many developers are already subtly using JetBrains AI to refactor complex logic and generate code. This marks the evolution of AI's role in development from simple code completion to an intelligent assistant capable of understanding code intent and performing automated operations.

Best Practices:

• Actively Experiment with AI Features: Don't be afraid to try the AI features offered by JetBrains IDEs. Start with simple code suggestions and gradually try more advanced features such as code generation, refactoring suggestions, and error correction.
• Understand the Limitations of AI: While AI features are powerful, they are not omnipotent. Developers need to understand the limitations of AI, avoid over-reliance, and carefully review and test AI-generated code.
• Personalize AI Settings: JetBrains IDEs typically allow users to personalize AI features based on their programming habits and project needs. Taking the time to research and adjust these settings can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of AI.

Practical Tips:

• Use AI Code Generators to Accelerate Development: For repetitive code snippets, such as getter/setter methods, data transfer objects (DTOs), etc., you can use AI code generators to quickly generate them, reducing the amount of code written manually.
• Utilize AI Code Review Assistants: Before submitting code, you can use AI code review assistants to automatically detect potential issues in the code, such as inconsistent code styles and potential bugs.
• Try AI-Driven Refactoring: For complex code logic, you can try using AI-driven refactoring features to break down the code into smaller, more maintainable modules.

2. Security First: Docker Sandbox Ensures AI-Driven Development Workflows

JetBrains realizes that AI coding assistants are powerful but also have risks, so they have launched Docker Sandbox to ensure AI-driven development workflows. This means that when using AI features, the code will run in an isolated container environment, thereby avoiding potential security risks.

Best Practices:

• Enable Docker Sandbox: Enable the Docker Sandbox feature in JetBrains IDEs to ensure that the AI code assistant runs in a secure environment.
• Regularly Update Docker Images: Regularly update Docker images to ensure they contain the latest security patches.
• Monitor Docker Sandbox Resource Usage: Monitor Docker Sandbox resource usage to avoid excessive consumption of system resources.

Practical Tips:

• Customize Docker Images: Customize Docker images according to the specific needs of the project, including the dependencies and tools required by the project.
• Use Docker Compose to Manage Multiple Containers: If the project needs to use multiple Docker containers, you can use Docker Compose to manage them.

3. Embrace Polyglot Development: GraalVM Connects JVM and Non-JVM Languages

The tweets mention that IntelliJ IDEA Conf 2026 will discuss how GraalVM enables true polyglot development. GraalVM allows the mixed use of JVM and non-JVM languages in the same runtime environment, providing developers with greater flexibility.

Best Practices:* Understand the basic concepts of GraalVM: Understand the basic concepts of GraalVM, such as multilingual programming, AOT compilation, native images, etc.

• Choose the right language combination: Choose the right language combination based on the specific needs of the project. For example, you can use Java to build the backend service and JavaScript to build the frontend interface.
• Leverage GraalVM's interoperability: Leverage the interoperability provided by GraalVM to pass data and call functions between different languages.

Practical Tips:

• Use GraalVM to build native images: Using GraalVM to build native images can significantly improve application startup speed and performance.
• Leverage GraalVM's multilingual debugger: Leverage the multilingual debugger provided by GraalVM to debug code in different languages simultaneously.

Code Example (Java calling JavaScript):

import org.graalvm.polyglot.*;

public class PolyglotExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try (Context context = Context.create("js")) {
            Value jsFunction = context.eval("js", "(function(name) { return 'Hello, ' + name + '!'; })");
            String result = jsFunction.execute("World").asString();
            System.out.println(result); // Output: Hello, World!
        }
    }
}

4. Rider's C# Single-File Support: A Powerful Tool for Scripts, Prototypes, and One-Off Utilities

Rider 2026.1 EAP 4 introduces support for single-file C# programs, greatly simplifying the development process for scripts, prototypes, and one-off utilities.

Best Practices:

• Script small tasks: For small tasks that need to be completed quickly, you can use single-file C# scripts to complete them.
• Rapid prototype verification: Before starting a large project, you can use single-file C# programs to quickly verify ideas and prototypes.
• Create one-off tools: For tools that only need to be run once, you can use single-file C# programs to create them.

Practical Tips:

• Use the #r directive to reference external assemblies: You can use the #r directive to reference external assemblies, thereby extending the functionality of single-file C# programs.
• Leverage the Roslyn script engine: Leverage the Roslyn script engine to compile and execute C# code at runtime.

Code Example (Single-File C# Script):

// #r "System.Net.Http" // Reference the System.Net.Http assembly

using System;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
public class Program
{
    public static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        using (var client = new HttpClient())
        {
            string url = "https://www.example.com";
            try
            {
                HttpResponseMessage response = await client.GetAsync(url);
                response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
                string responseBody = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
                Console.WriteLine(responseBody.Substring(0, 200)); // Prints the first 200 characters
            }
            catch (HttpRequestException e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine($"Exception: {e.Message}");
            }
        }
    }
}

5. GoLand 1.26: Embracing New Go Features

GoLand, as JetBrains' Go language IDE, always keeps up with the latest developments in the Go language. The release of Go 1.26 brings many new features and improvements, and GoLand will support these features in a timely manner to provide Go developers with a better development experience.

Best Practices:

• Update GoLand in a timely manner: Keep GoLand up to date to enjoy the latest features and improvements.
• Learn the new features of Go 1.26: Understand the new features of Go 1.26 and try to use these features in your projects.
• Utilize GoLand's code analysis features: Utilize the code analysis features provided by GoLand to detect potential problems in the code and improve code quality.

Practical Tips:

• Use GoLand's debugger: Use the debugger provided by GoLand to easily debug Go code.
• Utilize GoLand's refactoring features: Utilize the refactoring features provided by GoLand to easily refactor Go code.

6. YouTrack's Document List Widget: Information Aggregation and Collaboration

YouTrack's Document List Widget allows important tasks and articles from multiple projects to be aggregated together, making it easier for team members to understand the overall progress of the project.

Best Practices:

• Add important documents to the Document List Widget: Add important documents in the project (such as requirement documents, design documents, test documents, etc.) to the Document List Widget to facilitate team members' access.
• Update the Document List Widget regularly: Update the Document List Widget regularly to ensure that it contains the latest information.
• Use the Document List Widget for team collaboration: Use the Document List Widget for team collaboration. For example, you can assign tasks to different team members and track the progress of tasks in the Document List Widget.

7. JetBrains AI Integration: Improving Overall Development Efficiency

JetBrains integrates AI into its IDE ecosystem through various plugins and collaborations, including Factory AI, Codex, etc. These integrations are designed to improve development efficiency and provide smarter code completion, debugging, and refactoring features.

Best Practices:* Evaluate and select appropriate AI tools: Choose the most suitable AI integration tools based on individual or team needs.

• Continuously learn and adapt to new AI features: AI technology is constantly evolving, and continuous learning and adaptation to new AI features are key to maintaining competitiveness.
• Share experiences and best practices: Share experiences and best practices of using JetBrains AI with other developers to collectively improve development efficiency.

Summary

JetBrains IDEs will continue to play a central role as developer tools in 2026. Through deep integration of AI technology, JetBrains IDEs can not only help developers improve coding efficiency, but also improve code quality and security. Embracing AI, continuous learning, and actively exploring new features of JetBrains IDEs will help developers achieve greater success in the future software development field.