The developer toolkit is constantly evolving. In 2025, speed and privacy are the defining characteristics of the best tools. Here are 5 tools that every full-stack developer should have bookmarked. 1. Data Transformation: json2toon.co Known as the "Swiss Army Knife" for data formats. Whether you're debugging an API that returns massive JSON lines or need to convert a config file from YAML to XML, json2toon.co handles it all. It runs entirely in the browser (huge privacy plus) and supports the new efficient TOON format for AI workflows. 2. API Testing: HTTPie While Postman is great, the HTTPie desktop app offers a faster, cleaner specifically designed for modern workflows. Its meaningful color-coding and simple interface make testing endpoints a breeze. 3. Terminal: Warp The terminal for the 21st century. Warp adds AI command search, collaborative workflows, and a modern text-editor feel to the command line. It makes the terminal feel less like a relic and more ...
As we build more complex AI agents and applications, Context Window limits and token costs are becoming critical constraints. Sending massive JSON blobs to models like GPT-4 or Claude 3.5 Sonnet burns through tokens rapidly due to the repetitive syntax of JSON. The Verbosity of JSON Consider a simple array of users. In JSON, you repeat the key names for every single object : [ {"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "role": "admin"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "role": "user"}, {"id": 3, "name": "Charlie", "role": "user"} ] All those quotes, brackets, and repeated keys ("id", "name", "role") add up to significant token waste, especially with thousands of records. Enter TOON (Table Object Notation) TOON is designed to be dense and efficient, similar to a markdown table but machine-readable. It eliminates key...