Rapid REST Client

Lightweight, fast HTTP client for VS Code. Send requests directly from .http files with environment variables, response chaining, image previews, and code generation — no Postman needed.

Features

• Send HTTP Requests — Execute GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS, TRACE from .http files
• Pretty Response Viewer — JSON syntax highlighting, headers table, and timing breakdown in a side panel
• Image URL Preview — Inline thumbnails for image URLs in JSON responses with full-size preview on click
• Collapsible Long Strings — Long JSON string values are truncated with ... and expandable inline
• Environment Variables — Use {{variable}} syntax with .http-env.json for dev/staging/production
• File Variables — Define @variable = value at the top of .http files to avoid URL duplication
• Response Chaining — Reference previous responses with {{requestName.response.body.field}} syntax
• CodeLens — Clickable "Send Request" and "Copy as cURL" links above every request
• Request Explorer — Browse all .http files and requests in the sidebar tree view
• Code Generation — Copy any request as cURL, fetch, axios, or Python requests
• Request History — Quick access to recent requests and responses
• Syntax Highlighting — Full grammar support for .http files with methods, headers, variables, and comments
• Keyboard First — Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter to send, no mouse required

Keyboard Shortcuts

Usage

1. Create a .http file

@base_url = https://api.example.com
@token = my-secret-token

###

# @name ListUsers
GET {{base_url}}/users
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json

###

# @name CreateUser
POST {{base_url}}/users
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

{
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "alice@example.com"
}

2. Set up environments (optional)

Create .http-env.json in your workspace root:

{
  "development": {
    "base_url": "http://localhost:3000",
    "token": "dev-token-123"
  },
  "staging": {
    "base_url": "https://staging.api.example.com",
    "token": "staging-token-456"
  }
}

3. Send requests

• Click Send Request in the CodeLens above any request
• Press Cmd+Enter / Ctrl+Enter with cursor inside a request
• Use the play button in the editor title bar

File Variables

Define variables at the top of your .http file using @variable = value to avoid duplicating URLs and tokens:

@base_url = http://localhost:8888
@api_version = v2

###

GET {{base_url}}/{{api_version}}/users
Accept: application/json

###

POST {{base_url}}/{{api_version}}/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "name": "Bob"
}

File variables can reference environment variables:

@baseUrl = https://{{host}}/v1

Response Chaining

Chain requests by referencing previous responses. Name your requests with # @name and use {{requestName.response.body.field}} or {{requestName.response.headers.headerName}} in subsequent requests.

@base_url = http://localhost:8888

###

# @name crawlRequest
POST {{base_url}}/crawl
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "url": "https://example.com"
}

###

# Check job status using the job_id from the previous response
GET {{base_url}}/status/{{crawlRequest.response.body.job_id}}
Accept: application/json

###

# Download the result
GET {{base_url}}/download/{{crawlRequest.response.body.job_id}}
Accept: text/markdown

Supported reference patterns

Note: Response chaining works when you run requests sequentially. Use "Send All Requests" to run an entire file in order, or send individual requests one at a time — stored responses persist within a session.

Response Viewer

The response panel shows:

• Status badge — Color-coded status code (green for 2xx, yellow for 4xx, red for 5xx)
• Body tab — Pretty-printed JSON with syntax highlighting
• Headers tab — Response headers in a table view
• Timing tab — Visual breakdown of DNS, TCP, TLS, TTFB, and download times

Image URL Preview

When JSON responses contain image URLs (ending in .jpg, .png, .webp, .gif, .svg, .avif, etc.), Rapid REST Client shows:

• An inline thumbnail next to the URL
• Click the thumbnail to open a full-size preview overlay
• Press Escape or click outside to close the preview
• Click the URL bar at the bottom of the overlay to copy the URL

Collapsible Long Strings

JSON string values longer than 120 characters are automatically truncated with ... and an [expand] link. Click to reveal the full value, click [collapse] to shrink it back.

.http File Format

• Separate multiple requests with ### or ---
• Comments: lines starting with # or //
• Name requests with # @name MyRequest
• Define file-level variables with @variable = value

@host = api.example.com
@baseUrl = https://{{host}}/v1

###

# @name GetUsers
GET {{baseUrl}}/users?page=1

###

# @name DeleteUser
DELETE {{baseUrl}}/users/123

Variable Resolution

Variables are resolved in this order:

1. Response references — {{requestName.response.body.field}} from previous requests
2. File variables — @variable = value in the .http file
3. Environment variables — from .http-env.json active environment
4. System environment — process.env fallback

Settings

Commands

Requirements

• VS Code 1.85.0 or later

Privacy

Rapid REST Client runs entirely locally. No data is collected, no telemetry, no cloud services. Your requests and environments stay on your machine.

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Apaya. All rights reserved.