50 guides · free tools inside

Practical guides for the things developers actually look up.

Short explainers on JWTs, cron, JSON, regex, hashing and more. Each one ends with a free tool that runs entirely in your browser — nothing you paste is uploaded.

Latest · Encoding · 4 min read

How to Decode a JWT Safely (Without Sending It to a Server)

A JWT is just three Base64URL strings. Learn how to read one, what each claim means, why decoding is not verifying, and how to inspect tokens without leaking them.

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Developer · 3 min

What a Cron Expression Actually Means (With Examples)

Five fields, a few special characters, and endless confusion. A plain-English guide to reading and writing cron expressions, with common schedules and the gotchas that cause missed jobs.

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JSON · 3 min

How to Fix "Unexpected Token" and Other Invalid JSON Errors

The handful of mistakes behind almost every JSON parse error: trailing commas, single quotes, unquoted keys, comments, and stray characters. Learn to spot and fix each one fast.

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JSON · 3 min

JSON vs YAML: When to Use Which

Both formats store structured data, but they excel at different jobs. A practical comparison of syntax, comments, safety, tooling, and the YAML pitfalls that bite people in production.

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Regex · 3 min

Regex Cheatsheet for Beginners (With Copy-Paste Examples)

The regular expression syntax you will actually use: character classes, quantifiers, anchors, groups, and lookaheads, plus tested patterns for dates, colors, and more.

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Encoding · 3 min

Base64 Is Not Encryption (And Other Common Misconceptions)

Base64 turns bytes into text and nothing more. Learn how it works, why it is trivially reversible, what it is genuinely good for, and what to use when you need real secrecy.

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Security · 3 min

How Strong Should a Password Be? Length vs. Complexity

Length beats cleverness. Learn what actually makes a password hard to crack, why random passphrases work, how much entropy is enough, and a simple rule to follow.

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Security · 3 min

MD5 vs SHA-256: Which Hash Should You Use?

Hashes fingerprint data, but not all are safe. Learn when MD5 is fine, when it is dangerous, why SHA-256 is the default, and why passwords need bcrypt or Argon2 instead.

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Image · 3 min

Why You Should Remove EXIF Data Before Sharing Photos

Photos carry hidden metadata: camera model, timestamps, and sometimes GPS coordinates. Learn what EXIF contains, when it leaks, and how to strip it without uploading the image.

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Color · 3 min

How to Check Color Contrast for Accessibility (WCAG Explained)

What WCAG contrast ratios mean, the 4.5:1 and 3:1 thresholds for text and UI, how contrast is calculated, and practical ways to fix low-contrast designs.

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CSS · 3 min

CSS box-shadow: A Practical Guide with Examples

How the CSS box-shadow property works, what each value does, how to layer shadows for soft, realistic depth, and the performance and dark-mode traps to avoid.

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Time · 3 min

Unix Timestamps Explained: Seconds, Milliseconds, and Time Zones

What a Unix timestamp is, how to tell seconds from milliseconds, why it has no time zone, how to convert in code, and the bugs (including the Year 2038 problem) that catch people out.

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QR · 3 min

How to Make a WiFi QR Code (So Guests Never Ask for the Password)

A WiFi QR code lets guests join your network with one scan. Learn the format behind it, how to handle special characters and hidden networks, and how to generate one without sharing your password with a server.

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PDF · 2 min

How to Merge PDF Files Without Uploading Them Anywhere

Combine several PDFs into one document directly in your browser. Learn the steps, what happens to bookmarks and forms, and why local merging matters for contracts and IDs.

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PDF · 2 min

How to Compress a PDF Without Losing Quality

Why PDFs get so large, what compression can safely remove, and practical settings for email, web, and print, so you shrink the file without ruining the pages.

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PDF · 2 min

How to Split a PDF Into Separate Pages or Sections

Split a PDF into single pages or page ranges, extract just the pages you need, and avoid the usual pitfalls with bookmarks and encrypted files.

