I pasted a production JWT into a random website. Then I read their privacy policy.
I'd like to tell you this was a one-time lapse. It wasn't. I do it constantly. A JWT to check what's in the payload. A chunk of JSON to pretty-print because the API response came back on one line. A cron expression I inherited from a script written by someone who left the company two years ago. Every time, the same two seconds of hesitation before hitting submit: where is this actually going?…
I recently pasted a production JWT into a random website and then read their privacy policy. Surprisingly, I found myself doing this repeatedly without much hesitation. The workflow involved using a JWT decoder tool, a chunk of JSON for formatting, and a cron expression inherited from an old script. Despite the lingering doubts about where the information was going, I clicked "submit" every time, driven by the urgency of closing a ticket.
The most disconcerting aspect was realizing that free online dev tools typically send the pasted data to their servers for processing. This meant that sensitive information, such as JWT claims and user IDs, could unknowingly be transmitted to third-party backends. However, these tools aren't necessary, as client-side solutions exist.
I developed DevTools Hub, an entirely browser-based platform with eight tools running without any server-side processing. The benefits of this approach include faster performance, offline functionality, and enhanced privacy guarantees. The stack behind DevTools Hub consists of Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind, and shadcn/ui, deployed on Vercel.
Each tool provides explanatory content, worked examples, and an FAQ to ensure usability even for those unfamiliar with the specific concepts. I invite readers to share their own frequently used yet frustrating tools in the comments, fostering a community-driven approach to improving online tools.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
