DigitalToolbox

As most Linux users will know, small and inconspicuous tools can often massively facilitate IT tasks. Unfortunately, these tools are often hidden on various websites, requiring you to bookmark each one individually or use a search engine to find them.

The IT-Tools [1] project, which is published under an MIT license, looks to remedy this situation. For several years, IT-Tools has been collecting these small but useful helpers on a single website. The collection of 86 tools, united under a shared GUI, includes practical online tools for developers, administrators, and users. If needed, you can also host this helpful toolbox yourself. Besides a plain-vanilla Docker version, there are also implementations as web apps for Cloudron [2], Tipi [3], and Unraid [4]. More information can be found on the project's GitHub page [5].

On the IT-Tools website, you will see a column on the left that lists the tools in categories including Crypto, Converter, Web, Images & Videos, Development, Network, Math, Measurement, Text, and Data. In this article, I will look at some of the tools from each category – a subjective choice of applications that I find useful in my everyday work. You may find completely different tools important, so feel free to take a look around. Clicking on a category lists the tools by name, while the main window shows you all tools on tabs, each with a brief explanation.

Crypto and Converter

The Crypto category is where you will find tools for encryption. Among other goodies, the list includes a Token generator that creates random character strings ideal for creating passwords based on your specifications. Password strength analyser shows how long it would take a brute-force attack to expose a password (Figure 1). One interesting thing is how adding just one more character to a password boosts its security. This section also includes an RSA key pair generator, various tools for text encryption, and a PDF signature checker.

Figure 1: The Password strength analyser tool tells you how long it would take to crack a password using the brute-force method.

The Converter category contains tools for converting all kinds of things, including units of measurement. For example, Date-time converter can be used to display dates and times in different formats, while another tool can be used to convert Roman numerals into Arabic numerals. Other useful tools include Markdown to HTML, YAML to JSON, and Color converter, which outputs the matching values for a selected color in formats such as hex, rgb, or cmyk.

Web and Network

Have you noticed percent signs in URLs and wondered what they meant? The percent signs are URL encoding (sometimes called percent coding), which converts the URL into a format that web browsers can accept. The Encode/decode URL-formatted strings tool converts these strings in both directions. URL parser breaks down complex URLs into their components, while User-agent parser reads the browser, engine, operating system, CPU, and device type from the user agent string.

The Device information tool provides information about your current device, such as its screen size and orientation, pixel ratio, user agent, or operating system. You can use the HTML WYSIWYG editor tool to convert normal text, which you can view in a WYSIWYG editor, to HTML. While you may be familiar with HTTP status codes such as 404 or 502, the HTTP status codes tool provides a complete list of all codes, even the less common ones.

Almost everyone who works with computers has to deal with networks. The MAC address lookup tool in the Network section helps you to identify a device's manufacturer based on its MAC address. IPv4 subnet calculator provides all the information you need about subnets (Figure 2), while IPv4 range expander computes IPv4 networks including CIDR notation [6]. There is also a MAC address generator that helps you create new hardware addresses based on your specifications.

Figure 2: The IPv4 subnet calculator tool helps you configure subnets.

Images & Videos

In the Images & Videos section, you can generate QR codes for text or URLs. WiFi QR Code generator lets you create QR codes to speed up the process of connecting to WiFi networks, while Camera recorder takes photos or videos using a webcam or camera. Of particular interest to developers, the SVG placeholder generator tool provides support when it comes to defining and customizing the size, text, and foreground and background colors of SVG images. The placeholder image generated with this tool can then be referenced directly by a URL.