About TBoxes

TBoxes is a collection of small, single-purpose utilities that developers and writers reach for every day — format JSON, encode Base64, generate a UUID, count words, hash a string, pick a colour, convert a timestamp. Each one is a page that does one job well, loads in a fraction of a second, and gets out of your way.

What we believe

A good utility is boring in the right way. It does exactly what its name says, it does it immediately, and it never surprises you. The modern web has a lot of tools that hide a simple function behind a dashboard, an account, or an upsell. We think the better shape for a utility is the one that the original Unix command-line got right: a small composable thing that does one job, is free to use, and respects the person using it.

Every tool on TBoxes runs entirely in your browser. Your input is never transmitted to our servers, never logged, and never stored. We use the platform's built-in APIs — the Web Crypto API for hashing, native JSON parsing, the Canvas API for QR codes — so there is no backend step to worry about. This matters because people often reach for these tools to inspect things they do not want to share: production log lines, API tokens, early drafts, customer data.

How the site is funded

TBoxes is free. To keep it that way and pay the hosting bill, we show a small number of advertisements — both third-party ads served by Google AdSense and a handful of direct placements from advertisers who buy a slot through our advertise page. We keep ad density low because cluttered pages are bad tools.

We do not sell your data, because there is no data about your use of the tools to sell — the whole thing runs locally. Advertising networks may set cookies for their own purposes; the privacy policy explains what they do and how to opt out.

How we pick tools to build

New tools are added when a problem comes up that a small single-purpose page could solve faster than a full editor or a search. We also take suggestions — if you keep wishing a specific tool existed here, tell us and it will probably get built.

The rule we apply to every new tool is simple: it should do one thing, the interface should fit on a single screen, and the result should appear instantly without a click. If a tool cannot clear that bar, it does not get added.

Get in touch

Feature requests, bug reports, partnership questions, or just to say hi — the contact page has the right address for each.

Privacy is by design

Because every tool processes data locally, TBoxes does not have access to the information you paste into the tools. There is no telemetry endpoint, no logging middleware, and no database of user input. The only data stored server-side is advertiser account information (for the optional dashboard) and anonymised impression counts for direct ad campaigns.

This architecture was chosen deliberately. Developers often reach for online tools to inspect production data, API responses with embedded tokens, or configuration files containing secrets — exactly the kind of data that should not be transmitted to an unknown server. TBoxes avoids that problem by not having a server to transmit to.

What makes a tool good enough to add

Not every useful utility makes it onto the site. Each tool must clear three bars:

• One job. The tool should do exactly one thing — format JSON, encode Base64, generate a QR code — and its name should say what that thing is.
• Single-screen interface. The tool should fit on one screen without scrolling. If the interface needs tabs, steppers, or multi-page configuration, it is probably too complex for a utility page.
• Zero latency. The result should appear as you type, not after a click. If a tool requires pressing a button to see the output, the design is wrong.

When a tool passes all three, it gets added. When one does not, it is either rethought or left out. This constraint keeps the site focused and the codebase maintainable.

Technology choices

TBoxes is built with Next.js and runs on Vercel's edge network. Each page is server-side rendered on first visit and then serves as static HTML from the CDN, which keeps load times under half a second from most of the world. The tool logic itself uses only Web Platform APIs that ship with every modern browser — no third-party libraries are loaded for the core utilities.

The absence of backend dependencies for the tool logic means the site can absorb traffic spikes — including front-page-of-Hacker-News spikes — without falling over, because the work is distributed across each visitor's own device.