works with
Node API Forge
Discover, test, and document Node APIs without Swagger.
No app integration. No production risk. No Swagger dependencies. Just source-to-API in seconds with full testing workflows.
Node API Forge eliminates Swagger UI integration overhead by discovering endpoints directly from your Node.js source code and generating organized HTTP Forge workflows for testing, documentation, and automation—without adding app dependencies or production security risks.
Supported frameworks: Express, NestJS, Fastify, and AWS Lambda (raw handlers).
Start In 60 Seconds
- Open a Node.js workspace.
- Run Node API Forge: Discover APIs.
- Open the Node API Forge sidebar and pick an endpoint.
- Use Open Endpoint in HTTP Forge or Show Endpoint Flow.
Why Node API Forge (vs. Swagger UI)
| Feature |
Swagger UI |
Node API Forge |
| App Integration |
Requires dependency + config |
None—reads source and seed loaders |
| Production Risk |
Easy to expose accidentally |
Zero app-level exposure |
| Request History |
Limited/none |
Full—persisted in workspace HTTP Forge collections |
| Saved Inputs |
Not supported |
Full—stored in collections, shareable via git |
| Request Organization |
By tag only |
By project + framework, auto-grouped |
| Testing Workflows |
Basic |
Full (pre/post scripts, assertions, CI) |
| Endpoint Flow |
Not available |
6-tab flow analyzer: diagram, middleware chain, component tree, data flow, external calls, docs |
| Auto Refresh |
Not applicable |
Incremental—only changed files re-analyzed on save |
Why Teams Use It
- Discover Express, NestJS, Fastify, and AWS Lambda endpoints directly from source instead of manually curating requests.
- Open endpoints in HTTP Forge with method, path, params, headers, and body context already mapped.
- Browse APIs in a scalable explorer hierarchy (project -> framework -> endpoint), with automatic framework paging for very large endpoint sets.
- Trace endpoint flow across 6 tabs: Mermaid flow diagram, ordered middleware chain, component tree, parameter data flow, external call analysis, and a documentation/HTTP snippet view.
- Export discovered endpoints as organized HTTP Forge collections grouped by project and framework.
- Support multi-project workspaces and custom seed loaders for routes that cannot be auto-discovered from source.
- Keep the explorer current with incremental auto-refresh—only changed files are re-analyzed on save.
Commands
| Command |
When To Use It |
Result |
Node API Forge: Discover APIs |
After opening a workspace or changing routing code |
Refreshes endpoint discovery from source and configured seed loaders |
Node API Forge: Open Endpoint in HTTP Forge |
You want to test a discovered endpoint immediately |
Opens a request context in HTTP Forge |
Node API Forge: Open Endpoint Source |
You need to inspect the handler implementation |
Opens source file at handler location |
Node API Forge: Copy Endpoint Request |
You need a quick portable request snippet |
Copies an HTTP request template to clipboard |
Node API Forge: Export Discovered Collection |
You want reusable request assets |
Exports discovered endpoints as HTTP Forge collection JSON |
Node API Forge: Show Endpoint Flow |
You want middleware/handler analysis |
Opens flow analyzer webview for the endpoint |
Node API Forge: Search in Endpoint Files |
You want route/component-focused workspace search |
Opens Find in Files scoped to endpoint-related files |
Node API Forge: Go to Test File |
You want to jump from handler to nearby tests |
Opens a matching test file (*.test.*, *.spec.*, __tests__) when found |
Node API Forge: Export Project Collection |
You want project-scoped artifacts |
Exports one HTTP Forge collection for the selected project |
Node API Forge: Export Framework Collection |
You want framework-scoped artifacts |
Exports one HTTP Forge collection for a selected framework under a project |
Node API Forge: Hard Refresh Workspace |
Discovery cache is stale after major changes |
Clears caches and re-runs discovery |
Example Setup
{
"frameworks": ["auto"],
"customSeedLoaderModulePath": "./node-api-forge-generic-loader.js",
"contextProperties": ["locals"],
"autoRefreshOnFileChanges": true,
"searchComponentLibAllowlist": [],
"externalCallLibraries": [],
"apiExplorerFrameworkPageSize": 200
}
Save this file at .http-forge/node-api-forge.config.json in your workspace root.
Configuration
| Property |
Type |
Default |
Description |
frameworks |
string[] |
["auto"] |
Framework hints for discovery in mixed projects (auto, express, fastify, nestjs, lambda). Lambda activates only when Express and Fastify are absent. |
customSeedLoaderModulePath |
string |
"" |
Optional JS module that exports loadSeedManifestEndpoints(projectRoot, context). |
contextProperties |
string[] |
["locals"] |
Shared context sub-properties to track on inferred request/response roots (for example ["locals", "context"]). |
autoRefreshOnFileChanges |
boolean |
true |
Automatically reruns discovery on relevant source/config changes. |
searchComponentLibAllowlist |
string[] |
[] |
External/internal library packages Flow Search is allowed to traverse. |
externalCallLibraries |
object[] |
[] |
Optional package-to-client mappings used by the Flow Analyzer External Calls tab for custom libraries. |
apiExplorerFrameworkPageSize |
number |
200 |
Endpoints per framework page in API Explorer for large endpoint sets (range 25 to 1000). |
Discovery Guidance
When a manual discovery run finds very few endpoints (or none) and no custom seed loader is configured, Node API Forge shows a warning with actions to open:
- custom seed loader docs
.http-forge/node-api-forge.config.json
This helps when routes are registered indirectly and cannot be fully inferred from static source patterns.
Docs
| |
