Blog
Guides and deep dives on the formats you work with every day — JSON, timestamps, JWT, Base64 and more.
Base64 Encoder and Decoder: what it is and how to use it
Learn how Base64 encoding and decoding works, when to use it, why it is not encryption, and how to convert text in your browser.
Base64 explained: why line breaks and padding break your strings
What Base64 actually does, why those "=" signs matter, why MIME line breaks corrupt your data, and the unicode trap everyone hits.
5 JSON errors that break your data (and how to spot them)
Missing commas, trailing commas, single quotes, duplicate keys, and truncation — the five JSON mistakes that break parsers, and how to find them fast.
jq vs browser JSON formatters: when to use which
jq is great for pipelines and automation. A browser formatter is faster for inspection. Here is how to choose — and where each falls short.
JSON Formatter & Beautifier: pretty-print JSON the right way
What pretty-printing JSON actually does, how to format and minify it, and why validation beats eyeballing. With real examples.
JSON to CSV Conversion Guide for Beginners
How to convert JSON to CSV with a converter or code: flattening nested data, escaping commas, and validating the result.
JSON to SQL INSERT: generate statements without writing a mapper
Turning JSON rows into INSERT statements sounds trivial until you hit nulls, booleans, and escaping. How it works, the traps, and how to stay safe.
JSON Validation: catch broken data before it reaches your application
Learn what valid JSON requires, how to find syntax errors quickly, and how to check document shape with DevFormat’s browser-based validator.
JSON Viewer: explore nested data without losing the structure
A practical guide to reading, searching, and debugging nested JSON with an interactive tree view, copyable paths, and local browser processing.
JSON vs YAML vs XML: how to pick the right format
JSON for APIs and data, YAML for config, XML for documents. How the three formats differ, where each is painful, and how to convert between them.
JWTs: decoding is free, verifying is not — and never paste your secret
A JWT is trivially decoded by anyone. Its security comes from signature verification — which a decoder cannot and should not do for you.
How to repair malformed JSON instead of starting over
What a JSON repair tool can fix, what it can't, and why repairing beats re-exporting for most hand-written and truncated payloads.
Unix timestamps: seconds vs milliseconds and the 1970 bug
Why some timestamps are 10 digits and others 13, how to spot the difference, and the classic bugs that come from mixing them up.
UUID v4: what it is, how random, and when it's a bad idea
What a v4 UUID actually guarantees, why collisions are basically impossible, and the cases where you should reach for v7 or a plain integer instead.
Why your developer data should never leave the browser
Most online developer tools upload your JSON, JWTs and SQL to a server. Here is why client-side tools are safer — and when it actually matters.