Getting started with DevToolbox
Use DevToolbox to finish a small development task, compare tools for the same job, and keep a stack with a monthly cost estimate. This walkthrough starts with a JSON example, then compares transactional email services and saves a stack you can revisit. You do not need an account, and adding a plan here does not purchase or activate a provider subscription.
1. Find a utility and try a small example
Open Utilities and choose JSON Formatter. Utilities are individual tools for tasks such as formatting text, converting values, and inspecting data. Some tools need a network connection; this example uses the formatter's browser-based JSON parsing.
Paste this sample into the input box. It contains invented project data, so you can try the controls without preparing a real configuration file:
{"project":"Demo","tools":["email","hosting"],"active":true}
Leave Indent set to 2 spaces, then click Format. The output should show Valid JSON and this formatted object:
{
"project": "Demo",
"tools": [
"email",
"hosting"
],
"active": true
}
Click Copy beside the output to reuse the result. Minify produces compact JSON instead. If you remove a required quotation mark or comma from the input and click Format again, the formatter shows a parsing error rather than a valid result. Fix the input and retry. Formatting checks JSON syntax; it does not establish that a configuration contains the fields your application needs.
2. Compare tools that do the same job
Suppose your application needs password resets and receipts. Open Compare transactional email tools. This keeps the comparison within one job. A newsletter service or marketing platform may serve a different purpose, even if it also sends email.
Set Emails/month to 10000 and Peak emails/day (optional) to 500. These describe two different constraints: total monthly traffic and the busiest day. A plan with a daily sending limit can fail your peak-day requirement even when your monthly total looks modest. Leaving peak usage blank does not demonstrate that a daily cap will work for you.
Keep Price set to All. In the results, select the comparison checkbox for Mailgun — Basic and Postmark — Basic · 10k, then click Compare 2. You can find each with Search: enter Mailgun, select Basic, then replace the search text with Postmark and select Basic · 10k. Your first selection stays selected while you search for the second.
The comparison shows the plans side by side using your entered usage. Read the included allowance, extra usage terms, and capabilities alongside the estimated monthly amount. Show differences only can shorten the table, but start with the full view so you understand what each row means. An Unknown capability means the catalog has not established an answer; it is not equivalent to No, or evidence that the plans match.
Cost results can also require interpretation. Ineligible means the plan does not satisfy an evaluated requirement. Unknown means a defensible total could not be calculated from the available information. A range or starting amount is less specific than a complete estimate. Read the reasons shown with the result instead of treating every displayed number as an interchangeable quote.
Scroll to the Source row and open the provider evidence before making a purchase decision. The date tells you when that evidence was checked; it is not a promise that the provider's offer cannot change. Check the plan name, allowance, overage terms, and any feature you need. The Mailgun versus Postmark comparison provides a more focused walkthrough of email costs and tradeoffs.
3. Add a plan and inspect its usage
Choose Back to results. Search for Postmark, locate Basic · 10k, and click that row's Add button. This is a worked example, not a recommendation that everyone should choose that plan. Add only the option you want to keep; the comparison checkboxes alone do not add subscriptions to your stack.
The bottom stack bar now includes Postmark and an estimated monthly amount. Click Expand stack to inspect it. The comparison's current usage carries into the added item. Check the fields labeled email and email_peak_day: for this example they should be 10000 and 500. You can edit these inputs inside the stack as your requirements change. Use Remove to discard an unwanted item.
4. Tell the stack which jobs it must cover
Click Collapse to close the stack details, then open Build a stack. Under Email, select Transactional. Your existing Postmark item remains in the stack. Build a stack suggests individual tools for selected jobs, and you decide whether to add or skip them. Selecting a job does not automatically add a service. You do not need to add a second email provider merely because another suggestion appears.
Expand the stack again and review Jobs this stack must cover. With no jobs selected, the bar says Incomplete — no jobs set: the site has no checklist against which to assess coverage. Selecting jobs lets it show missing coverage or Jobs covered. Coverage means you have an item in each selected job category; you still need to confirm the provider supports your particular requirements and configure it separately.
Coverage: do your selected jobs have tools?
- Selected jobsThe work your stack must cover.
- Matching toolsItems in those job categories.
- Coverage statusJobs covered, or coverage still missing.
Cost: what happens when some costs are unresolved?
- Sum priced itemsThe costs that can be estimated.
- List unresolved costs separatelyUnknown amounts are not zero.
- Known subtotalPriced items only; full total incomplete.
If none of the selected items can be priced, the total is Unknown.
A stack can cover every job while its total cost is still unknown.
Read the cost and coverage messages together. A Known subtotal includes the priced items while leaving unpriced items unresolved. Unknown is not a zero-dollar cost. A stack can cover every selected job and still lack a complete price. Conversely, a fully priced stack can miss a job. Review the cost breakdown and any unpriced count before using the amount as your budget.
5. Export a copy you can restore
While in the comparison or stack workspace, close any open stack details with Collapse, then click Save and Export stack. This downloads a JSON file containing your stack, selected jobs, and usage. Stacks also save in this browser's local storage; an export gives you a separate copy to move to another browser or device. It is not an account-based sync service.
To restore that file, open Save, choose Import, and select your exported JSON. Import replaces the current stack, so export any existing stack you want to keep first. After importing, expand the stack and check its items, jobs, and usage again. Estimates use the site's catalog, so a saved configuration is not a locked provider quote.