The latest articles on DEV Community by Parmeet Singh (@parmeetdx). https://dev.to/parmeetdx https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3790184%2Ff70cfc4e-e083-47ab-a739-2c40f3393393.png https://dev.to/parmeetdx en Parmeet Singh Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:59:19 +0000 https://dev.to/parmeetdx/i-built-42-browser-based-dev-tools-heres-what-i-learned-3876 https://dev.to/parmeetdx/i-built-42-browser-based-dev-tools-heres-what-i-learned-3876 <p>I got tired of bouncing between 10+ sites for simple dev tasks — format JSON, test regex, decode JWTs, check headers, convert data.</p> <p>So I built <a href="https://toolcrux.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ToolCrux</a> — 42 browser-based developer tools in one place.</p> <p>No accounts. No frameworks. Most tools run entirely client-side — nothing leaves your machine. A few features (DNS lookup, shareable links, embeds) use Cloudflare Workers at the edge.</p> <h2> What makes it different </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Runs in your browser</strong> — no data sent anywhere for most tools</li> <li> <strong>Tool chaining</strong> — output from one tool flows into the next, no copy-paste</li> <li> <strong>Shareable state</strong> — every tool can generate a short URL with its exact state</li> <li> <strong>Embeddable widgets</strong> — drop any tool into your blog or docs with one iframe</li> </ul> <h2> Core tools </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>JSON Formatter</strong> — tree view, JSONPath queries, TypeScript type generation</li> <li> <strong>Regex Tester</strong> — live match highlighting, named groups, pattern library</li> <li> <strong>Password Generator</strong> — entropy meter, breach check via HaveIBeenPwned, bulk generation</li> <li> <strong>Image Compressor</strong> — AVIF/WebP output, before/after slider, EXIF viewer</li> </ul> <p>And <strong>30+ more</strong> — Base64, JWT Decoder, Hash Generator, Color Picker, Markdown Preview, Unix Timestamp, DNS Lookup, WHOIS, HTTP Headers, Redirect Checker, and others.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh1lln9kd6q5z412i8dgj.gif" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh1lln9kd6q5z412i8dgj.gif" alt="ToolCrux JSON Formatter demo" width="600" height="495"></a></p> <h2> Features I'm most proud of </h2> <h3> Tool chaining </h3> <p>Format JSON → decode a JWT inside it → diff the result. All in one flow, no tabs.</p> <h3> Shareable state </h3> <p>Every tool generates a short URL with its exact configuration. No login needed — just a link. Like regex101, but for every tool.</p> <h3> Embeddable widgets </h3> <p>Any tool can be embedded on your site. Pick a theme, enable auto-resize, copy one line of HTML.</p> <h3> 1,400+ long-tail pages </h3> <p>URLs like <code>/unix-timestamp-1708000000</code> or <code>/sha256-hash-of-hello</code> give instant answers with the full interactive tool below.</p> <h2> What I learned building this </h2> <ul> <li>Most dev tools don't need a backend</li> <li>URLs are better than user accounts</li> <li>Long-tail SEO compounds over time</li> <li>Simplicity wins — vanilla JS, no framework</li> <li>Cloudflare Workers + KV is insanely powerful for this kind of project</li> </ul> <h2> Tech stack </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Vanilla JS</strong> — no React, no build step for the frontend</li> <li> <strong>Cloudflare Workers</strong> — API routes, embeds, long-tail pages via HTMLRewriter</li> <li> <strong>Cloudflare KV</strong> — shareable state storage with 30-day expiry</li> <li> <strong>Cloudflare Pages</strong> — static hosting</li> <li> <strong>Playwright</strong> — 238 E2E tests gate every deploy</li> </ul> <h2> Try it </h2> <p>👉 <a href="https://toolcrux.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">toolcrux.com</a></p> <p>What's one tool you use daily that I should add next? Would love feedback.</p> webdev javascript productivity showdev