Every dev has that moment — 3 tabs open for a JSON formatter, 2 more for Markdown preview, and at least one for "How to convert HTML to JSX without crying."

Well, I got tired of it. So I built DevLoom — your all-in-one dev toolbox that doesn't scream, spy, or sell you crypto.

What Is DevLoom? (The Origin Story)

Picture this: It's 2 AM. You're deep in the coding zone, and your browser has become a hellscape of developer tool tabs:

• 📝 jsonformatter.curiousconcept.com — for that nested API response
• transform.tools — HTML to JSX conversion (again)
• base64-image.de — because PM said "just inline the logo"
• regex101.com — testing that email validation that definitely won't break
• 📖 dillinger.io — Markdown preview for the README you'll never finish

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.

DevLoom is what happens when a developer gets fed up with tab overload and decides to do something about it.

Imagine if every useful developer tool got together, fired their bloated UIs, swore off ads, and moved into a single clean React app. That's DevLoom.

The Problem: Tool Fragmentation Hell

Before DevLoom, my typical development workflow looked like this:

// The Before Times™
1. Copy JSON from API response
2. Open new tab → Search "json formatter"
3. Paste, format, analyze
4. Need to convert HTML to JSX?
5. Open ANOTHER tab → Search "html to jsx"
6. Copy, paste, convert, grab result
7. Need Base64? Another tab.
8. Need RegExp testing? You guessed it...
9. Browser memory: 
10. Developer sanity: 📉

This isn't development — it's browser tab management with a side of coding.

The Solution: One Tab to Rule Them All

DevLoom changes the game completely:

// The DevLoom Way™
1. Open DevLoom (bookmark it, trust me)
2. JSON needs formatting? Built-in formatter, instant results
3. HTML to JSX? Same tab, different tool
4. Base64 encoding? Right there in the sidebar
5. RegExp testing? Already loaded
6. Browser tabs: 1 (DevLoom)
7. Developer sanity: 

Tools That Actually Help (The Complete Arsenal)

DevLoom isn't just another "dev tools" collection. It's a carefully curated toolkit based on real developer pain points:

Formatters & Prettifiers

Language	Features	Why You Need It
JSON	Pretty print, minify, validate, tree view	API responses, config files, debugging
HTML	Indent, clean, validate structure	Email templates, legacy code cleanup
CSS	Format, sort properties, remove unused	Stylesheet organization, optimization
JavaScript	Beautify, minify, syntax highlighting	Code review, debugging minified code
TypeScript	Smart formatting, type preservation	Large codebases, team consistency
XML	Structure, validate, namespace handling	Config files, data exchange, RSS feeds
GraphQL	Query formatting, schema validation	API development, query optimization

Converters (The Magic Transformers)

These are the real time-savers:

// HTML to JSX - The Developer's Daily Bread
// Input (HTML):
<div class="container">
  <p>Hello World</p>
</div>

// Output (JSX):
<div className="container">
  <p>Hello World</p>
</div>

// JSON to YAML - Config File Heaven
// Input (JSON):
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  }
}

// Output (YAML):
name: my-app
version: 1.0.0
scripts:
  start: node index.js

// Base64 Encoding - Because Sometimes You Have To
// Input: "Hello, World!"
// Output: SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIQ==

👁 Previewers (See Before You Ship)

• HTML Preview — Render HTML in real-time, perfect for email templates
• Markdown Preview — GitHub-flavored markdown with syntax highlighting
• SVG Preview — Vector graphics with live editing

🧪 Testing & Validation

The RegExp Tester deserves special mention. It's saved me from countless regex disasters:

// Before DevLoom:
// Write regex → Deploy → Break production → Fix → Repeat

// With DevLoom RegExp Tester:
// Write regex → Test with real data → Deploy with confidence

// Example: Email validation
Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$

Test strings:
- user@example.com
- test.email+tag@domain.co.uk
- invalid.email
- @domain.com
- user@

