I got tired of switching between 10 tabs while debugging… so I built this

jyosh — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:48:40 +0000

I got tired of switching between 10 tabs while debugging… so I built this

If you’ve worked with APIs, JSON, or tokens, you’ve probably had this moment:

You start debugging something simple…
and suddenly you’re juggling tabs like this:

JWT decoder
JSON formatter
Base64 encoder/decoder
regex tester
timestamp converter

Before you realize it, you’ve got 8–10 tabs open.

It sounds small, but it completely breaks your flow.

The hidden cost of “just one more tab”

Each tool solves a tiny problem.
But constantly switching between them adds friction:

context switching
inconsistent interfaces
slow or cluttered tools
unnecessary mental overhead

Individually, it’s fine.
Together, it’s frustrating.

What I actually wanted

Instead of jumping between tools, I wanted something that:

brings all essential developer utilities into one place
is fast and responsive (no lag, no waiting)
has a clean, distraction-free UI
runs entirely in the browser (no data upload)

Something that feels like a developer scratchpad, not a collection of random websites.

So I built one

I started small, just for my own workflow:

JWT decoder
JSON formatter
Base64 tool
timestamp converter

Then I kept adding what I actually needed day-to-day:

regex tester
cURL → fetch / axios converters
SQL formatter
URL encoder/decoder
hash generator (MD5, SHA)
YAML ↔ JSON converters
and more

Over time, it turned into a full developer utility hub.

👉 I put everything here: https://timedev.ai
— runs fully in your browser (no uploads)

Design choices I cared about

Most tools online work — but don’t feel great to use.

So I focused on a few things:

1. Speed over everything

Everything should feel instant. No loading, no friction.

2. Clean, minimal UI

No ads, no clutter — just the tool.

3. Privacy-first

Everything runs locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

4. Consistency

Same experience across all tools, so you don’t have to “relearn” anything.

What surprised me

A few things I didn’t expect:

How much time small context switches actually waste
How inconsistent most dev tools feel
How much smoother workflows become when everything is in one place

What I’m working on next

I’m currently exploring:

AI-assisted explanations (e.g., explain JSON, JWT payloads, regex patterns)
expanding tool coverage further
refining UX and performance

Would love your input

Curious to hear from other devs:

👉 What’s the one tool you use every single day?
👉 Or something you wish existed but doesn’t yet?

I’m building this based on real workflows, so ideas matter a lot.

DEV Community: jyosh

I got tired of switching between 10 tabs while debugging… so I built this