Being an iOS developer, for a long time, I thought I just didn’t like API testing.
Writing endpoints felt productive. Designing schemas was satisfying. Even debugging backend logic had a certain rhythm to it. But API testing always felt like friction. Something I had to do, not something that helped me think.
I blamed the process. I blamed the deadlines. I even blamed APIs themselves.
Turns out, API testing was never the real problem.
The tools were.
Where the friction starts
Like most developers, I use APIs constantly. REST APIs are at the center of almost every project I work on. Mobile apps, backend services, internal tools, integrations. They all depend on APIs behaving correctly.
To test them, I followed what everyone else did.
- Open a heavyweight REST API client.
- Create a request.
- Set headers.
- Switch environments.
- Copy tokens.
- Send.
- Repeat.
On paper, that sounds fine. In reality, it felt disconnected from how I actually work. Especially when I was debugging an iOS app on a physical device and had to jump back to my Mac just to tweak a request. Or when I wanted to quickly sanity-check an endpoint and ended up reopening a tool filled with dozens of old collections I no longer cared about.
Nothing was wrong with API testing itself. The feedback loop was just too slow.
The hidden cost of context switching
The biggest issue wasn’t missing features. It was context switching.
Every time I left my editor or device to open a different tool, I lost momentum. My mental model of the API would fade just enough to slow me down. Small bugs took longer to isolate. Quick experiments turned into chores.
API testing tools had become powerful, but also heavy. They tried to solve every possible use case, which meant they solved my daily one less elegantly.
I realized I didn’t need more features, I needed less friction.
Rethinking what a REST API Client should feel like
At some point, I started asking a different question.
What if a REST API client felt like part of my development environment instead of a separate workspace?
What if testing an API didn’t feel like “switching tools” but like continuing the same thought process?
That question is what eventually led me to HTTPBot.
Why HTTPBot felt different
HTTPBot isn’t trying to be everything. It’s a REST API client designed around how developers actually work, especially on Apple platforms.
The first thing I noticed was how natural it felt. Testing APIs directly on iPhone, iPad, or Mac without changing my workflow removed a surprising amount of friction. When debugging a mobile app, being able to test the same endpoints on the same device just made sense.
No browser tabs.
No bloated interfaces.
No mental reset.
Just requests, responses, and clarity.
With HTTPBot, I could quickly create requests, manage environments, inspect responses, and move on. It supported the things I actually needed, without getting in the way.
And that’s when something clicked.
API testing became part of thinking, not a chore
Once the tool stopped slowing me down, API testing stopped feeling like an obligation. It became part of how I reasoned about my code.
I tested endpoints earlier.
I experimented more freely.
I caught issues before they reached the app.
The workflow finally matched the way REST APIs are meant to be used: iteratively, interactively, and thoughtfully.
That’s the difference a well-designed native REST API client makes. Not more buttons. Not more panels. Just less resistance between you and the API.
What this changed for me?
I still test the same APIs.
I still send the same requests.
I still deal with the same edge cases.
But the experience is smoother. Faster. More aligned with how I work as a developer.
And that’s the lesson I took away from all of this.
API testing was never the problem.
The tools made it feel like one.
Conclusion
If API testing feels frustrating, slow, or unnecessarily complex, it’s worth questioning the tools you’re using, not the practice itself. A REST API client should help you think, not interrupt you.
HTTPBot was built with that idea in mind. A clean, native API testing experience that fits naturally into modern Apple-centric workflows.
If you want API testing to feel like a continuation of your development process instead of a detour, it might be time to try a different approach.
Download HTTPBot and see how a simpler REST API client can change the way you work.
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