Design, test, capture, and document APIs — without sending your secrets to the cloud.
APIs power almost every product we ship — but the tools we use to test them often feel heavy, cloud-locked, or unclear about where your data actually goes.
HttpForge is a modern, open-source API client built for developers who want speed, control, and privacy. It's free forever, runs locally, and keeps your data on your machine — not someone else's servers.
🌐 Website: https://httpforge.com
💻 Windows app: https://github.com/httpforge/Code-Editor/releases/latest
🧩 VS Code extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=httpforge.httpforge
⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/httpforge
📖 Docs: https://httpforge.com/docs.html
Why HttpForge?
Most API clients force a tradeoff: powerful features vs. privacy and simplicity. HttpForge is built around three ideas:
Privacy First — credentials and API keys are encrypted and stored locally; nothing is transmitted to external servers
Open Source — inspect the code, contribute, fork, or self-host your workflow
Developer Experience — a clean, split-screen workspace that keeps you in flow
Tagline: Privacy First · Open Source · Free Forever
What developers can actually do with it
- Workspace — one place for every protocol
A split-screen request builder supporting HTTP, GraphQL, WebSocket, gRPC, and SOAP. Browse your project tree, open multiple request tabs, edit headers/auth/query params/body, and use environment variables like {{BASE_URL}} so the same request runs unchanged across local, staging, and production. Status, timing, headers, and formatted bodies are all inspected in the same response panel.
- API Capture — stop hand-writing endpoints
Open any site in a dedicated capture window, use it normally, and HttpForge records the real XHR/fetch traffic as you go. Useful capture controls include:
Remove duplicate requests (on by default) — collapses repeats down to one entry per method + path
Include static assets toggle — off by default, so you capture only API calls, not scripts/images/fonts
Same-domain only filtering, or a custom allowed endpoints list for multi-host apps
On save, deduplicated requests land in a collection and the detected BASE_URL is written straight into your active environment — no manual copy-paste.
- History — a real debugging log
Every request sent during your session is logged with status, timing, headers, and bodies, filterable by All / Success / Errors. Session-scoped and project-scoped, stored locally, and clearable in one click.
- Collections & Environments
Organize requests into collections with nested folders, variable substitution, and Git-friendly version control. Environments hold your base URLs, keys, and tokens per stage (local/staging/prod) — switch environments without touching a single request, and credentials never leave your device.
- API Documentation — generated, not hand-written
Turn any project's collections into OpenAPI 3.0 + static HTML docs. Preview locally with one click, or link a Git repo and publish straight to docs/index.html for GitHub Pages hosting.
- VS Code Extension
Work from .http files directly in your editor: send requests, autocomplete environment variables, and view formatted responses inline — without switching windows.
Who it's for
Backend and full-stack engineers debugging REST/GraphQL APIs
Frontend developers reverse-engineering real browser API calls
Teams who want local-first tooling instead of cloud lock-in
Anyone looking for a free, open-source Postman-style alternative
Get started in minutes
Download the Windows installer from GitHub Releases — or install the VS Code extension
Create a project and an environment
Open Workspace and send your first request
Try API Capture to pull real endpoints out of a live app
Generate docs from your collections when you're ready
Full setup walkthrough: https://httpforge.com/docs.html
Built in the open
HttpForge is MIT-licensed and developed in public. Star the repo, open issues, improve docs, or ship features with the community.
If you care about privacy, local-first tools, and a cleaner API workflow — give HttpForge a try and share it with your team.
Privacy First · Open Source · Free Forever
https://httpforge.com
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