TestAPI – Advanced REST API Client for VS Code

TestAPI is a powerful, Thunder Client-inspired REST API testing tool built directly into VS Code. Test your APIs without leaving your editor with a beautiful, intuitive interface that supports all modern API testing features.

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✨ Features

🚀 Core Functionality

• Full HTTP Support: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, OPTIONS
• Real-time Response: Instant feedback with syntax highlighting
• Tabbed Interface: Manage multiple requests efficiently
• History Management: Access previous requests with one click
• Environment Variables: Manage different configurations (dev, staging, prod)

🔐 Authentication Methods

• Bearer Tokens: JWT and OAuth2 token support
• Basic Authentication: Username/password encoding
• API Key Authentication: Custom header or query parameter keys
• No Auth: Simple unauthenticated requests

📊 Request Types

• JSON Bodies: Full syntax highlighting and validation
• Form Data: Multipart form data with file uploads
• Raw Text: Plain text, XML, or custom content types
• URL Encoded: Standard form URL encoding
• File Uploads: Support for multiple file types

🎨 User Experience

• Thunder Client-inspired UI: Familiar, professional interface
• Syntax Highlighting: Monaco editor integration for JSON and code
• Response Formatting: Automatic JSON prettifying and syntax highlighting
• Collapsible Sections: Clean, organized interface
• Dark Theme: Native VS Code theme integration

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🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "TestAPI"
4. Click Install

Method 2: Manual Installation

# Download the .vsix file and install
code --install-extension testapi-1.0.0.vsix

Your First API Request

1. Open TestAPI
   • Click the TestAPI icon in the Activity Bar
   • Or use Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and type "TestAPI: Open"
2. Configure Your Request HTTP

   Method: GET
   URL: {https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1}(https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1)
   

3. Send the Request
   • Click the Send button
   • View the response in the bottom panel

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📖 Comprehensive Usage Guide

Basic GET Request

GET [https://api.example.com/users](https://api.example.com/users)
Headers: {
  "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

POST Request with JSON Body

POST [https://api.example.com/users](https://api.example.com/users)
Headers: {
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
  "Authorization": "Bearer your-token-here"
}
Body: {
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com"
}

File Upload with Form Data

POST [https://api.example.com/upload](https://api.example.com/upload)
Body Type: Multipart Form-Data
Files: [select your files]
Extra Fields: {
  "description": "Project documentation",
  "category": "docs"
}

Using Environment Variables

1. Go to Environments tab
2. Create a new environment (e.g., "Production")
3. Add variables:

   {
     "base_url": "[https://api.prod.com](https://api.prod.com)",
     "api_key": "prod_key_123",
     "token": "eyJhbGciOiJ..."
   }
   

4. Use in requests: {{base_url}}/users

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🛠️ Advanced Features

Authentication Setup

Bearer Token Authentication

1. Select Auth tab
2. Choose "Bearer Token"
3. Enter your token: eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...
   • Token automatically added to Authorization header

Basic Authentication

1. Select Auth tab
2. Choose "Basic Auth"
3. Enter username and password
   • Automatically encoded to Base64

API Key Authentication

1. Select Auth tab
2. Choose "API Key"
3. Configure:
   • Header name: X-API-Key
   • Value: your-api-key-here
   • Placement: Header or Query Param

Environment Variables Management

Development Environment

{
  "base_url": "http://localhost:3000",
  "api_key": "dev_key_123"
}

Production Environment

{
  "base_url": "[https://api.company.com](https://api.company.com)",
  "api_key": "prod_key_456",
  "token": "bearer_token_here"
}

Usage:

• Use in URLs: {{base_url}}/api/users
• Use in headers: {"Authorization": "Bearer {{token}}"}

Request History

• Auto-save: Every request saved automatically
• Quick reload: Click any history item to reload
• Search: Filter through past requests
• Clear: Option to clear history when needed

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🔧 Configuration

Extension Settings

TestAPI can be configured through VS Code settings:

{
  "testapi.autoSaveHistory": true,
  "testapi.maxHistoryItems": 50,
  "testapi.defaultEnvironment": "development",
  "testapi.prettifyJsonResponses": true
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

Add these to your keybindings.json:

[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+alt+r",
    "command": "testapi.sendRequest",
    "when": "testapiFocus"
  },
  {
    "key": "ctrl+alt+n", 
    "command": "testapi.newRequest",
    "when": "testapiFocus"
  }
]

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💡 Examples & Use Cases

Testing RESTful APIs

# Get all users
GET {{base_url}}/users

# Create new user
POST {{base_url}}/users
{
  "name": "Alice",
  "email": "alice@example.com"
}

# Update user
PUT {{base_url}}/users/123
{
  "name": "Alice Smith"
}

File Upload Testing

POST {{base_url}}/upload
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

# Select files through the UI
# Add metadata in extra fields
{
  "userId": 123,
  "category": "profile"
}

API Development Workflow

• Develop locally: Use http://localhost:3000
• Test endpoints: Quickly validate new API routes
• Debug responses: Inspect headers and status codes
• Share configurations: Export/import request setups

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• ❌ "Cannot connect to API"
  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify the API endpoint is running
  • Check CORS settings on the server
• ❌ "Authentication failed"
  • Verify your tokens are current
  • Check API key permissions
  • Ensure proper header formatting
• ❌ "Invalid JSON response"
  • Check API is returning valid JSON
  • Verify Content-Type headers
  • Use "Raw" view to see exact response

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging in VS Code Developer Tools:

• Help → Toggle Developer Tools
• Console tab shows TestAPI debug info

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🔄 API Compatibility

Supported Standards

• RESTful APIs: Full support for REST conventions
• GraphQL: Raw text mode for GraphQL queries
• SOAP: XML support through raw text mode
• Webhooks: Test incoming webhook endpoints

HTTP Features

• Headers: Custom headers with validation
• Cookies: Automatic cookie handling
• Redirects: Follow 301/302 redirects
• Timeouts: Configurable request timeouts

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🏗️ Development & Contribution

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone [https://github.com/Koded0214h/Test-IP.git](https://github.com/Koded0214h/Test-IP.git)cd testapi

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Package for distribution
npm run package

# Install locally
code --install-extension testapi-1.0.0.vsix

Project Structure

Plaintext

testapi/
├── src/           # TypeScript source code
├── media/         # Webview resources
├── images/        # Extension icons
├── package.json   # Extension manifest
└── README.md      # This file

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

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📞 Support & Resources

Documentation

• Full Documentation
• API Reference
• Video Tutorials

Community

• GitHub Issues
• Discord Community
• Stack Overflow

Related Extensions

• REST Client
• Thunder Client

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📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by Thunder Client and Postman
• Built with Monaco Editor for superior editing experience
• VS Code Extension API for seamless integration

Happy API Testing! 🚀

TestAPI is designed for developers who want to test APIs without leaving their coding environment. Perfect for API development, testing, and debugging workflows.