DEV Community: Eli_M

“Dev Toolbox” — Developer Tools Collection: A Complete Test of 12 Practical Gadgets

Eli_M — Fri, 15 May 2026 07:22:22 +0000

Last time we talked about the portal site formatnow.dev. Today, let's dive into one of its sub-sites – Dev Toolbox (dev.formatnow.dev). The name sounds pretty simple, right? It's exactly a "developer toolbox," packing all those little daily development tasks into one kit. I spent half a day trying them out one by one, going through all 12 tools. Let me share my real thoughts.

The positioning is very clear. As a developer, the functions I need daily are just a few: JSON formatting, some routine encoding and decoding – things that assist my everyday development. Having too many functions is actually meaningless to me. To be honest, this site isn't that different in functionality from the JSON.cn I usually use. The interface might be a bit cooler, but what's good is that I can quickly find other useful online tools through it without having to search everywhere. I think that's a great point.

First Impression

As soon as the page loads, that purple-tinted frosted glass navigation bar lights up. The overall style is consistent with the portal site – dark theme, matte glass texture – giving it a real developer-tool vibe. On the left is a "Quick Switch" menu listing all 12 tools, letting you jump to any of them. In the top-right corner is a Chinese/English toggle button. I tried it, and the English translation is quite complete, not a sloppy machine translation.

Going Through the 12 Tools One by One

1. JSON Formatter – Makes viewing formatted JSON comfortable

Those of you working on backends or calling APIs definitely deal with JSON every day. Sometimes, getting a minified JSON blob from an interface can make your eyes hurt. I pasted a JSON data snippet into the input box:

{"name":"Zhang San","age":30,"email":"test@example.com","active":true}

Clicking the Format button instantly arranged it neatly, with proper indentation and line breaks. There's also a Minify function to compress it into a single line, and Validate to check if the JSON syntax is correct. When debugging interfaces or checking logs during development, this tool is pretty handy.

2. Base64 Encoder / Decoder

Base64 encoding and decoding – commonly used on both frontend and backend. I tried the string "Hello FormatNow Dev Toolbox!". Clicking Encode gave the result instantly, and clicking Decode restored the original text. The two-way verification works perfectly. When you need to handle Base64 images or check token fields in APIs, just switch to Dev Toolbox and do it, no need to open some bulky tool.

3. URL Encoder

I use this quite often – when calling API endpoints or writing crawlers, special characters in URL parameters need encoding. I tried "Hello World" (Chinese characters). Encoding turned them into %E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C, and decoding returned the correct Chinese. Mixed Chinese and English works fine too.

4. Regex Tester – Know immediately if your regex is wrong

Regular expressions – honestly, I worry every time I write one. This tool has a real-time testing area. Write the regex pattern on the left, paste the test text on the right, and click Test to see the matches. I tried matching Format\w+ against "Hello FormatNow and FormatNowDev" – it matched two results. What's the benefit? When writing log parsing rules, doing text filtering, or form validation, if you can't visually figure out the matching logic, run it here to get clarity.

5. Timestamp Converter – Convert between timestamps and dates

Unix timestamps – 1551398400 can stump a lot of people – "What day is that exactly?" I tested the forward conversion: input 1700000000, click Test, and it immediately shows 2023/11/15 6:13:20 AM. Going backward is just as smooth – pick a date and it converts back to a timestamp. There's also a "Current Time" button showing the current timestamp at a glance. Super useful when passing time parameters in API calls.

6. Hash Generator – MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512 with one click

Data integrity verification, password hashing – hashes are used everywhere in development. I typed a short piece of text, clicked Generate, and the MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hash results appeared simultaneously. No need to remember command lines or go through multi-step online tool processes – see a direct comparison of three algorithm results on one page.

7. JWT Parser – Decode a token to see what's inside

JWT tokens look like a bunch of gibberish, but they actually contain a Header and Payload. The page comes with a sample JWT. I clicked Decode, and the signing algorithm (HS256) from the Header and user info (sub, name, iat) from the Payload were all displayed in an expanded view. When debugging SSO logins or checking user authentication tokens, decoding gives you an immediate view of what's inside.

