The latest articles on DEV Community by Marcus Lobato Costa (@punker). https://dev.to/punker https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1950103%2Fdb27f209-a690-4897-940b-5d11aca9c4c0.png https://dev.to/punker en Marcus Lobato Costa Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:16:13 +0000 https://dev.to/punker/i-built-a-free-privacy-first-text-toolkit-that-runs-entirely-in-your-browser-1448 https://dev.to/punker/i-built-a-free-privacy-first-text-toolkit-that-runs-entirely-in-your-browser-1448 <h1> I Built a Free Privacy-First Text Toolkit That Runs Entirely in Your Browser </h1> <p>After using dozens of online text utilities over the years, I noticed the same recurring problems:</p> <ul> <li>Too many ads and popups</li> <li>Slow interfaces</li> <li>Forced sign-ups</li> <li>Text being uploaded to remote servers</li> <li>Poor mobile experience</li> </ul> <p>I wanted something different.</p> <p>So I built <strong>TextCaret</strong>.</p> <p>👉 <a href="https://textcaret.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://textcaret.com</a></p> <h2> The idea </h2> <p>The goal was simple:</p> <p>Build a collection of text tools that are:</p> <ul> <li>Fast</li> <li>Free</li> <li>Privacy-first</li> <li>Mobile friendly</li> <li>Easy to use</li> </ul> <p>Most importantly, <strong>everything runs locally in your browser</strong>.</p> <p>Your text never leaves your device.</p> <h2> Current features </h2> <p>TextCaret currently includes tools like:</p> <ul> <li>Word Counter</li> <li>Character Counter</li> <li>Reading Time Calculator</li> <li>Case Converter</li> <li>Remove Duplicate Lines</li> <li>Remove Empty Lines</li> <li>Find &amp; Replace</li> <li>Reverse Text</li> <li>Base64 Encode/Decode</li> <li>URL Encode/Decode</li> <li>JSON Formatter</li> <li>Slug Generator</li> <li>Unicode Text Generator</li> </ul> <p>More tools are being added continuously.</p> <h2> Technical approach </h2> <p>The project is intentionally lightweight.</p> <ul> <li>Vanilla JavaScript</li> <li>HTML</li> <li>CSS</li> <li>No backend required for the tools</li> <li>Instant processing</li> <li>Responsive interface</li> <li>SEO-friendly pages</li> <li>Structured data (Schema.org)</li> </ul> <p>Because everything happens client-side, the website is extremely fast and no user text is stored.</p> <h2> Why privacy matters </h2> <p>Many online tools ask users to paste confidential content.</p> <p>That may include:</p> <ul> <li>Contracts</li> <li>Source code</li> <li>Emails</li> <li>Reports</li> <li>Internal documentation</li> </ul> <p>With TextCaret, the text stays inside your browser.</p> <p>No uploads.</p> <p>No accounts.</p> <p>No tracking of your content.</p> <h2> What's next </h2> <p>I'm currently working on:</p> <ul> <li>More text utilities</li> <li>Better accessibility</li> <li>More language support</li> <li>Improved SEO resources</li> <li>Additional developer tools</li> </ul> <h2> I'd love your feedback </h2> <p>If you have ideas for new text utilities or improvements, let me know.</p> <p>Website:</p> <p>👉 <a href="https://textcaret.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://textcaret.com</a></p> <p>Feedback is always welcome.</p> privacy showdev sideprojects webdev