Blog

Practical guides and tutorials for developers.

DNS Lookups, WHOIS, and SSL Checks From Your AI Agent

Introducing @codetidy/mcp-live — 12 live network tools for AI agents. DNS lookup, WHOIS, SSL checker, HTTP headers, and more without leaving your editor.

GitHub Actions: A Complete Guide to CI/CD Workflows

Learn how to write GitHub Actions workflows from scratch. Covers triggers, jobs, steps, matrix builds, secrets, caching, and common patterns.

Why Deterministic Tools Are the Best MCP Tools for AI Agents

We added 10 new deterministic developer tools to CodeTidy's MCP server. Here's why same-input-same-output tools are ideal for AI agent workflows.

How We Designed a 62-Tool MCP Server Without Overwhelming AI Agents

Design decisions behind the CodeTidy MCP Server: parameterized tools, pipeline composition, and why fewer tools means better AI agent performance.

Why Your AI Agent Needs Real Tools, Not Just Text

AI models can't compute hashes, generate true UUIDs, or reliably encode Base64. Here's when deterministic MCP tools outperform raw LLM output.

Introducing the CodeTidy MCP Server: 62 Developer Tools for AI Agents

Give Claude, Cursor, and other AI agents access to JSON formatting, Base64 encoding, hashing, UUID generation, and 50+ developer tools with one command.

Understanding JWTs: How JSON Web Tokens Work

Learn how JSON Web Tokens work, how to decode them, and when to use JWTs for authentication and authorization in web applications.

YAML vs JSON vs TOML: Choosing the Right Config Format

Compare YAML, JSON, and TOML for configuration files. Learn the syntax differences, strengths, and best use cases for each format.

Understanding URL Encoding: Why %20 Means Space

Learn how URL encoding works, why it exists, and how to properly encode and decode URLs in JavaScript, Python, and other languages.

UUID Guide: Versions, Formats, and When to Use Each

Learn about UUID versions (v1, v4, v7), their formats, how they're generated, and which version to use for your application.

Git Cheat Sheet: 30 Commands Every Developer Needs

A practical Git reference covering the commands you'll actually use daily — from basics to interactive rebase, stash, and bisect.

Understanding Cron Syntax: Schedule Tasks Like a Pro

Learn cron expression syntax with practical examples. From basic schedules to complex patterns, master cron jobs for task automation.

CSS Minification Explained: Why and How to Minify Your Stylesheets

Learn what CSS minification does, how it works, and when to use it. Includes build tool setup for Webpack, Vite, and PostCSS.

Markdown Syntax Guide: From Basics to Advanced Features

A complete Markdown reference covering headings, links, images, tables, code blocks, and advanced features like task lists and footnotes.

HTTP Status Codes Explained: The Complete Developer Reference

A practical guide to HTTP status codes — what they mean, when to use each one, and how to handle them in your applications.

SQL Formatting Best Practices: Write Readable Queries

Learn SQL formatting conventions, naming standards, and style rules that make your queries readable, maintainable, and team-friendly.

Why Your Online Dev Tools Might Be Leaking Your Secrets

In November 2025, researchers discovered that major JSON formatting sites had leaked thousands of passwords and API keys. Here's what happened and how to protect yourself.

jq Tutorial: 20 Examples That Cover 80% of Real-World Usage

Learn jq through practical examples. From basic field access to complex transformations, these 20 patterns handle most JSON processing tasks.

TOML Explained: The Config Format That's Replacing YAML

Learn what TOML is, how it works, and why projects like Rust's Cargo, Python's pyproject.toml, and Hugo use it instead of YAML or JSON.

Converting Curl Commands to JavaScript: fetch, axios, and node-fetch

Learn how to translate curl commands into JavaScript code using fetch, axios, and node-fetch. Includes common patterns and gotchas.

.env File Best Practices: Managing Environment Variables Like a Pro

A complete guide to .env files: security, team workflows, CI/CD integration, and the tools that make environment variable management painless.

How to Parse JSON in Python: Complete Guide

Learn every method for parsing JSON in Python — from json.loads() to handling files, APIs, and common errors.

JSON vs XML: When to Use Each in 2026

A practical comparison of JSON and XML covering syntax, performance, use cases, and when each format is the better choice.

Common JSON Errors and How to Fix Them

The most frequent JSON syntax mistakes developers make and how to quickly diagnose and fix each one.

What Is Base64 Encoding and How Does It Work?

Understand how Base64 encoding works, why it exists, and when to use it in web development.

Regular Expressions Cheat Sheet for Developers

A practical regex reference covering syntax, common patterns, lookaheads, groups, and real-world examples.

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