8. SQL Formatter – A lifesaver for writing SQL

This is one of my favorite tools. When writing SQL, sometimes you have JOIN after JOIN and a pile of WHERE conditions – if the indentation is messed up, it's unreadable. I clicked Load Example, and a multi-table join SQL template appeared:

SELECT ...
FROM Users u
JOIN Orders o ON u.id = o.user_id
...

Clicking Format instantly rearranged everything – keywords in uppercase, indentation aligned, subqueries indented separately. No need to manually adjust formatting – it becomes clean in one second. It supports multiple SQL dialects: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, BigQuery, T-SQL, PL/SQL. You can also customize keyword case, indentation spaces, and line spacing. Honestly, since I write a lot of SQL, I might open this tool frequently.

9. Code Formatter – Code formatting

Supports formatting for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There's a default HTML example. I clicked Format to try it – all indentation aligned, tag nesting relationships clear at a glance. When your frontend code gets messy, paste it in, click once, and it aligns perfectly. The Minify function can compress it back into one line, which is also useful for reducing production code size.

10. JSON to TypeScript – Convert interface data directly to type definitions

In frontend-backend separated development, the backend often returns a JSON blob, and the frontend has to manually write TypeScript types. With this tool, paste the JSON in, click Convert to TypeScript, and the interface definition is automatically generated. I tried it with a JSON object – it converted it to an interface definition, with all field types inferred correctly (strings automatically typed as string, numbers as number). If you need to quickly coordinate with backend, this tool can save a lot of manual typing of interface types.

11. API Tester – Send requests when you need to

It's basically a lightweight version of Postman. I tried a GET request to https://httpbin.org/get. Clicking Send returned a 200 status code, with the full response body displayed – request headers, source IP, parameters all there, taking only 40ms. It also supports POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH methods. There are four tabs – Params, Headers, Body, Auth – for configuring request parameters. For simple API testing, you don't need to switch to Postman; this handles it.

12. Format Converter – Convert between JSON, YAML, and XML

A tool for converting between the three data formats. I put in a JSON snippet, clicked Auto Convert, and the XML format came out. Need to read a config file from YAML? Need to convert between JSON and XML? Just click. Each of the three formats has its use cases in different projects, and this tool connects them together.

Overall Impressions

I ran through all 12 tools – no gimmicks. They produce results when they should, format when they should, decode when they should. The UI style is consistent, the operation logic is clear, and each tool gives results with a single button click – no need to read manuals or tutorials.

What pleasantly surprised me were SQL Formatter and API Tester – their functionality is quite complete. Especially SQL Formatter – it even has PostgreSQL and BigQuery dialects, which is usually a configuration option found in separate paid tools. The response time display in API Tester is also a nice touch – seeing that 40ms data gives you a clear idea of the interface response speed.

If I had to mention a small regret – there's no data interoperability between tools yet. For example, the JSON response from API Tester can't be sent directly to JSON Formatter for formatting with one click; you have to copy and paste yourself. However, considering this is a static site without global state management, that's normal. Copying and pasting takes just a second.

Who is it for?

Frontend and backend developers, API debugging, data processing, and anyone who occasionally needs to check a timestamp or hash value. Especially for those who write a lot of SQL, or those who frequently switch between frontend and backend during collaborative debugging – having this toolbox as a shortcut in your bookmarks is pretty convenient.

Next time I'll test another sub-site of FormatNow. Any guesses which one?

A Domain Family: 16 Professional Tool Sites, 200+ Online Tools All Free – Online Tools Review - FormatNow

Eli_M — Fri, 15 May 2026 07:18:33 +0000

Preface

Let me start with the conclusion: FormatNow is the largest-scale online tool site cluster I've discovered recently, built by an individual.

It's not one of those "hodgepodges" that stuff hundreds of tool links onto a single webpage, giving you a headache just looking at it. Instead, each niche direction has its own independent sub-site, with its own domain name, its own UI, its own brand name, and then they're aggregated together on the formatnow.dev main site as a portal.