// Instant feedback, zero production anxiety

Tech Stack: React + Next.js, Because Sanity Matters

Building DevLoom was an exercise in picking the right tools, not the shiniest ones:

Technology	Why This Choice	Alternative Considered
React.js	Component reusability, state management, ecosystem	Vue (too much magic), Vanilla JS (too much work)
Next.js	SSR, performance, built-in optimization, file routing	CRA (no SSR), Vite (newer, less stable ecosystem)
TailwindCSS	Utility-first, no CSS bloat, consistent design system	Styled Components (runtime cost), regular CSS (maintenance hell)
Zero Backend	Pure client-side, no server costs, instant deployment	Node.js backend (unnecessary complexity for static tools)
Vercel	Perfect Next.js integration, global CDN, zero config	Netlify (good but slower), GitHub Pages (no SSR)

Architecture: Simplicity as a Feature

DevLoom's architecture is deliberately simple:

devloom/
├── components/
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── JsonFormatter.jsx
│   │   ├── HtmlToJsx.jsx
│   │   ├── Base64Encoder.jsx
│   │   ├── RegExpTester.jsx
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── ui/
│   │   ├── Sidebar.jsx
│   │   ├── ToolContainer.jsx
│   │   └── Header.jsx
│   └── layout/
│       └── Layout.jsx
├── pages/
│   ├── index.js
│   ├── _app.js
│   └── _document.js
├── hooks/
│   ├── useLocalStorage.js
│   └── useClipboard.js
├── utils/
│   ├── formatters.js
│   ├── converters.js
│   └── validators.js
└── styles/
    └── globals.css

Component Design Philosophy

Each tool is a self-contained React component following this pattern:

// Example: JsonFormatter.jsx
import { useState } from 'react';
import { formatJson, validateJson } from '../utils/formatters';

const JsonFormatter = () => {
  const [input, setInput] = useState('');
  const [output, setOutput] = useState('');
  const [error, setError] = useState(null);
  
  const handleFormat = () => {
    try {
      const parsed = JSON.parse(input);
      const formatted = formatJson(parsed, 2);
      setOutput(formatted);
      setError(null);
    } catch (err) {
      setError('Invalid JSON: ' + err?.message);
    }
  };
  
  const handleMinify = () => {
    try {
      const parsed = JSON.parse(input);
      const minified = JSON.stringify(parsed);
      setOutput(minified);
      setError(null);
    } catch (err) {
      setError('Invalid JSON: ' + err?.message);
    }
  };
  
  return (
    <div className="tool-container">
      <div className="tool-header">
        <h2>JSON Formatter & Validator</h2>
        <div className="tool-actions">
          <button onClick={handleFormat} className="btn-primary">
            Pretty Print
          </button>
          <button onClick={handleMinify} className="btn-secondary">
            Minify
          </button>
        </div>
      </div>
      
      <div className="tool-body">
        <div className="input-section">
          <label>Raw JSON</label>
          <textarea 
            value={input}
            onChange={(e) => setInput(e?.target?.value)}
            placeholder="Paste your JSON here..."
            className="code-input"
          />
        </div>
        
        <div className="output-section">
          <label>Formatted Output</label>
          {error ? (
            <div className="error">{error}</div>
          ) : (
            <pre className="code-output">{output}</pre>
                      )}
                    </div>
                  </div>
                </div>
                );
                };

                export default JsonFormatter;

Local Storage Magic

One of DevLoom's killer features is persistent state. Your work is automatically saved:

// Custom hook for persistent state
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

const useLocalStorage = (key, initialValue) => {
  const [storedValue, setStoredValue] = useState(initialValue);
  
  useEffect(() => {
    try {
      const item = window?.localStorage?.getItem(key);
      if (item) {
        setStoredValue(JSON.parse(item));
      }
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error reading from localStorage:', error);
    }
  }, [key]);
  
  const setValue = (value) => {
    try {
      setStoredValue(value);
      window?.localStorage?.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(value));
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error saving to localStorage:', error);
    }
  };
  
  return [storedValue, setValue];
};