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PDF · 2 min

How to Sign a PDF Without Printing It (And What Counts as a Valid Signature)

Draw or place a signature on a PDF in your browser, and understand the difference between a simple image signature and a cryptographic digital signature.

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PDF · 2 min

How to Convert PDF Pages to Images (PNG or JPEG) at the Right Resolution

Turn each page of a PDF into a PNG or JPEG, choose the right DPI for screens or print, and understand when to pick PNG over JPEG.

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Image · 2 min

How to Resize an Image Without Losing Quality

The difference between resizing and compressing, how to keep images sharp, which format to choose, and the sizes to use for web and retina screens.

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Image · 2 min

How to Crop an Image to a Specific Aspect Ratio (1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and More)

What aspect ratios mean, the common ones for social media, thumbnails, and link previews, and how to crop without cutting off the subject.

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Image · 2 min

How to Make a Favicon for Your Website (Sizes, Formats, and HTML)

Everything you need for a modern favicon: the sizes browsers and phones ask for, ICO vs PNG vs SVG, and the exact HTML to add.

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Image · 2 min

How to Convert an Image to Base64 (Data URLs): When It Helps and When It Hurts

Embed small images directly in HTML or CSS with a Base64 data URL. Learn the syntax, the 33% size penalty, and when a normal image file is the better choice.

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QR · 2 min

QR Code Best Practices: Size, Contrast, Error Correction, and Testing

Make QR codes that actually scan. Learn about error-correction levels, the quiet zone, minimum size, contrast, static vs dynamic codes, and how to test before you print.

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QR · 2 min

How to Make a vCard QR Code for Your Contact Details

Let people save your name, phone, and email with one scan. Learn the vCard format, what to include, and how to keep the code small enough to scan reliably.

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JSON · 2 min

How to Convert JSON to CSV (Nested Data, Arrays, and Excel Gotchas)

Flatten JSON into a spreadsheet-ready CSV. Learn how to handle nested objects and arrays, quote values correctly, and avoid the common Excel encoding problems.

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JSON · 2 min

JSONPath Cheatsheet: Query JSON Like You Query XML

A practical JSONPath reference: root, child, wildcard, recursive descent, array slices, and filters, with a worked example and notes on implementation differences.

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JSON · 2 min

JSON Schema for Beginners: Validate Your Data with a Few Keywords

What JSON Schema is, the handful of keywords you need (type, properties, required, enum, minimum), and how to write and test a schema for real data.

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JSON · 2 min

How to Convert JSON to TypeScript Interfaces (and Why Types Aren't Enough)

Generate TypeScript types from a JSON sample, handle optional fields, nulls, and unions, and learn why runtime validation still matters.

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JSON · 2 min

How to Compare Two JSON Files (Semantic Diff vs Text Diff)

Why a plain text diff is noisy for JSON, how a semantic diff ignores key order and whitespace, and how to read added, removed, and changed values.

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Color · 2 min

HEX vs RGB vs HSL: Which Color Format Should You Use in CSS?

How hex, RGB, and HSL describe the same colors, how to convert between them, and why HSL is easiest for building palettes and hover states.

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Color · 2 min

How to Choose a Color Palette for a Website or App (A Simple Method)

A practical, repeatable way to build a palette: pick a brand color, add neutrals and accents, create shade scales, and check contrast so it's accessible.

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CSS · 2 min

CSS Flexbox Cheatsheet: Every Property Explained with Examples

A compact reference for Flexbox: container properties, item properties, the flex shorthand, and copy-paste patterns for centering, navbars, and equal columns.

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CSS · 2 min

CSS Grid vs Flexbox: When to Use Which (With Layout Examples)

Flexbox is one-dimensional and Grid is two-dimensional. Learn how to choose, plus a responsive card grid with auto-fit and minmax, and how to combine both.