From March to May this year, 16 sub-sites were launched in just over two months. Development tools, image processing, text processing, PDF, QR codes, network diagnostics, unit conversion, SEO detection, horoscopes, fun quizzes, anonymous rants, countdowns... pretty much everything you'd expect is covered. This is the first article, so let's first take a look at the quality of the portal homepage.

I. First Impression: This Site Cluster is "Organized"

To be honest, there's a site inside called https://cal.formatnow.dev. Feel free to check it out. It's used to look up food calories. The author never imagined there would be a site like this. Of course, maybe it's because I'm relatively thin – I can eat whatever I want and never gain weight, so I don't care about these things. But when I recommended it to my partner, who is always trying to lose weight, she said it was an absolute treasure.

I contacted the site owner via email. He said the content of this site could be further enriched, but it relies on everyone brainstorming ideas and putting forward requirements. He would be responsible for organizing and launching them to make them convenient for everyone. Personally, I think the site owner is very nice.

Opening formatnow.dev, you're greeted by a dark frosted glass style, with a dark purple background and purple gradients as the main color scheme. It loads quite fast, with no three-second ads or pop-ups demanding you "register/login for access." Just for this, it's already better than many online tool sites.

At the very top of the homepage is a 5-page rotating hero carousel that plays automatically. Each background image is different:

Development Tools page: code grid + scattered dots + < /> large text
Design & Image page: several large overlapping colored circles
Conversion page: arrow paths + concentric circles
Fun page: many scattered little stars + wavy lines
Network page: node-and-line network diagram

The transitions are quite smooth, with a fade-in effect, automatically switching every 5 seconds. There are also a few drifting glowing orbs on the background, moving around slowly – adding some depth without being distracting. Honestly, this design isn't annoying.

II. Categorization and Navigation: 10 Modules, Clearly Arranged

Scrolling down, the 16 sub-sites are listed under 10 categories. Each category has a gradient-colored vertical bar decoration in front, making it visually easy to distinguish:

1. Development Tools

Dev Toolbox: I'll test this one in-depth in my second article – JSON formatting, Base64 encoding/decoding, URL encoding, regex testing, timestamp conversion, hash generation, JWT parsing, SQL formatting, code formatting, JSON to TS, API testing, format conversion – a total of 12 tools, all processed locally in the browser without being sent to a server.
TextNow: 40+ text tools, text analysis, case conversion, Unicode fancy script (Gothic, double-struck, etc.), Zalgo, Leet, word count, text comparison, password generation, slug generation, palindrome detection... 9 modules.

2. Image Processing

CompressNow: Compression, resizing, cropping, format conversion, 30+ presets adapting to mainstream social media dimensions.
IconGen: One-click generation of app icons for iOS/Android/HarmonyOS/PWA/macOS various platforms.

3. Design Tools

ColorNow: Color picking, palette generation, gradients, WCAG contrast checking.
IconGen is also listed under the Design category.

4. Document Tools

PDF Tools: PDF merging, splitting, compression, format conversion. Also processed browser-side without uploading to a server.

5. Calculation & Conversion

ConvertNow: 114 conversion tools! 8 major modules – Unit Conversion (16), Finance (17), Time (17), Life (17), Mathematics (18), Text (14), Color (7), Number & Encoding (8). Each tool has its own route for SEO purposes.

6. QR Codes

QRNow: Generates QR codes for WiFi, business cards, email, URLs, payments, etc., and can also decode, beautify, and batch print.

7. SEO & Utilities

SEO Check: SEO detection tools, checks title tags, meta tags, OG tags, hreflang, JSON-LD, keywords, social previews, interlinking detection within the site cluster, etc.
CalNow: Calorie lookup for over 1300 types of food, daily nutrition tracking, BMR calculation. Data source is USDA.
NetNow: 21 network diagnostic tools – IP lookup, DNS lookup, SSL certificate inspection, Whois, HTTP status codes, security header scanning.

8. Fun Quizzes

QuizNow: MBTI personality test, mental age, love compatibility, knowledge Q&A.

