I needed a place to store code snippets, email templates, and frequently pasted text blocks. Everything I found was either a full IDE extension, a note-taking app in disguise, or yet another Electron app eating 200MB of RAM. So I built TypeFast — a snippet manager that runs in a browser tab.
The Snippet Graveyard Problem
Every developer has one. A folder called snippets or useful-stuff sitting somewhere in their home directory. A Notion page titled “Code Templates” that hasn’t been updated since 2023. Three GitHub Gists they can’t find because they never gave them proper names. Slack messages to themselves that got buried under 400 notifications.
The common thread: the tool was never designed for quick retrieval. Notion is a document editor. Gists are for sharing, not searching. Slack is for messaging. Using them as snippet managers is like using a spreadsheet as a to-do list — it technically works, but the friction kills you.
What TypeFast Actually Does
TypeFast has exactly four features:
- Add a snippet — give it a title, a category, paste the content
- Find a snippet — type in the search bar, or filter by category tab
- Copy a snippet — one click, it’s on your clipboard, a “✅ Copied!” confirmation appears
- Edit or delete — because snippets evolve
That’s it. No folders, no tags cloud, no sharing, no collaboration, no AI suggestions. Just a fast, searchable list with a copy button.
The Technical Non-Architecture
TypeFast is a single HTML file. No React, no Vue, no build step. The entire application — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — weighs about 10KB. It stores data in localStorage, which means:
- No server, no database, no API calls
- Data persists across browser sessions
- No account, no sync, no privacy concerns
- Works offline (it’s also a PWA)
The trade-off is obvious: your snippets live only in that browser, on that device. If you clear your browser data, they’re gone. For most people, this is fine — snippets aren’t precious documents. But if you want durability, export them (coming in a future update) or just keep the tab pinned.
Use Cases I Didn’t Expect
- A support team member saves 15 canned responses, copies the right one in under 2 seconds
- A writer keeps character descriptions and plot points for quick reference
- A sysadmin stores SSH commands, config blocks, and one-liners
- A recruiter saves personalized outreach templates by role type
Try It
It comes pre-loaded with two example snippets. Delete them, add your own, and see if it sticks. If you’re still using a text file for snippets in a week, I’ll be surprised.
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