Guides

In-depth, original articles on how the tools work and the ideas behind them — from barcode check digits to number bases, encodings and browser privacy.

• Working with Time Zones and Unix Timestamps Without Bugs

  Why time is so hard to get right in software — UTC, Unix timestamps, time zones and DST — and a small set of rules that prevent the most common date-handling bugs.

• Choosing an ID Format: UUID, ULID, Snowflake or Auto-increment

  A practical guide to picking identifiers — auto-increment integers, UUID v4/v7, ULID and Snowflake IDs — and the trade-offs in uniqueness, ordering, size and privacy.

• Hashing vs Encryption vs Encoding: What's the Difference

  Three terms that are constantly confused — hashing, encryption and encoding — explained clearly, with what each is for, when to use which, and the mistakes to avoid.

• Number Bases and Text Encodings: A Developer's Cheat Sheet

  A practical primer on binary, octal, decimal and hexadecimal, plus how text becomes bytes through UTF-8, Base64 and URL encoding — with the rules you actually need.

• Why In-Browser Tools Keep Your Data Private

  How client-side tools work, why running entirely in your browser means your data never leaves your device, and how to verify that claim yourself.

• How Barcode Check Digits Work (EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8)

  A clear, practical explanation of the GS1 modulo-10 check digit on retail barcodes — how it is calculated, why it catches errors, and how to validate a code by hand.