Dev Tools

JWT Tools

Decode JWT header and payload, inspect claims and expiry, mint unsigned tokens for UI tests. Decoding is not verification.

5 tools · 100% browser-based · No uploads · No signup

About these JWT tools

JSON Web Tokens are three Base64url parts: header, payload, signature. These tools decode claims, show expiry, list registered claims, measure size, and mint unsigned or demo tokens for UI tests. They do not verify signatures against your production keys, and they should not.

Decoding a JWT is not authentication. Anyone can read a typical payload. Put secrets in the token only if you accept that every client can see them. The generator is labeled for testing because an unsigned token is not a security boundary.

Tools in this category

How these tools run in your browser

We split on dots, Base64url-decode header and payload, and pretty-print JSON. Expiration reads exp, nbf, and iat as Unix seconds. Size counts characters of the compact serialization. Generator assembles a header and payload you edit; signature may be omitted or a dummy.

Common Use Cases

  • Read claims in a token from localStorage while debugging a 401
  • See whether exp is in the past in your timezone
  • Check if the token is too large for a cookie header
  • Build a fake token so a frontend storybook can render an "authenticated" state

Common Mistakes

alg: none and unsigned tokens are for tests only.
Signature verification needs the correct key and algorithm. A decoder that "verifies" with a key you pasted into a random website is a bad habit.
Clock skew between servers makes exp look wrong by a few seconds.
Nested JWTs and encrypted JWE are out of scope for these pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is decoding the same as verifying?

No. Verification checks the signature. Decoding only reads the JSON. Never trust claims from a token you have not verified on a server.

Did you leak my token?

It stays in this tab. Treat tokens like passwords anyway: they are bearer credentials.

Why is my token huge?

Permissions arrays, profile photos as data URIs, or duplicated claims. Prefer opaque session IDs in cookies for large authorization data.