An Aptana developer uses the Aptana Studio, an open-source integrated development environment (IDE), to create and test applications. They leverage its features for developing software in various languages like JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails, PHP, and Python. They utilize its built-in terminal, Git integration, and debugger for JavaScript and Ruby. They also use its deployment wizard, which supports FTP, SFTP, FTPS, and Capistrano. They manage projects using the IDE's project management system and harness its code assist, outlining, and code templates to enhance coding efficiency. They also handle error and warning notifications to ensure smooth applications.