Generic REST Client for Visual Studio Code

Effortlessly test, debug, and manage APIs directly from your VS Code environment—no external context switching needed. The Generic REST Client extension empowers developers to send HTTP requests, inspect responses, manage environments, and organize requests—all within an intuitive, workspace-integrated interface.

✨ Latest & Greatest Features

Designed to streamline your API development workflow, the REST Client offers a powerful, concise suite of tools:

🚀 Advanced Request Engine

• Full HTTP Method Support: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, OPTIONS.
• Smart Configuration: Manage query parameters and custom headers with toggleable Table (structured) and Text (bulk-edit) modes.
• Diverse Payloads: Native support for JSON, XML, multipart/form-data, and application/x-www-form-urlencoded request bodies.
• cURL Export: Instantly export any request to a cURL command with a single click.

🔐 Seamless Authentication

Test secured endpoints efficiently with built-in authentication setups:

• Basic Auth
• Bearer Token
• API Key (configurable via Headers or Query Parameters)

📁 Collections & Organization

• Structured Management: Save and group your API requests in Collections and nested Folders.
• Workflow Essentials: Easily Search, Rename, Delete, and Duplicate requests and folders directly from the sidebar.
• Drag-and-Drop: Intuitive UI to reorganize your workspace efficiently.

🌐 Dynamic Environments

• Environment Profiles: Define multiple environments (e.g., Local, Staging, Production) to switch contexts seamlessly.
• Variable Substitution: Use the {{variableName}} syntax to dynamically inject environment values into URLs, headers, and request bodies.

🕓 Request History

• Full Replayability: Automatically tracks sent requests. Never lose a past test—view, review, and resend directly from the History tab, or clear it when needed.

🛠️ Built-in Developer Utilities

Avoid leaving your editor—access these tools instantly via the command palette or sidebar:

• Rich Monaco Editor: Enjoy advanced syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and formatting using VS Code's core editor engine.
• JSON Comparator: Compare two JSON payloads or responses side-by-side to rapidly identify structural or data changes.
• Text Encoder / Decoder: Quickly encode or decode Base64 strings and payloads on the fly.

🔒 Enterprise-Grade Security

Your credentials and sensitive data are protected by design:

• Encrypted Secrets: Authentication tokens and keys are securely stored in VS Code's native encrypted secrets store—never saved in plaintext.
• Manual Redaction: Hide sensitive tokens in the UI history with a single click (perfect for screen sharing or recordings).
• Strict Architecture: Hardened with strict Content Security Policies (CSP) to prevent XSS and rigorously validated webview communications.
• Safe Execution: Robust request handling with cancellation support via AbortController, a configurable timeout, and automatic 20MB payload limits to prevent memory exhaustion.

⚙️ Extension Settings

Fine-tune the behavior of the extension via VS Code settings:

• restClient.defaultTimeout: Set the request timeout (default is 30s).
• restClient.ssl.verify: Toggle SSL certificate verification (turn off to allow self-signed local certificates).
• restClient.telemetry.enabled: Opt-in diagnostic data collection to help improve the extension.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install the extension and click the REST Client icon in the VS Code Activity Bar.
2. Build a new Request from the Collections view or right-click to add a Folder.
3. Configure your method, URL, auth, and send.
4. Manage variables from the Environment tab to streamline repetitive tests.

⚠️ Security Advice: Please use Environments for storing tokens ({{MY_TOKEN}}) instead of hardcoding them into request bodies, and never commit sensitive .env files to version control. Let the Generic REST Client handle your local secrets securely!