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code-beautifier

A code beautifier (formatter / pretty-printer) takes minified, compressed, or inconsistently-indented code and rewrites it with proper indentation, line breaks, and stylistic consistency. Used to read minified third-party code, untangle code dropped without formatting, normalise diffs across team contributions, and prepare snippets for presentations or documentation. The ZTools Code Beautifier supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript / TypeScript, JSON, XML, SQL, and Markdown. Configurable indentation (2/4 spaces or tabs), max line length, and language-specific style options.

Use cases​

Read minified third-party code​

A library you're debugging shipped only minified JS. Beautify to read the logic, find the bug, file the upstream issue.

Format pasted snippets for documentation​

Code copied from a chat / email may have lost its indentation. Beautify before pasting into a tutorial or wiki.

Normalise diff noise​

Two contributors used different indentation (tabs vs 2-space). Run the file through the beautifier first; diff is then about logic, not whitespace.

Untangle generated SQL queries​

ORM-generated SQL is often single-line and hard to read. Beautifier wraps SELECT clauses, indents JOINs and WHEREs.

How it works​

  1. Paste code — Multi-language detection or manual language pick.
  2. Pick indentation — 2 spaces (modern default), 4 spaces (Python / Java norm), or tabs.
  3. Pick style options — Max line length (80 / 100 / 120), brace style (1TBS / Allman / GNU), trailing comma toggle.
  4. Format — Outputs formatted code with syntax highlighting; preserves comments.
  5. Copy / download — Clipboard or .formatted-extension file download.

Examples​

Input: Minified JS: function a(b,c)\{return b+c\}

Output: function a(b, c) \{\\n return b + c;\\n\} — readable, consistent style.

Input: Single-line SQL: SELECT * FROM users WHERE active=1 ORDER BY name

Output: SELECT *\\nFROM users\\nWHERE active = 1\\nORDER BY name; — clauses on separate lines.

Input: Inline JSON

Output: Indented JSON with 2-space indent and key-value alignment.

Frequently asked questions​

Beautifier vs Prettier?

Prettier is an opinionated formatter — minimal config, runs as part of dev workflow, integrates with editors and pre-commit hooks. Beautifier is for quick one-off formatting in the browser. Use Prettier in your project; use this tool for ad-hoc tasks.

Can it format a whole file?

Yes — paste the entire file contents. For VERY large files, run a CLI formatter (Prettier, Black for Python) instead.

Will it preserve comments?

Yes — JSDoc, single-line, multi-line comments preserved with adjusted indentation.

Does it handle TypeScript / JSX?

Yes — the JS beautifier handles modern syntax including TS type annotations and JSX/TSX.

What about Python / Go / Rust?

These languages have their own ecosystem formatters (Black, gofmt, rustfmt) integrated with editors. Browser-based formatting is uncommon for them; use the language-native tools.

Can it minify (the inverse)?

Use the dedicated Code Minifier tool — different process, different settings.

Tips​

  • For your own project, install Prettier + a pre-commit hook — automate the formatting; never argue about it again.
  • Tab vs space wars: pick one team-wide convention and stick with it. The beautifier output reflects your choice.
  • For minified JS / CSS, beautify before reading — but remember names may be obfuscated (single-letter vars).
  • For SQL, line-per-clause + uppercased keywords is standard — modern SQL formatters do both.
  • Always backup original code before formatting — formatters occasionally have bugs that change semantics.

Try it now​

The full code-beautifier runs in your browser at https://ztools.zaions.com/code-beautifier — no signup, no upload, no data leaves your device.

Open the tool ↗

Last updated: 2026-05-06 · Author: Ahsan Mahmood · Edit this page on GitHub