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Kevin Tan
Kevin Tan

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I Replaced My scripts/ Folder With a Browser Tool — Here's Why

#programming #productivity #softwaredevelopment #backend

$ ls scripts/
check_duplicates.py
find_duplicates_v2.py
json_to_csv.py
csv_to_json.py
extract_emails.py
validate_users.py
map_fields.py
...

Sound familiar?

I had 47 of these. One-off scripts I wrote to handle quick data tasks, used once, then forgotten. Last month I decided to build a tool to replace all of them.

The Tools Backend Engineers Actually Need

After auditing my scripts folder, I found the same operations repeating:

  1. Find duplicates by key — "Are there duplicate emails in this export?"
  2. Map/extract fields — "I just need id and name from these 50 fields"
  3. Validate data — "Which rows have null values?"
  4. Convert formats — JSON ↔ CSV
  5. Decode tokens — "What's in this JWT?"

None of these require code. They require a tool that accepts input and returns output.

What I Built

LazyDev — a browser-based toolkit for data operations.

Duplicate Checker

Paste JSON or CSV, select a key:

// Input

  [
    { "id": 1, "email": "alice@test.com" },
    { "id": 2, "email": "bob@test.com" },
    { "id": 3, "email": "alice@test.com" }
  ]
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Select email as the key → instantly see that alice@test.com appears twice with row indices.

Data Mapper

Extract only the fields you need, rename them inline:

Input fields: id, firstName, lastName, email, createdAt, updatedAt, role, department
↓
Output: { "user_id": id, "full_name": firstName, "email": email }

No Array.map() required.

Data Validator

Check for:

  • Missing required fields
  • Null/empty values
  • Type mismatches (string vs number)
  • Format validation (email, URL)

Returns valid rows, invalid rows, and detailed error messages per row.

Also Included

  • JSON Formatter — Beautify, minify, convert to CSV
  • Base64/JWT Decoder — Inspect tokens, see expiration, extract claims
  • URL Encoder/Decoder — Parse query strings, encode components
  • UUID Generator — Bulk generate v4 UUIDs, nanoids, custom IDs
  • Regex Tester — Test patterns with match highlighting
  • JSON Diff — Compare two objects, see additions/removals/changes

Privacy-First

Free tier processes entirely client-side. Your data never hits a server. I built it this way because I needed a tool I could trust with real data.

The Real Win

It's not about the features — it's about removing friction.

The old workflow:

  1. Open editor
  2. Write script
  3. Handle edge cases
  4. Run it
  5. Format output
  6. Never use script again

The new workflow:

  1. Paste data
  2. Done

Those 10-15 minute tasks become 30-second tasks. Multiply by a few times per week, and you get hours back.

Try It

https://lazydev.website — no signup required for basic features.

If you've ever written a throwaway script to check duplicates, convert JSON, or validate a data file — this is for you.

What's in your scripts/ folder?

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