I stopped uploading my files to random websites and built my own tools instead

The article describes how the author grew frustrated with uploading sensitive files to unknown online tools and decided to build their own browser-based alternatives using WebAssembly and client-side code. This led to the creation of PureTools, a collection of 54 free utilities for video, audio, PDF, images, and more, all running locally in the browser without any server-side processing. The key feature is that user files never leave their device, ensuring privacy and security.

Every week I'd find myself doing the same thing. Googling "compress PDF Every week I'd find myself doing the same thing. Googling "compress PDF online free", clicking the first result, uploading my file to some website I'd never heard of, and hoping for the best. One day I actually read the privacy policy of one of these tools. "Files retained for 24 hours. Processed on our servers. May be used to improve our services." That was enough for me. WebAssembly changed everything. It lets you run near-native code directly in a browser tab, no server needed. FFmpeg, the same tool professionals use for video processing? Runs client-side. PDF manipulation? Client-side. Cryptographically secure password generation? The browser has had a native API for that for years. So I started building. What began as a simple video compressor turned into something much bigger. Every time I needed an online tool, I asked myself one question: could this run in the browser? Almost always, the answer was yes. The result: PureTools — 54 free utilities covering video, audio, PDF, images, passwords, finance calculators and developer tools. Embarrassingly simple. Pure HTML, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. No frameworks. It wasn't the code. It was resisting the urge to add a backend "just for analytics" or "just for user accounts". Every time I considered adding something server-side, I realized I was becoming the thing I was trying to replace. The constraint became the product. If you're tired of uploading your files to random websites, give it a try. Your files never leave your device. That's the whole point. If you're tired of uploading your files to random websites, give it a try: puretools.io Everything runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device. That's the whole point.