Common YAML Gotchas (and How to Avoid Them)
By qc_admin
The YAML traps that bite real projects: the Norway problem, unquoted versions and numbers, tabs versus spaces, and indentation.
Category: Formats & Standards
base64url Explained: The URL-Safe Variant
By qc_admin
How base64url differs from standard Base64: the swapped + and / characters, dropped padding, why JWTs use it, and how to convert between the two variants safely.
What a JWT Actually Contains
By qc_admin
A JWT is three base64url parts: header, payload, and signature. Here is what each holds and why the payload is readable, not encrypted.
Unix Timestamps and Timezone Handling
By qc_admin
A Unix timestamp counts seconds since 1970 UTC. Learn seconds vs milliseconds, UTC vs local, ISO 8601, and the accurate Year-2038 problem.
Regex Quantifiers: Greedy vs Lazy Matching
By qc_admin
Regex quantifiers *, +, ?, and {n,m} are greedy by default. Learn how adding ? makes them lazy, how backtracking works, with worked examples.
JSON Explained: Syntax, Common Errors, and How to Fix Them
By qc_admin
A clear guide to JSON syntax and data types, plus the parse errors that trip everyone up and exactly how to fix each one.
JSON vs YAML vs TOML: When to Use Which
By qc_admin
An honest comparison of JSON, YAML, and TOML: syntax, readability, gotchas, and which format fits APIs versus config files.
Cron Syntax Explained, Field by Field
By qc_admin
A field-by-field guide to cron syntax: the five time fields, stars, ranges, steps, lists, and the day-of-month/day-of-week gotcha.
Base64: What It Does and What It Isn’t
By qc_admin
Base64 turns binary into safe ASCII text for transport, adds about 33% size, and is not encryption or compression. Here is what it really does.