Top 5 Developer Tools You Should Bookmark
These are the tools that live in my browser bar. JSON formatter, Base64 encoder/decoder, regex tester, cron parser, and hash generator — here's why each one earns its spot.
Every developer has a tab graveyard of "tools" they hit once a month and then forget. These five aren't that. They're the ones I open multiple times a week, every week, because they solve real problems faster than any terminal command I could remember.
1. JSON Formatter & Validator
Formatting JSON by hand is a rite of passage that no one should have to endure. A good JSON formatter takes messy, minified, or broken JSON and gives you clean, readable output — plus instant validation. When an API is returning 500 bytes of compressed garbage, you want this open in a tab, not piping through jq and hoping you got the flag right.
2. Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Base64 shows up in authentication headers, data URIs, API payloads, and email attachments. Encoding and decoding it in your head works until it doesn't. A quick browser tool handles URL-safe Base64, standard Base64, and those annoying edge cases where + becomes - or whatever the spec decided that week.
3. Regex Tester
Writing a regex without testing it is like writing code without running it. A solid regex tester lets you throw in some sample text, write your pattern, and see matches highlight in real-time. Bonus points if it explains what your pattern is actually doing — because six months later, you won't remember either.
4. Cron Expression Parser
Cron syntax is famously impenetrable. 0 0 * * 1-5 means something perfectly logical, but it takes a second to parse every single time. A cron parser that humanizes your expressions and tells you "Every weekday at midnight" is the kind of tool that saves minutes that compound over a career.
5. Hash Generator
MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512 — checking a file hash shouldn't require installing anything. Paste the expected hash, paste the output, and know instantly whether your download is clean. No CLI, no install, no verifying you remembered the right algorithm.
Bookmark Once, Use Forever
These five tools cover a huge chunk of daily dev friction. They're the ones you reach for when curl isn't enough and a full IDE is too much. Save the URLs, pin the tabs — whatever works. Just stop Googling "JSON formatter" every time you need one.
Try all of them free at toolblip.com/tools.
Toolblip Team
Writing about developer tools, web performance, and the tools that make building faster.