Last month I let my Postman trial lapse and moved every API collection into a single api.http file at the root of each repo. Thirty days later: I don't miss it.
The setup
VS Code + the REST Client extension (free, 4M+ installs). One file:
@base = http://localhost:8080
@token = {{$dotenv API_TOKEN}}
### List users
GET {{base}}/users?limit=20
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
### Create user
POST {{base}}/users
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Content-Type: application/json
{
"name": "Ada",
"role": "admin"
}
Click "Send Request" above any block. Response opens in a split pane with syntax highlighting. ### separates requests; @vars and {{$dotenv}} keep secrets out of git.
What the numbers look like
| Postman Team | REST Client | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $14/user/mo | $0 |
| Collections in git | ❌ (cloud sync) | ✅ (it's a text file) |
| Code review of API changes | ❌ | ✅ (diffs in PR) |
| Works offline | Partial | Fully |
| Env switching | Paid tier |
@env vars, free |
The honest catch
- No automated test-runner UI — I kept a tiny
pytest+httpxsuite for CI instead - Team sharing = git, so non-devs (PMs, support) can't click around. If your QA lives in Postman, this won't fly
- Mock servers: gone. I don't miss them, but you might
30-day verdict
9/10. The single biggest win wasn't the $14 — it's that API changes now show up in pull requests, reviewed like any other code. Postman collections drift from reality because they're invisible in the repo. A .http file can't hide.
I drafted the migration script (Postman JSON → .http) with MonkeyCode: https://ly.cyberserval.tech/iIETXiF
Have you ditched Postman, or is the collaboration UI worth the subscription for your team?
Top comments (1)
It's interesting to see how you've leveraged the
.httpfile for managing API requests, especially with the benefit of integrating it into version control. The ability to have API changes visible in pull requests is a game changer for maintaining code quality and transparency. One potential enhancement could be to explore ways to facilitate collaboration for non-developers, perhaps by generating documentation from the.httpfiles that could be more user-friendly for your PMs and QA teams. If you’re looking for help refining that aspect or other parts of your project, I’d be glad to discuss a paid collaboration. Have you thought about any tools or processes to bridge that gap?