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Practical tutorials for developers, creators, and students — each one paired with a free tool you can use right now, entirely in your browser.
How to Decode a JWT: A Practical Guide for Developers
A JSON Web Token looks like gibberish — until you decode it. Learn what the three JWT segments contain, how to read them safely, and how to spot expired or malformed tokens in seconds.
Guides built for doing, not just reading
Every article ends with a hands-on tool so you can apply what you just learned — no sign-up, no uploads, everything runs in your browser.
Latest Guides
New articles are published regularly — check back or follow along with the changelog.
What Is a UUID? A Practical Guide to v4, v1, and v7
Universally Unique Identifiers let distributed systems generate unique keys without coordination. Learn the difference between UUID v4, v1, and v7 — and which one you should use.
How to Compress Images Without Losing Visible Quality
Image weight is the biggest performance tax on the web. Learn the difference between lossy and lossless compression, how quality sliders actually work, and which format to pick.
Base64 Explained: What It Is, When to Use It, and When Not To
Base64 turns binary into plain ASCII so it can travel through email, JSON, and URLs. Here's how the encoding works, where it shines, and why it is not encryption.
EMI Explained: How Loan Payments Are Calculated
Every loan payment is part principal, part interest. Understand the EMI formula, how prepayment affects your total cost, and how to compare loans fairly.
Password Strength Explained: Entropy, Length, and Crack Times
Why is a 16-character password better than a short one full of symbols? Learn how entropy and crack-time estimates actually work, and how to generate passwords that hold up.
Schema.org Structured Data: A Beginner's Guide to Rich Results
Structured data tells search engines what your content means — unlocking rich results that stand out in SERPs. Learn the essential schema types and how to add them correctly.
JSON Formatting Best Practices Every Developer Should Follow
Clean, consistent JSON is easier to read, review, and debug. Learn the formatting and validation habits that prevent broken configs and confusing API payloads.
QR Codes Explained: How They Work and How to Make One
Those square patterns you scan with your phone are tiny data carriers. Learn how QR codes encode information, why they're everywhere, and how to generate your own.
PNG vs WebP vs AVIF: Choosing the Right Image Format
Photos, screenshots, logos — each image format has a job it's best at. Compare PNG, WebP, and AVIF compression, transparency, and browser support to pick the right one.
How to Merge PDFs Securely (Without Uploading Them Anywhere)
Combining PDFs doesn't have to mean sending your documents to a random server. Here's how browser-side PDF merging works and why your files never need to leave your device.
About the Blog — Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about ForgePlug's guides and tutorials.