How I Built a Privacy-First Text Tool Site Where Your Data Never Leaves the Browser

I want to start with the decision that shaped everything else.

When I started building TextlyPop, a collection of 35+ free text tools, I had a choice. Build it the normal way with a backend that processes text server-side, or run everything client-side in JavaScript so the text never touches a server at all.

I chose client-side. Every single tool. No exceptions.

That one decision changed the entire architecture of the project and I want to walk through exactly how it works, what problems it created, and how I solved them.

Why client-side only