Laika

A VS Code extension for browsing and firing .http file requests — a visual companion to the plain-text HTTP workflow, without leaving the editor.

Getting started

1. Install the extension.
2. Open any workspace that contains .http files.
3. Click the Laika icon in the Activity Bar (the astronaut helmet).
4. Expand a file in the sidebar to see its requests.
5. Click ▶ next to a request to open the request panel.
6. Click Send Request — the response appears below with the status code, headers, and highlighted body.

The sidebar

The Laika panel lists every .http file found in the workspace. Files are watched automatically — add, delete, or save one and the tree updates instantly. Use the ↻ button at the top of the panel to force a refresh.

The request panel

Opening a request shows the resolved URL, headers, and body (all {{variables}} already substituted) before you send anything. After sending:

• Status is colour-coded: green (2xx), yellow (3xx), orange (4xx), red (5xx)
• Response headers are collapsible
• Body is pretty-printed with JSON syntax highlighting

The panel stays open when you switch tabs. Clicking a different request updates it in place rather than opening a new tab.

.http file format

Laika uses the same format as the REST Client extension, so existing .http files work without changes.

@baseUrl = https://api.example.com
@token   = abc123

### List users
# @name listUsers
GET {{baseUrl}}/users
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json

###

### Create user
# @name createUser
POST {{baseUrl}}/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Laika",
  "role": "first dog in space"
}

Contributing

npm install
npm run compile   # type-check + lint + bundle
npm run watch     # rebuild on save

Press F5 in VS Code to open an Extension Development Host with Laika loaded.