Flashpost - REST API Client for VS Code

Flashpost is a lightweight REST API client extension that enables you to develop and test your REST APIs directly from Visual Studio Code. Perfect for developers who want to stay in their IDE without switching to external tools.

✨ Key Features

🚀 Lightweight & Fast - Minimal overhead REST API client built specifically for VS Code
🎯 Simple Interface - Clean, intuitive UI that gets out of your way
📁 Collections & Environments - Organize your requests and manage multiple environments
📥 Import Support - Seamlessly migrate from Postman and Thunder Client
🔄 cURL Integration - Import and execute cURL commands directly
🧪 Scriptless Testing - GUI-based testing without writing test scripts
💾 Local Storage - All data stored locally with customizable storage location
🏢 Workspace Integration - Save requests to your current workspace
🔧 Environment Variables - Support for .env files and dynamic variables
📋 Code Generation - Generate code snippets in multiple languages
🍪 Cookie Management - Automatic cookie handling and management
📊 Collection Runner - Execute multiple requests in batch
🔍 GraphQL Support - Built-in GraphQL query support

🚀 Quick Start

Install the Extension - Search for "Flashpost" in the VS Code Extensions marketplace
Open Flashpost - Click the Flashpost icon in the Activity Bar
Create Your First Request - Click "New Request" in the Quick Access sidebar
Test Your API - Enter your endpoint, configure headers, and hit send!

📁 Collections Management

Organize your API requests into collections for better project management.

Click the collection icon next to the filter to access collection operations
Create folders and organize requests hierarchically
Import existing collections from Postman or Thunder Client

🏃‍♂️ Collection Runner

Execute multiple requests in sequence with the built-in collection runner.

Right-click on any folder or collection and select "Run All"
Automatically executes all requests and test cases
View comprehensive results and test outcomes

🧪 Scriptless Testing

Test your APIs without writing a single line of test code.

GUI-based testing interface eliminates boilerplate code
Visual test creation and management
No scripting knowledge required

💻 Code Generation

Generate ready-to-use code snippets in multiple programming languages:

Supported Languages & Libraries

C# - HttpClient, RestSharp
Go - Native HTTP client
Java - AsyncHttp, Unirest, OkHttp, NetHttp
JavaScript - Axios, Fetch, jQuery, XMLHttpRequest
PHP - cURL and native implementations
Python - Requests library
Shell - cURL commands

Click the </> icon in the request view to access the Code tab and copy your generated snippets.

🔧 Environment Variables

Dynamically set environment variables from API responses, headers, and cookies.

Extract values from response data automatically
Set variables from headers and cookies
Use variables across different requests in your collection

⚙️ Extension Settings

Customize Flashpost to fit your workflow:

Custom Data Location - Choose where to store your collections and data
Save to Workspace - Store request data in your current workspace
Workspace Relative Path - Set a custom relative path for workspace data
History Limit - Control how many historical requests to keep

Access settings by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner of the sidebar.

📜 History Management

New requests will be saved in History tab
Number of history items to display can be controlled by modifying “History Limit” extension setting.

🌍 Environment Management

Manage multiple environments (development, staging, production) with ease.

Switch between environments quickly
Set active environment with one click
Environment-specific variable management

🎲 Dynamic Variables

Flashpost includes powerful dynamic variable generation using the Faker.js library.

Features

Generate random sample data on-the-fly
Names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and much more
Variables regenerate with each request execution
Perfect for testing with realistic data

Usage

Dynamic variables start with a $ symbol and are evaluated at runtime:

$guid          // Generates a unique GUID
$timestamp     // Current timestamp
$randomName    // Random person name
$randomEmail   // Random email address
$randomPhone   // Random phone number

📋 Complete Dynamic Variables Reference

🚀 Migration from Other Tools

From Postman

Export your Postman collections and environments
In Flashpost, click the import icon
Select your exported Postman files
Choose multiple collections and environments to import at once

From Thunder Client

Export your Thunder Client data
Use Flashpost's import feature
Select Thunder Client format
Import collections and environments seamlessly

📋 System Requirements

VS Code Version: 1.74.0 or higher
Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
Node.js: Not required (extension is self-contained)

📄 License

This extension is licensed under the MIT License.

🐛 Issues & Support

Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
Feature Requests: GitHub Discussions
Documentation: Support Repository

⭐ Show Your Support

If Flashpost helps you in your development workflow, please consider:

⭐ Starring the project
📝 Writing a review on the VS Code Marketplace
🐦 Sharing with your developer community

Happy API Testing! 🚀

Flashpost

Subas Raj