// Usage in components
const JsonFormatter = () => {
  const [input, setInput] = useLocalStorage('json-formatter-input', '');
  const [output, setOutput] = useLocalStorage('json-formatter-output', '');
  
  // Input is automatically preserved across sessions!
};

UI/UX: Clean, Fast, Functional

DevLoom's interface follows three principles:

1. No Cognitive Load — Tools are where you expect them
2. Keyboard-First — Shortcuts for everything
3. Instant Feedback — Real-time processing when possible

The Sidebar Navigation

// Sidebar component with smart categorization
const toolCategories = {
  formatters: [
    { id: 'json', name: 'JSON Formatter', icon: '{}' },
    { id: 'html', name: 'HTML Formatter', icon: '<>' },
    { id: 'css', name: 'CSS Formatter', icon: 'CSS' },
    // ...
  ],
  converters: [
    { id: 'html-jsx', name: 'HTML → JSX', icon: 'JSX' },
    { id: 'json-yaml', name: 'JSON ↔ YAML', icon: '' },
    { id: 'base64', name: 'Base64', icon: '' },
    // ...
  ],
  validators: [
    { id: 'regex', name: 'RegExp Tester', icon: '' },
    { id: 'json-validator', name: 'JSON Validator', icon: 'JSON' },
    // ...
  ]
};

const Sidebar = ({ activeTool, onToolSelect }) => {
  return (
    <aside className="sidebar">
      {Object.entries(toolCategories).map(([category, tools]) => (
        <div key={category} className="tool-category">
          <h3 className="category-title">
            {category.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + category.slice(1)}
          </h3>
          {tools.map(tool => (
            <button
              key={tool.id}
              className={`tool-button ${activeTool === tool.id ? 'active' : ''}`}
              onClick={() => onToolSelect(tool.id)}
            >
              <span className="tool-icon">{tool.icon}</span>
              <span className="tool-name">{tool.name}</span>
            </button>
          ))}
        </div>
      ))}
    </aside>
  );
};

Performance: Speed as a Feature

DevLoom is built for speed. Every optimization matters when you're switching between tools constantly:

Code Splitting by Tool

// Dynamic imports for each tool
import { lazy, Suspense } from 'react';

const JsonFormatter = lazy(() => import('./tools/JsonFormatter'));
const HtmlToJsx = lazy(() => import('./tools/HtmlToJsx'));
const RegExpTester = lazy(() => import('./tools/RegExpTester'));

const ToolRenderer = ({ activeTool }) => {
  const getToolComponent = () => {
    switch (activeTool) {
      case 'json': return JsonFormatter;
      case 'html-jsx': return HtmlToJsx;
      case 'regex': return RegExpTester;
      default: return null;
    }
  };
  
  const ToolComponent = getToolComponent();
  
  if (!ToolComponent) return null;
  
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<div className="loading">Loading tool...</div>}>
      <ToolComponent />
    </Suspense>
  );
};

Web Workers for Heavy Processing

// For large JSON formatting, XML parsing, etc.
// worker.js
self.onmessage = function(e) {
  const { type, data } = e.data;
  
  switch (type) {
    case 'FORMAT_JSON':
      try {
        const parsed = JSON.parse(data);
        const formatted = JSON.stringify(parsed, null, 2);
        self.postMessage({ success: true, result: formatted });
      } catch (error) {
        self.postMessage({ success: false, error: error.message });
      }
      break;
      
    case 'PROCESS_LARGE_HTML':
      // Heavy HTML processing without blocking UI
      const processed = processLargeHtml(data);
      self.postMessage({ success: true, result: processed });
      break;
  }
};

// In component
const useWebWorker = () => {
  const workerRef = useRef();
  
  useEffect(() => {
    workerRef.current = new Worker('/worker.js');
    return () => workerRef.current?.terminate();
  }, []);
  
  const processInWorker = (type, data) => {
    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
      workerRef.current.onmessage = (e) => {
        if (e.data.success) {
          resolve(e.data.result);
        } else {
          reject(new Error(e.data.error));
        }
      };
      
      workerRef.current.postMessage({ type, data });
    });
  };
  
  return processInWorker;
};

Why I Built It (The Real Story)

I'm a developer. I spend enough time fighting bugs, CSS specificity wars, and the eternal question "Why did this work yesterday?" — I don't want to fight my tools too.

