Building JetLag: A Privacy-First Speed Test
You know that moment when your video call freezes mid-sentence, or when a page takes forever to load? We've all been there. And every time it happens, the first question that pops into your head is: "Is it my internet?"
That's where speed tests come in. But here's the thing—most speed test tools out there feel bloated. Pop-ups everywhere, ads cluttering the screen, trackers following your every move, and interfaces that look like they were designed in a different era. I wanted something different. Something clean, fast, and respectful.
So I built JetLag.
Why Another Speed Test?
Fair question. The internet isn't exactly short on speed test tools. But when I looked around, I noticed a pattern: most of them prioritize everything except the user. They want your data, they want your attention, and they want you to click through five different screens before you can see your results.
I wanted the opposite. I wanted a tool that respects your time and your privacy. One that opens, runs the test, shows you the results, and gets out of your way. No account required. No data sold. No nonsense.
The Core Idea: Simple and Elegant
From the start, the design philosophy was clear: keep it simple, make it elegant, cut the fluff. Every feature had to earn its place. Does it help you understand your connection? Keep it. Does it add clutter? Cut it.
The result is a clean interface that focuses on three essential metrics: download speed, upload speed, and ping. These are the numbers that actually matter when you're troubleshooting your connection. Everything else is noise.
Building the Features That Matter
As development progressed, I added features based on what would genuinely help users understand their connection better:
The Privacy Promise
Privacy wasn't an afterthought—it was a foundation. JetLag doesn't collect personal data, doesn't use tracking cookies, and doesn't sell your information. Your test results stay on your device. That's it.
In a world where every website wants to know everything about you, this felt like the right approach. You're here to test your speed, not to become a data point in someone's analytics dashboard.
Making It Yours
Different people test their connection at different times. Some in bright morning light, others late at night with the lights dim. That's why JetLag supports both dark and light themes. Small detail, big difference in comfort.
And because I believe tools like this should be accessible anywhere, anytime, JetLag works as a Progressive Web App. Install it on your phone, your tablet, your desktop—it works offline and feels native everywhere.
Open Source Philosophy
JetLag is open source because transparency matters, especially for a tool that promises to respect your privacy. The code is on GitHub for anyone to review, audit, or contribute to. If you want to verify that we're doing what we say, you can look at the source yourself.
What's Next?
This is just the beginning. There are more features I want to add, more improvements to make. But the core philosophy will stay the same: simple, elegant, private.
If you've used JetLag, thank you. If you have feedback, I'd love to hear it. And if you want to support the project, you can buy me a coffee or contribute on GitHub.
The internet should be fast and open. The tools we use to measure it should be too.