I built a JSON formatter after 80,000 credentials leaked — here's what happened

In November 2025, two of the most popular JSON tools online (jsonformatter.org and codebeautify.org) were caught

leaking user data. Over 80,000 code snippets — including AWS keys, GitHub tokens, and banking details — were publicly

accessible for 5+ years.

Around the same time, the top JSON Formatter Chrome extension (2M+ users) was sold, closed-sourced, and injected with

adware.

I decided to build something that can't leak data — because there's no server to leak from.

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What SafeJSON does:

- Formats, validates, and beautifies JSON entirely in your browser

- Pro tools: JSON Diff, JWT Decoder, JSONPath, Schema Validator

- Handles 50MB+ JSON files (crashes VS Code)

- Browser extension that auto-detects JSON on any page

The key differentiator: every privacy claim is self-verifiable. Open DevTools → Network tab → use any tool → zero

requests. Not a promise, a check.

Current state (4 weeks since launch):

- 23 pages live (including comparison pages, blog, docs)

- Free core tools + Pro at $5/mo or $39/year

- MIT open source

- First 31 users trickling in, 100% direct traffic

What I'm learning:

- SEO for a new domain is slow. Google sandbox is real.

- Getting the first real users is harder than building the product.

- Bounce rate is brutal when people don't immediately understand the value prop.

Happy to answer questions about the architecture (Next.js, client-side processing, Web Workers), the privacy model, or

anything else.