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REST Client Next allows you to send HTTP requests and view responses directly in VS Code.

REST Client Next allows you to send HTTP request and view the response in Visual Studio Code directly. It eliminates the need for a separate tool to test REST APIs and makes API testing convenient and efficient.

This documentation is based on the original README from Huachao’s REST Client.

Main Features

REST Client Next provides a comprehensive set of features for API testing:

  • Send/Cancel/Rerun HTTP request in editor and view response in a separate pane with syntax highlight
  • Send GraphQL query and author GraphQL variables in editor
  • Send cURL command in editor and copy HTTP request as cURL command
  • Auto save and view/clear request history
  • Compose MULTIPLE requests in a single file (separated by ### delimiter)
  • View image response directly in pane
  • Save raw response and response body only to local disk
  • Fold and unfold response body
  • Customize font(size/family/weight) in response preview
  • Preview response with expected parts(headers only, body only, full response and both request and response)
  • Authentication support for Basic Auth, Digest Auth, SSL Client Certificates, Microsoft Entra ID (ex Azure Active Directory), OpenID Connect (as Microsoft Identity Platform), AWS Signature v4, and AWS Cognito
  • Environments and custom/system variables support with powerful variable resolution
  • Generate code snippets for HTTP requests in multiple languages
  • Remember Cookies for subsequent requests
  • Proxy support
  • Send SOAP requests with snippet support
  • Full HTTP language support with syntax highlighting, auto completion, and more

Quick Start

In editor, type an HTTP request as simple as below:

https://example.com/comments/1

Or follow the standard RFC 2616 including request method, headers, and body:

POST https://example.com/comments HTTP/1.1
content-type: application/json

{
    "name": "sample",
    "time": "Wed, 21 Oct 2015 18:27:50 GMT"
}

To send a prepared request, you can:

  • Click the Send Request link above the request
  • Use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+R (Cmd+Alt+R for macOS)
  • Right-click in the editor and select Send Request
  • Press F1 and select/type Rest Client: Send Request

The response will be previewed in a separate webview panel inside Visual Studio Code.

Demo Send request with Rest Client Next demonstration

Documentation Sections

  • Features - Detailed feature overview
  • Usage - How to use the REST Client
  • Commands - Complete command reference and shortcuts
  • Authentication - Authentication methods and configuration
  • Variables - Environment, file, request, and system variables
  • Settings - Configuration settings and customization
  • HTTP Language - HTTP language support details

Installation

Press F1, type ext install then search for rest-client-next.

Or install directly from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.