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CSS · 2 min

How to Create the Glassmorphism (Frosted Glass) Effect with CSS

Build a frosted-glass card with backdrop-filter, a translucent background, and a subtle border, plus the accessibility and performance points to watch.

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CSS · 2 min

Fluid Typography with CSS clamp(): Scale Text Smoothly Without Media Queries

Use clamp() to make font sizes grow smoothly between a minimum and maximum, with the formula, ready-to-use values, and how to keep text accessible when users zoom.

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Text · 2 min

How to Remove Duplicate Lines from Text (Online, Excel, and the Command Line)

Deduplicate lists of emails, URLs, or log lines. Options for keeping order or sorting, ignoring case and whitespace, plus one-line commands for terminal and code.

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Text · 2 min

camelCase, snake_case, kebab-case, PascalCase: Naming Conventions Explained

What each text case style is, where it's used in JavaScript, Python, CSS, URLs, and constants, and how to convert between them safely.

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Markdown · 2 min

Markdown Cheatsheet: Every Syntax You Need (With Examples)

A complete quick reference for Markdown: headings, emphasis, lists, links, images, code blocks, quotes, tables, task lists, and how to escape special characters.

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Markdown · 2 min

How to Make a Markdown Table (Alignment, Escaping, and Limits)

Write tables in Markdown with pipes and dashes, align columns, escape pipe characters, and learn what tables can't do, with tips for generating large ones.

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Security · 2 min

How to Verify a File Checksum (SHA-256) on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Check that a download is complete and untampered by comparing its SHA-256 hash, with commands for every operating system and what a mismatch means.

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Security · 2 min

bcrypt vs Argon2: How to Hash Passwords Properly

Why passwords need slow, salted hashes, how bcrypt and Argon2id differ, sensible parameters, and how to migrate an existing user database.

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Time · 2 min

Time Zone Conversion: 7 Mistakes That Break Schedules and Timestamps

Store UTC, use IANA zone names, respect daylight saving, and avoid ambiguous abbreviations like EST. The practical rules for handling time zones correctly.

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Convert · 2 min

Binary, Octal, Decimal, and Hexadecimal Explained (With Conversion Methods)

How number bases work, how to convert between binary, decimal, and hex by hand, and why programmers use hex for colors, memory, and bytes.

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Calculators · 2 min

How Loan EMI Is Calculated: The Formula, a Worked Example, and How to Reduce It

The EMI formula explained step by step, a worked home-loan example with total interest, how tenure and rate change payments, and how prepayment helps.

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Calculators · 2 min

Compound Interest Explained: The Formula, the Rule of 72, and Why Time Matters

How compound interest grows money faster than simple interest, the formula with a worked example, the effect of compounding frequency, and the rule of 72.

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Developer · 2 min

HTTP Status Codes Cheatsheet: What 200, 301, 404, 500 and the Rest Mean

A practical guide to the HTTP status codes you'll meet: the five classes, the most common codes, how 401 differs from 403, and which redirects to use.

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Developer · 2 min

UUID Versions Explained: v1, v4, v5, v7 and Which One to Use

What a UUID is, how the versions differ, whether collisions are a real risk, and why time-ordered UUIDv7 is friendlier to databases than random v4.

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Developer · 2 min

How to Write a .gitignore File: Patterns, Examples, and Common Mistakes

Learn .gitignore pattern syntax, what belongs in it, how to stop tracking files you already committed, and how to keep secrets out of your repository.

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Encoding · 2 min

URL Encoding (Percent-Encoding) Explained: encodeURIComponent, Spaces, and Double Encoding

Why URLs need encoding, which characters are reserved, the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent, %20 versus +, and how to avoid double encoding.

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Security · 2 min

How to Generate a Secure API Key or Secret (Length, Encoding, and Storage)

How much randomness an API key needs, why to use a cryptographic random generator, how to encode and prefix keys, and how to store and rotate them safely.

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