Michael Lip

Posted on Mar 18 • Edited on Apr 1 • Originally published at theluckystrike.github.io

7 Chrome Extensions I Actually Use for Development

#javascript #chrome #webdev #tutorial

I tested 23 Chrome extensions across debugging, formatting, and productivity categories over the past few months. Full disclosure: I built JSON Formatter Pro as part of Zovo, a collection of 16 Chrome extensions I maintain. Take my perspective accordingly. That said, these seven tools are the ones that actually stayed installed. Here's what makes each one worth your toolbar space.

Last verified: March 2026 , All steps tested on Chrome 134 (latest stable). Extension data verified against Chrome Web Store.

The Ultimate Chrome JSON Extension , dcode

JSON Formatter Pro

JSON Formatter Pro is the tool I reach for every time I'm debugging APIs or reviewing config files. It auto-detects JSON content and formats it with collapsible tree views, syntax highlighting, and instant error detection. The search feature is what really sold me, because scrolling through a 5,000-line API response looking for one key is not how I want to spend my afternoon.

It handles nested objects up to 50 levels deep and processes files up to 100MB without choking. The dark mode is a nice touch for late sessions. The one thing it can't do is inline editing, so you'll still need to hop back to your editor for value changes. For anything involving REST APIs or config management, it pays for itself almost immediately.

React Developer Tools

React Developer Tools gives you direct visibility into component hierarchies, props, state, and hooks. The profiler is particularly useful for tracking down unnecessary re-renders that are killing performance. If you're working with Redux or Context API, you can watch state changes happen in real time, which makes tracing data flow much easier than sprinkling console.log statements everywhere.

The interface is dense and can feel overwhelming at first. Multiple tabs, tightly packed information, a learning curve. But once you know where things are, it becomes hard to imagine debugging React without it. Free, maintained by the React team.

Vue.js devtools

Vue.js devtools is the equivalent for Vue developers. The component inspector shows your full component tree with live prop and data updates. The Vuex tab tracks mutations and actions as they fire, and time-travel debugging lets you step backward through state changes to understand exactly how your app got to its current state. It also has solid support for Vue 3's composition API and TypeScript projects.

The main limitation is that it requires development mode to function, so production debugging is off the table. For day-to-day work though, it's one of those tools you stop noticing until it's gone. Free.

Wappalyzer

Wappalyzer tells you what tech stack any website is running. One click reveals the frameworks, CMS, analytics tools, and hosting services behind a site. The database covers over 1,600 technologies and stays reasonably current. I use it mostly for scoping freelance projects and understanding what I'm walking into before I dig into someone else's codebase.

Detection accuracy is generally good but misses some custom implementations and very new tools not yet in the database. The free version covers basic identification. The pro tier at $9.99/month adds historical tracking and deeper analytics if you need it.

Web Developer

Web Developer turns your browser into a testing toolkit. You can disable stylesheets, outline elements, validate markup, test different screen resolutions, and run accessibility checks without leaving the browser. The form testing features are handy for checking validation across different input types, and the resize options include common device dimensions out of the box.

The menu structure takes some getting used to. There are a lot of tools packed in, and finding the right one isn't always intuitive. But once you know your way around, it saves a lot of context switching between browser and standalone tools. Free.

ColorZilla

ColorZilla handles color picking and gradient generation. The eyedropper grabs exact color values from any element on the page, and the gradient generator outputs usable CSS. The color history keeps track of recent picks, which is useful when you're matching colors across components or enforcing a design system.

For complex gradient work, dedicated design tools are still faster. But for quick color grabs during development, it does the job without needing to leave the browser. Free.

JSONView

JSONView is the lightweight option for JSON formatting. It auto-formats JSON responses with basic syntax highlighting and collapsible structures. If you only deal with simple API responses and small payloads, it does enough.

The tradeoff is that it stops at the basics. No search, no error detection, no graceful handling of large files. Once your day involves microservice endpoints returning massive payloads, you'll hit its ceiling quickly. Free.

Picking the Right JSON Formatter

Most developers need some kind of JSON formatting in the browser. JSONView works fine for simple cases. But once you're dealing with deeply nested responses, files over 10MB, or frequent API debugging, the lack of search and error detection becomes a real productivity drain. That's the gap JSON Formatter Pro fills, with deep nesting support, fast search across large payloads, and validation that catches malformed data before it breaks things downstream.

I wrote a more detailed version of this comparison with additional testing notes if you want the full breakdown.

I build Chrome extensions at zovo.one. All 16 are free, open source, and collect zero data.

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Date	Change
March 18, 2026	Initial publication. All data verified against Chrome Web Store and DataForSEO.
March 18, 2026	Added FAQ section based on Google People Also Ask data.
March 18, 2026	Schema markup added (Article, FAQ, Author, Breadcrumb).

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7 Chrome Extensions I Actually Use for Development

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