- The following tools let you build, send, and inspect HTTP requests against REST APIs. You can use them to test your endpoints, debug response headers and status codes, and automate request sequences.
- Pick whichever fits your workflow: a GUI if you prefer a visual interface, a CLI if you like working from the terminal, or a web tool if you want zero setup.
| Tool | Type | Notes |
|---|
| Yaak ↗ | GUI | Lightweight, fast, open source |
| HTTPie ↗ | CLI / Desktop ↗ | Human friendly syntax, colorized output |
| Postman ↗ | GUI | Most widely used. Free tier, great for collections and environments |
| Insomnia ↗ | GUI | Open source, clean UI, lighter than Postman |
| Hoppscotch ↗ | Web / Desktop | Runs in the browser or as a desktop app. Open source |
| Bruno ↗ | GUI | Open source, stores requests as files (git friendly) |
| Hurl ↗ | CLI | Run and test HTTP requests with plain text |
| cURL ↗ | CLI | Preinstalled on most systems. Good for scripting |
Tools for designing, editing, and previewing API specifications.
Tools for creating fake API servers, useful for prototyping and testing before building a real backend.
| Tool | Type | Notes |
|---|
| json-server ↗ | CLI | Spin up a fake REST API from a JSON file |
| Mockoon ↗ | Desktop / CLI | GUI for creating mock API servers |
Tools for validating, formatting, and inspecting JSON data.
| Tool | Type | Notes |
|---|
| JSONLint ↗ | Web | Validate and format JSON online |
| jwt.io ↗ | Web | Decode and inspect JSON Web Tokens |