What is the purpose of the inspector in web development?

The inspector serves as a critical tool in web development, providing developers with the ability to examine the structure and styling of a webpage in real-time. This function enables programmers to view the HTML and CSS that define the website, allowing them to make temporary modifications to the code directly within the browser. These changes can be invaluable for debugging purposes, testing new designs, or optimizing the layout without having to recompile or refresh the entire project. The inspector also displays how the browser interprets the code, helping developers understand issues and experiment with solutions instantly.

The other options reference different functionalities related to web development but do not capture the core purpose of the inspector. While performance tools focus on analyzing website loading speeds, software for error checking seeks to identify and fix coding issues automatically, and image optimization features are meant to enhance media loading times—it is the inspector specifically that puts the power of immediate code visibility and manipulation in the hands of developers during the design and debugging process.