But the breaking point wasn't technical. It was psychological.

I realized I was spending more time managing browser tabs and context-switching between tools than actually solving problems.

Every tab switch breaks your flow. Every new tool signup kills momentum. Every ad-laden interface destroys focus.

I just wanted one single tab to do everything: format, convert, preview, debug, jot notes — without being tracked, monetized, or interrupted.

DevLoom is my peace offering to fellow devs who feel the same way.

Privacy: No Tracking, No Drama

DevLoom processes everything client-side. Your data never leaves your browser:

// Next.js config - zero data collection
module.exports = {
  // No analytics
  // No error tracking to external services  
  // No user behavior monitoring
  // No data collection of any kind
  
  experimental: {
    // Pure client-side processing
    runtime: 'edge',
  },
  
  // Headers for extra privacy
  async headers() {
    return [
      {
        source: '/(.*)',
        headers: [
          {
            key: 'X-Frame-Options',
            value: 'DENY',
          },
          {
            key: 'X-Content-Type-Options',
            value: 'nosniff',
          },
          {
            key: 'Referrer-Policy',
            value: 'origin-when-cross-origin',
          },
        ],
      },
    ];
  },
};

Real Usage Patterns (What I Learned)

After launching DevLoom, I discovered some interesting patterns:

Tool	Usage %	Primary Use Case
JSON Formatter	35%	API debugging, config file cleanup
HTML → JSX	28%	Converting design templates, email HTML
Base64 Encoder	15%	Image inlining, data URLs
RegExp Tester	12%	Form validation, text parsing
Markdown Preview	10%	README files, documentation

The biggest surprise? HTML to JSX conversion was way more popular than I expected. Turns out, designers still deliver HTML templates, and developers still need to convert them to React components daily.

Performance Metrics That Matter

DevLoom's performance stats (because developers love data):

// Lighthouse scores (average)
Performance: 98/100
Accessibility: 100/100
Best Practices: 100/100
SEO: 95/100

// Real-world metrics
First Contentful Paint: 0.8s
Largest Contentful Paint: 1.1s
Time to Interactive: 1.3s
Cumulative Layout Shift: 0.001

// Bundle sizes
Initial JS: 89KB (gzipped)
CSS: 12KB (gzipped)
Total first load: 101KB

// Tool switching speed
Average tool switch: 50ms
JSON formatting (10KB): 23ms
HTML to JSX conversion: 31ms
RegExp testing: 15ms

Development Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Syntax Highlighting Performance

Syntax highlighting large code blocks was killing performance:

// Problem: Prism.js highlighting 100KB+ JSON files
// Solution: Virtualized rendering + progressive highlighting

import { Prism as SyntaxHighlighter } from 'react-syntax-highlighter';
import { FixedSizeList as List } from 'react-window';

const VirtualizedCodeBlock = ({ code, language }) => {
  const lines = code.split('\n');
  
  const Row = ({ index, style }) => (
    <div style={style}>
      <SyntaxHighlighter 
        language={language}
        customStyle={{ margin: 0, padding: 0 }}
      >
        {lines[index]}
      </SyntaxHighlighter>
    </div>
  );
  
  return (
    <List
      height={400}
      itemCount={lines.length}
      itemSize={20}
    >
      {Row}
    </List>
  );
};

Challenge 2: RegExp Testing with Live Feedback

Real-time regex testing without killing the browser:

