1. Developing web applications has become increasingly complex over the years, requiring developers to choose frameworks, configure apps, and handle deployment. 2. Templates can help streamline development by providing pre-configured starting points for common stacks and handling boilerplate configuration. 3. Tools like Vagrant and Docker can help isolate development environments and more easily simulate production. 4. Frameworks like Brunch and Yeoman can automate frontend tasks like compilation, minification, and live reloading.