Art is Getting Crafty, New APIs and Tools - September 2026
Welcome to Hot Web Dev September 2026, featuring the latest in web development. September's version is late, as I have been organising my mum's celebration of life, and I was also diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her passing. Unfortunately, the timing is not great for me, but I'm prepared for the battle. September's edition features a way to get even if a company steals your money. We also feature a couple of new browser API's, and the tool of the month is a supercharged terminal app.
Table of contents:
- Don't get mad, get even!
- Coding Resources
- Learning Resources
- WOW Tool Of The Month
- Must-Read Resources From September 2026
Don't get mad, get even!
ArtCraft is a free cross-platform open-source suite developed using Claude 5.5, and offers tools like PhotoCraft and LightCraft without subscriptions or cloud use. The co-founder Michael Caffrey was reportedly unhappy with Adobe after they charged him for cancelling his subscription. The talented software developer decided to get even and vibe code his own, not stopping at replacing Adobe products; he also targeted Microsoft. Although it's early days, developers are contributing to the Rust codebase.
The project offers 13 products so far, including:
- Photocraft
- Vectorcraft
- Filmcraft
- Lightcraft
- PDFCraft
- Effectcraft
- Designcraft
- Figcraft
- Wordcraft
- Soundcraft
- Deckcraft
- Cadcraft
- Gridcraft
Could you guess what they replace? As noted, the software is in its early stages, so bugs may occur. I doubt Adobe or Microsoft will be concerned yet, though sufficient backing from others frustrated by Adobe’s poor practices might prompt action, and a lawsuit could begin. For now, you can test all available products or download them separately.
Coding Resources
Are you a fan of browser-based software or do you prefer the traditional method of installing software to your local drive? Browser software like Canva or Google Workspace offers cross-platform collaboration without installing any software. These challenge desktop apps such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word. In its infancy, browser-based technology couldn't match their desktop counterparts. This has changed due to more powerful processors, GPU's, RAM and faster internet speeds. As with everything, there are pros and cons. One positive is cross-platform connectivity, as long as it has a supporting browser. Negatives include privacy and security risks. Want to look at it from another perspective? Check out Eric's thoughts over at Speckyboy.
The Email Verification API proposes browser-based verification to reduce friction and protect sender reputation. Chrome and Gmail support it via an origin trial; tokens validate ownership between the browser, issuer and verifier. The frontend uses an email input and a hidden token with a nonce bound to the session. Verification uses email-verification-api with email, token, audience and nonce. The API avoids inbox checks and reduces hard bounces. You can find its progress on GitHub and Chrome for Developers.
Learning Resources
The Fullscreen API enables full-screen elements using vanilla JavaScript, addressing quirks like Safari prefixes and screen dimming via the Screen Wake Lock API. This FreeCodeCamp tutorial covers how it works, user gestures, toggling, styling with :fullscreen, cross-browser issues and a reusable pattern that can be added to your website.
Web browsers allow us to use more web technologies, such as CSS and JavaScript inside of our projects. This YouTube video features the master of CSS, Kevin Powell using CSS animations to bring your site to life.
AI tools now require technical writers to demonstrate understanding, testing and implementation skills beyond correct writing. Technical writing shifts toward developer education, requiring technical investigation and verification. Casmir Onyekani's portfolio uses React, TypeScript and Netlify to demonstrate working examples, depth and process. AI assists investigation; writers must build what they teach.
WOW Tool of the Month
September’s tool of the month is an open-source terminal application that retains your shell history. With Atuin you can synchronise, search, and back up your shell history with end-to-end encryption so you can use it on all of your computers. It is private by default, with a self-hosted version available. You can find commands by text, directory, exit code, duration, hostname and more. AI is available for free during development, and it supports macOS, Linux, and Windows with bash, zsh, and fish integration.