9. Fun & Creative

MemeNow: Chinese meme generator. Classics like "Zhen Xiang" (It smells so good), "I want it all," Black guy question mark... all the classic templates are there.
StarNow: Daily horoscopes, zodiac compatibility, personality analysis.
RantNow: Anonymous rant/confession card generator. Type a few words to generate a beautifully formatted shareable card.

10. Productivity Tools

EveNow: Countdown tracker for college entrance exams (Gaokao), regular exams, holidays, anniversaries.

Each card comes with an SVG icon (no emojis, looks much cleaner), with both Chinese and English titles and descriptions. When you hover over a card, there's a gradient glowing border animation and it slightly lifts – the details are well executed.

III. Some Small Details

Quick Access: At the bottom, there are 16 quick links; clicking through them, there are no dead links.
Language Switching: The Chinese/EN toggle button in the top right corner. Default is English. The entire site switches after toggling; the logic is quite clean. No awkward mixing of Chinese and English.
Footer: Complete interlinking of the site cluster, all 16 sub-sites are listed. Also includes Contact, Privacy, Terms, Sitemap. And the sub-sites link to each other in their footers as well – forming a closed loop.

IV. A Few Words from a Technical Perspective (Developers might want to take a look)

Digging into the page source code, this site cluster has a solid technical foundation:

Each sub-site is equipped with JSON-LD structured data, and each site has dual schema (WebSite + WebApplication)
Both Chinese and English hreflang tags are present
robots.txt and sitemap.xml are complete
Uses the Geist font (Vercel's new font system)
CSS animations are hand-coded: glowing borders, floating orbs, hover scaling
For an individual site owner to achieve this level, it's quite standardized. This isn't just slapping on a WordPress theme and calling it a day.

V. The Good Parts

Large coverage – 16 sub-sites, 200+ tools, covering everything from coding to love life (horoscopes)
Unified design – All sub-sites share a consistent tone, giving a sense of branding, not a patchwork
Pure front-end – All processing done in the browser, no server uploads, no registration required
Bilingual support – Every site can switch between Chinese and English
Comprehensive SEO – Structured data, sitemap, hreflang all configured
Fast loading – Static export, no waiting for backend rendering
Clean – No registration/login needed, no intrusive ad pop-ups

VI. Areas for Improvement

The statistics display on the portal is blank – that area is empty, probably a missing component or a bug
Tool depth is somewhat uneven – Dev Toolbox's 12 tools are relatively lightweight, each simply "input → output"; advanced users might find it lacking
SEO Check is relatively thin – compared to other sub-sites, this one has slightly fewer features
Lacks community features – no comments, sharing, interaction, etc. But then again, adding community features to a tool site is always a dilemma
Some sub-sites could be further developed – for example, RantNow's card sharing, EveNow's custom events – these could be made richer

VII. Which Site for Which User?

Here's a rough summary:

Developers → Dev Toolbox (JSON/Base64/Regex), TextNow (text processing), NetNow (network diagnostics)
Designers → CompressNow (image processing), IconGen (icon generation), ColorNow (color palettes), PDF Tools
Website owners/Content creators → SEO Check, QRNow, NetNow, TextNow
General users → ConvertNow (conversions), CalNow (calorie lookup), QuizNow (quizzes), StarNow (horoscopes)
Students → EveNow (countdowns to push you to study), ConvertNow (homework help), TextNow (word count for essays)

Conclusion

As a personal project of a tool site cluster, FormatNow is commendable in scale, design, and technical execution. With 16 sub-sites spanning development tools to horoscopes, a unified design language and a fairly standardized technical stack make it stand out among a sea of "amateur" online tool sites.

As the "main entrance," the portal homepage has the foundational elements: carousel, category cards, statistics area, quick access links, and footer interlinking. It's just that the statistics section needs fixing – a minor bug, nothing major.

If some of the sub-sites deepen their functionality further, this would truly be a tool matrix worth bookmarking.

DEV Community: Eli_M

**“Dev Toolbox” — Developer Tools Collection: A Complete Test of 12 Practical Gadgets**

A Domain Family: 16 Professional Tool Sites, 200+ Online Tools All Free – Online Tools Review - FormatNow

“Dev Toolbox” — Developer Tools Collection: A Complete Test of 12 Practical Gadgets