Testing APIs shouldn’t feel like a chore. Yet, here we are, copy-pasting URLs into Postman, manually typing headers, rebuilding request bodies from scratch, and constantly switching between our code and external tools. It’s 2025, and we’re still doing this.
What if your API client just… knew about your Laravel app?
That’s Nimbus. An integrated, in-browser API client that automatically discovers your routes and validation rules, understands your authentication, and gives you an interface to test everything without leaving your development environment.
The Problem With Traditional API Clients
Don’t get me wrong, tools like Postman and Insomnia are great tools. I have been using them all this time. But they’re built for a different problem; they’re generic clients meant to work with any API, anywhere. That generality comes at a cost: everything is manual (including the creation of scripts manually).
Think about your daily workflow:
You build a new endpoint in Laravel. You define the route, write the controller, and create a Form Request with validation rules. Then you switch to your API client and… start from scratch. Copy the URL. Type the method. Add headers one by one. Build the request body by guessing what fields you need. Send the request. Get a validation error. Go back to your code to check the validation rules. Update your request. Try again. Then, once done, you have to figure out how to communicate it with the rest of the team.
That’s a lot of friction and wasted time.
Here’s the thing: your Laravel application already knows everything about your API. It knows the routes, the validation rules, the authentication requirements, and the response structure. Why are we manually reconstructing this information in an external tool?
That was what I was asking myself every time I was fiddling with these tools. Which made me think, why not make it happen?
Meet Nimbus
Nimbus takes a different approach: instead of being a generic API client, it’s a Laravel-aware API client. It lives inside your application and automatically understands what you’re building.
Here’s what happens when you install Nimbus:
- It scans your API routes.
- It extracts validation rules from Form Requests and inline validators.
- It builds JSON schemas automatically.
- It gives you an interface to test everything.
That is it. No collections to maintain. No manual syncing. Just install and start testing.
Want to see it in action before installing? Try the live demo. No setup required.
The Magic of Laravel-Awareness
Being inside your Laravel application gives Nimbus superpowers that external clients can’t have:
- Session-based authentication
- User impersonation
- Cookie inspection
Let me show you what this means in practice.
Setting up a new endpoint?
With traditional tools, you manually configure everything: copy URLs, set HTTP methods, add headers one by one, and build request bodies by guessing field names. With Nimbus, routes are discovered automatically.
Updating validation rules?
Changed a field from optional to required? With traditional tools, you need to manually update your collection and sync it with your team. With Nimbus, the changes appear immediately. It reads directly from your validation rules.
Testing authenticated endpoints?
Traditional tools require extracting tokens, managing expiration, and manually adding authorization headers. Nimbus lets you authenticate with one click, either as your current user or by impersonating any user ID. No token management needed.
Debugging cookies?
Need to inspect a Laravel session cookie? With external tools, you copy the encrypted value, find (or make) a decoder, paste it somewhere, and try to make sense of it. Nimbus decrypts and displays your cookies automatically.
Sharing with your team?
Traditional tools require exporting collections, sending files around, and hoping everyone imports the latest version. With Nimbus, there’s nothing to share. Everyone on the team just visits /nimbus in their local environment. No exports, no imports, no version mismatches.
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And honestly, the sky is the limit. The package embraces a “not afraid of magic” philosophy, and anything that we can do to make the Developer Experience much better, we will do.
What Nimbus Is Not
Let’s be clear about this: Nimbus is not an API documentation generator.
It doesn’t produce beautiful, client-facing API documentation. It’s not trying to replace tools like Scribe or Scramble. Its sole purpose is to improve the developer experience while building and testing APIs.
Think of it as a developer-focused API playground, not a production documentation tool.
Getting Started
Installation takes less than a minute:
composer require sunchayn/nimbus
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=nimbus-assets --tag=nimbus-config
That’s it. Navigate to http://your-app.test/nimbus and start testing.
Nimbus is currently an open alpha release. This means:
- You might encounter bugs or unexpected behaviors.
- Some edge cases aren’t handled yet
- Performance could be better for large applications
- Features are intentionally minimal to validate the concept.
I’m releasing it as alpha to validate whether this approach resonates with the Laravel community. Does automatic schema discovery actually improve your workflow? What features would make it indispensable?
Closing Notes
We spend so much time building APIs in Laravel. Yet we’ve accepted that testing them requires leaving our environment, reconstructing our routes manually, and fighting with external tools that don’t understand our application.
Nimbus is my attempt to eliminate that friction. Give it a try.
Links:
- Documentation: User Guide
- Want to contribute? Check the contributor guide
- Found a bug? Open an issue
- Have a feature idea? Start a discussion
Thanks for reading!
Top comments (2)
This looks awesome! Testing APIs inside the app environment feels like the upgrade we’ve been waiting for.
The validation rule auto-discovery and instant updates after edits — pure magic ✨
Can’t wait to try Nimbus and see how it changes my workflow.
While I applaud the effort and I see the appeal of a playground, I think tests provide more robustness.
Maybe the library should have the option to generate tests?