restless

Your API workbench lives in the terminal.

A full-featured HTTP client that runs entirely in your terminal. Uses .http files — the same plain-text format supported by JetBrains IDEs and VS Code REST Client. No Electron. No cloud sync. No account required.

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Install

# Homebrew
brew tap shahadulhaider/tap && brew install restless

# Go
go install github.com/shahadulhaider/restless/cmd/restless@latest

# Binary — download from Releases

Quick Start

# Create a request file
cat > api.http << 'EOF'
@baseUrl = https://httpbin.org

# @name health
GET {{baseUrl}}/get
Accept: application/json

###

# @name echo
POST {{baseUrl}}/post
Content-Type: application/json

{"message": "hello from restless", "time": "{{$isoTimestamp}}"}

# @assert status == 200
# @assert body.$.json.message == "hello from restless"
EOF

# Launch the TUI
restless .

# Or run headless (CI/CD)
restless run api.http

Features

• Interactive TUI — browse collections, send requests, inspect responses in a tabbed detail pane
• Mouse support — wheel-scroll, click to select/focus, click a tab to switch, click ▾/▸ to fold JSON, drag the divider to resize
• .http files — plain text, Git-friendly, JetBrains-compatible
• Request/Response toggle — r/s to switch views, both with syntax highlighting, fold/scroll/search/yank
• JSON folding — collapse/expand individual objects and arrays with za
• Environments — restless.env.json with $shared + per-env variables, switch with Ctrl+E
• Inline variables — @baseUrl = http://localhost:8000 right in your .http file
• Dynamic variables — {{$uuid}}, {{$timestamp}}, {{$randomInt}}, {{$date}}, and more
• Request chaining — {{login.response.body.token}} passes data between requests
• Response assertions — # @assert status == 200 for CI/CD testing
• Collection runner — --data users.csv to run requests with parameterized data from CSV/JSON
• Code generation — yg + key to copy as Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, Ruby, HTTPie, curl, PowerShell
• Import from anywhere — Postman, Insomnia, Bruno, curl commands, OpenAPI/Swagger
• $EDITOR integration — press e to edit in nvim/vim/code
• Vim-style commands — za/zR/zM JSON folds, v/V visual selection, yb/yh/ya/yc/yf yank
• Cookie jar — cookies persist per environment automatically
• Pre-request & post-response scripting — JavaScript (ES5.1) via # @pre-request { ... } and # @post-response { ... } with crypto builtins (hmac, sha256, base64)
• Proxy & SSL — # @insecure, # @proxy, --insecure, --proxy flags
• Readline/emacs editing — Ctrl+A/E/W/U/K, arrow keys, word navigation, and paste (Ctrl/Cmd+V) in editor, search, and prompts

Demo

JSON folding and tabs — collapse nodes with za, jump tabs with 1–4

Visual selection and yank — v/V to select, yb/yc to copy

Code generation — yg then a language key

Environment switching — Ctrl+E to swap variables

Recorded with VHS. The tapes and demo collection live in docs/demo/ — run vhs docs/demo/hero.tape to regenerate.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ? in the TUI for the full reference. Press F1 for context-sensitive help.

Key	Action
j/k	Navigate
Enter	Send request / select
e	Edit in $EDITOR
r/s	Request / Response view
1/2/3	Select tab
4	Assertions tab (response, when present)
Space	Next tab
za	Fold/unfold JSON node
v/V	Visual selection (character / line)
Mouse	Scroll, click, drag to resize
yb/yh/ya/yc	Copy body/headers/all/curl
yf	Copy JSON fold block
yg + key	Generate code
p	Pretty/raw toggle
f	Search in body
?	Help

Full keybinding reference →

CLI

restless [directory]                    # Launch TUI
restless run <file> [--env name]        # Run headless (CI/CD)
restless run <file> --data data.csv    # Parameterized run with data file
restless import postman <file>          # Import Postman collection
restless import insomnia <file>         # Import Insomnia export
restless import bruno <dir>             # Import Bruno collection
restless import curl "<command>"        # Import curl command
restless import openapi <spec>          # Import OpenAPI/Swagger

Documentation

Guide	Description
Getting Started	First collection, environments, CI/CD
.http File Format	Full syntax reference, variables, assertions
All Keybindings	Complete keyboard reference
Environments	Inline vars, env files, dynamic vars
Assertions	Response assertions for CI/CD
Scripting	Pre-request & post-response JavaScript
Collection Runner	Parameterized runs with CSV/JSON data
Importing Collections	Postman, Insomnia, Bruno, curl, OpenAPI
Code Generation	Python, JS, Go, Java, Ruby, HTTPie, curl, PowerShell
FAQ	Common questions and troubleshooting

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Please open an issue first for non-trivial changes.

git clone https://github.com/shahadulhaider/restless.git
cd restless
go build ./cmd/restless
go test ./...

License

MIT — Shahadul Haider