10 Powerful Ways Dogfooding Transforms JetBrains Developer Tools

Dogfooding—the practice of using your own products—isn’t just a buzzword at JetBrains. It’s the engine behind tools like IntelliJ IDEA, Rider, and YouTrack. Instead of guessing what developers need, JetBrains engineers live in their own creations, catching flaws and refining features in real time. This article breaks down ten key aspects of how dogfooding shapes better software, from cultural commitment to concrete examples. Whether you’re a developer, product manager, or just curious about product development, these insights show why firsthand use creates tools that truly work.

1. What Is Dogfooding, Really?

Dogfooding—short for “eating your own dog food”—means using your product exactly as customers do. At JetBrains, it’s not a PR stunt. Engineers, designers, and even technical writers rely on JetBrains tools for their daily work: writing code in IntelliJ IDEA, tracking issues in YouTrack, and managing projects in Space. The principle is simple: if your own team won’t use it, why would anyone else? By subjecting their tools to the same (often messy) real-world workflows their users face, JetBrains ensures every feature is battle-tested before it reaches the public. It’s about trust, not mandates—no one is forced; they use it because it helps them do their jobs better.

2. Why Dogfooding Is Core to JetBrains’ Culture

JetBrains doesn’t treat dogfooding as an afterthought. It’s woven into how every team operates. From product managers to QA, everyone has a stake in the tools they build. This shared experience means there’s no gap between “us” (the builders) and “them” (the users). When a feature feels off, the person who wrote the code might be the one using it the next minute. This proximity breeds responsibility and pride. It also creates a culture where feedback is immediate and honest—no bureaucratic layers. The result is a product that evolves with the actual needs of its creators, who happen to be its most demanding critics.

3. The CEO’s Take: “You Can Only Build Truly Great Software If You Use It Yourself”

JetBrains CEO Kirill Skrygan doesn’t just preach dogfooding—he lives it. In his own words: “You can only build truly great software if you use it yourself. Every feature and every decision comes from firsthand experience.” This philosophy cascades through the company. When Kirill or his team encounter a friction point while coding or managing projects, they don’t wait for a customer complaint. They act. This top-down commitment signals that dogfooding is a strategic priority, not a side project. It’s a reminder that empathy for the user starts with being a user yourself—a lesson many companies overlook.

4. Immediate Feedback: From “Ugh” to Fix in Hours

One of the biggest benefits of dogfooding is the feedback speed. Normal companies wait weeks for bug reports; JetBrains gets them in seconds. A developer might hit a shortcut that doesn’t work, feel a UI lag, or notice an unintuitive menu—and the issue can be reported (and often fixed) before the end of the day. This tight loop eliminates the “distance” between problem and solution. It also turns every employee into a quality advocate. Instead of waiting for external validation, the team self-corrects continuously. This isn’t about KPIs—it’s about genuine frustration and the desire to fix it for themselves and millions of users.

5. Turning Problems into Solutions (Before They Reach Users)

Dogfooding catches issues early, but more importantly, it shows how to solve them. When a feature feels awkward, the team doesn’t just debug—they redesign. For example, if an IntelliJ IDEA plugin slows down a build, the developer who felt the lag can open the source code immediately and optimize it. This hands-on approach shortens the innovation cycle. Features that would take months of customer requests and internal debate can be prototyped and validated in days. The “pain” becomes a catalyst for improvement, turning everyday annoyances into elegant solutions that benefit everyone.

6. Building Deep Empathy for Users

Using your own product builds empathy that surveys and personas can’t match. JetBrains developers don’t just hear about crashes—they live them. They feel the slowdown during a large refactoring, the confusion when an option is buried, the frustration when a favorite shortcut disappears. This emotional connection ensures that fixes aren’t just technical—they’re human. Designers understand not only what users say, but what they experience moment to moment. This empathy leads to tools that are not just functional but delightful. As Kirill puts it: “Thousands of tiny corrections over time turn a good product into a great one—because people care.”

7. Rider: From Unstable to Industry-Standard

Rider, JetBrains’ .NET IDE, is a textbook example of dogfooding’s power. In 2016, the early versions were rough—crashes, missing features, an editor that sometimes wouldn’t type. Most companies would launch anyway, but JetBrains’ own .NET developers started using Rider for real projects. Every crash they hit became a bug report, and often they fixed it immediately. Instead of abandoning the tool, they treated its flaws as their own. This relentless internal testing turned a shaky beta into a rock-solid IDE used by thousands of .NET developers worldwide. It’s proof that eating your own dog food—even when it tastes bitter—improves the recipe.

8. IntelliJ IDEA: The Daily Driver That Drives Evolution

IntelliJ IDEA, JetBrains’ flagship Java IDE, is the ultimate dogfooding test. Almost every engineer at JetBrains uses it to write the very code that powers IntelliJ itself. This creates a self-referential loop: the tool improves itself. When a team adds a new feature like language injection or a debugger enhancement, they immediately use it in their own work. If it’s slow or confusing, they know before anyone else. This constant usage surfaces edge cases that automated tests miss. It also keeps the UI intuitive because developers hate clunky interfaces. IntelliJ’s evolution is shaped by the real needs of its creators, leading to a polished, responsive tool.

9. YouTrack: Tracking Our Own Issues, Building a Better Tracker

YouTrack, JetBrains’ issue tracking system, is a prime canine cuisine. The company uses it to manage all internal projects, bugs, and feature requests. That means the people fixing bugs in YouTrack are the same people reporting them. When a workflow feels clunky, they tweak it. When a search query is slow, they optimize it. This internal usage ensures that YouTrack remains agile and user-friendly. It also means that the team understands the pain points of managing complex projects—they’re living it daily. The result is a tool that adapts to real-world project management rather than forcing users into a rigid model.

10. The Cumulative Effect: Small Fixes That Add Up to Greatness

Dogfooding isn’t about one big overhaul—it’s about thousands of small corrections. A developer notices a typo in a tooltip, a non-responsive button, a confusing label. Each gets fixed, often within minutes. Over months and years, these micro-improvements compound into a polished product. Kirill Skrygan emphasizes that this process comes from caring—not from deadlines or KPIs. Because the team uses the tools daily, they want them to be better. This intrinsic motivation drives quality that no external QA can match. The result is developer tools that feel alive, responsive, and designed by people who truly understand what making software entails.

Dogfooding at JetBrains goes beyond a simple practice—it’s a philosophy that ensures the tools developers love are molded by their own hands. From the CEO’s conviction to the grit of Rider’s early days, eating their own dog food has made JetBrains’ products stronger and more empathetic. As you use IntelliJ IDEA, Rider, or YouTrack, remember that every feature was first tested by someone who needed it just like you do. That’s the power of building for yourself while building for the world.