// Problem: Complex regex + large test strings = UI freeze
// Solution: Debounced testing + execution timeout

import { useMemo, useState, useCallback } from 'react';
import { debounce } from 'lodash';

const RegExpTester = () => {
  const [pattern, setPattern] = useState('');
  const [testString, setTestString] = useState('');
  const [results, setResults] = useState(null);
  
  const testRegex = useCallback(
    debounce((pattern, testString) => {
      try {
        // Timeout protection for catastrophic backtracking
        const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
          throw new Error('Regex execution timeout (catastrophic backtracking?)');
        }, 1000);
        
        const regex = new RegExp(pattern, 'g');
        const matches = [...testString.matchAll(regex)];
        
        clearTimeout(timeoutId);
        setResults({ success: true, matches });
      } catch (error) {
        setResults({ success: false, error: error.message });
      }
    }, 300),
    []
  );
  
  useEffect(() => {
    if (pattern && testString) {
      testRegex(pattern, testString);
    }
  }, [pattern, testString, testRegex]);
  
  // Component JSX...
};

Future Roadmap (What's Coming)

DevLoom isn't done. Here's what's in the pipeline:

Phase 2: Advanced Tools

• 🔐 JWT Decoder — Decode and validate JWT tokens
• CSS Minifier — Optimize stylesheets
• CSV to JSON — Data format conversion
• XPath Tester — XML/HTML path testing
• SQL Formatter — Pretty-print database queries

Phase 3: Collaboration Features

• Shareable Links — Share formatted code via URLs
• Tool Collections — Save frequently used tool combinations
• Keyboard Shortcuts — Power user navigation
• Dark Mode — Easy on the eyes for night coding

Phase 4: Developer API

// Potential DevLoom API for other tools
const devloom = {
  format: {
    json: (input) => devloom.tools.json.format(input),
    html: (input) => devloom.tools.html.format(input),
    css: (input) => devloom.tools.css.format(input),
  },
  convert: {
    htmlToJsx: (html) => devloom.tools.converter.htmlToJsx(html),
    jsonToYaml: (json) => devloom.tools.converter.jsonToYaml(json),
  },
  validate: {
    json: (input) => devloom.tools.validator.json(input),
    regex: (pattern, test) => devloom.tools.validator.regex(pattern, test),
  }
};

// Usage in other applications
import devloom from 'devloom-sdk';

const formattedJson = devloom.format.json(apiResponse);
const jsxComponent = devloom.convert.htmlToJsx(designerHtml);

Mobile Experience

DevLoom works surprisingly well on mobile. Here's why:

// Responsive design that actually works
.tool-container {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: 1fr;
  gap: 1rem;
  
  @media (min-width: 768px) {
    grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
  }
  
  @media (min-width: 1024px) {
    grid-template-columns: 300px 1fr;
  }
}

// Touch-friendly inputs
.code-input, .code-output {
  font-size: 16px; // Prevents iOS zoom
  min-height: 200px; // Enough space for thumb typing
  font-family: 'SF Mono', 'Monaco', monospace; // System fonts
}

Final Words: It's About Developer Joy

DevLoom isn't a unicorn startup trying to disrupt the "developer tools space" with blockchain AI.

It's simpler than that.

It's a browser tab that respects your time.
It's a workflow that doesn't interrupt your flow.
It's a tool that gets out of your way so you can build things.

DevLoom isn't trying to raise funding or achieve hockey-stick growth.

It's trying to lower your blood pressure and increase your productivity.

Try It Yourself

Ready to consolidate your developer tool chaos?

https://www.devloom.net

• No signup required
• No tracking or data collection
• No ads or premium subscriptions
• Works offline after first load
• Mobile-friendly
• Bookmark it and forget about it

P.S. If you find yourself smiling while using DevLoom, tell a friend. If you find a bug or have a tool request, tell me on Twitter.

P.P.S. Built with caffeine, React, Next.js, TailwindCSS, and a little frustration with the state of developer tooling. But mostly caffeine.