UsefulCrate — Guides https://usefulcrate.com/guides/ Background and method behind the tools: why a file behaves the way it does, which setting actually matters, and the mistakes that are easy to make. en Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 How to Compress an Image to Under 200 KB Without It Looking Worse https://usefulcrate.com/guides/compress-image-under-200kb https://usefulcrate.com/guides/compress-image-under-200kb A practical method for hitting a file-size limit on a photo — which settings matter, which do not, and why resizing beats quality reduction almost every time. Image Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 WebP vs JPEG vs PNG: Which Format Should You Actually Use? https://usefulcrate.com/guides/webp-vs-jpeg-vs-png https://usefulcrate.com/guides/webp-vs-jpeg-vs-png When each image format wins, when it loses, and the one rule that decides it in about two seconds. Includes what actually happens when you convert between them. Image Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Do Image Dimensions Still Matter for Page Speed in 2026? https://usefulcrate.com/guides/image-dimensions-and-page-speed https://usefulcrate.com/guides/image-dimensions-and-page-speed Why a 4000-pixel photo displayed at 400 pixels is still costing your visitors time, and the two numbers worth checking before you publish anything. Image Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Why You Should Never Paste a JWT Into an Online Decoder https://usefulcrate.com/guides/dont-paste-a-jwt-into-an-online-decoder https://usefulcrate.com/guides/dont-paste-a-jwt-into-an-online-decoder A JSON Web Token is a working credential, not a document. What a hosted decoder actually receives, and how to inspect a token without handing it to anyone. Developer Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The CSV Quoting Rules That Break Almost Every Naive Parser https://usefulcrate.com/guides/csv-quoting-rules https://usefulcrate.com/guides/csv-quoting-rules Why splitting on commas loses data, how quoting and escaping actually work, and the three characters that will wreck a file written by hand. Developer Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Unix Timestamps Explained: Seconds, Milliseconds, and Why Your Logs Disagree https://usefulcrate.com/guides/unix-timestamps-explained https://usefulcrate.com/guides/unix-timestamps-explained What a Unix timestamp counts, why the same instant appears as two different numbers, and how to tell which one you are looking at without guessing. Developer Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Base64 Is Not Encryption — And Four Other Things People Get Wrong https://usefulcrate.com/guides/base64-is-not-encryption https://usefulcrate.com/guides/base64-is-not-encryption What Base64 is actually for, why it makes files bigger rather than smaller, and the security mistake that turns up in real production configs. Developer Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Password Length Beats Complexity: What the Numbers Actually Say https://usefulcrate.com/guides/password-length-vs-complexity https://usefulcrate.com/guides/password-length-vs-complexity Why a long simple passphrase beats a short complicated string, what the exponent really looks like, and why reusing passwords defeats all of it. Utility Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000