⚡ RestBolt

Fast, local-first REST API client for developers

RestBolt is a modern, lightning-fast API testing tool built for developers who are tired of slow, bloated alternatives. With powerful features like visual chain building, smart variable extraction, and a beautiful dark-mode interface, RestBolt makes API testing a joy.

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🌟 Why RestBolt?

The Problem: Existing API clients (Postman, Insomnia) are slow, bloated, and force you into cloud-first workflows. They take seconds to launch, consume hundreds of megabytes of RAM, and constantly push you to sign in.

The Solution: RestBolt is built from the ground up to be:

• ⚡ Lightning Fast - Launches instantly, runs smoothly
• 🏠 Local-First - Everything stored locally by default, works 100% offline
• 🎨 Beautiful - Modern, clean interface with seamless dark mode
• ⌨️ Keyboard-First - Professional keyboard shortcuts for power users
• 🔗 Chain Builder - Visual workflow editor for multi-step API testing (our killer feature!)

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✨ Key Features

Core API Testing

• ✅ All HTTP Methods - GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, HEAD, OPTIONS
• ✅ Request Builder - Headers, query params, request body with Monaco editor
• ✅ Response Viewer - Formatted JSON/XML/HTML with syntax highlighting
• ✅ Collections - Organize requests into folders
• ✅ Request History - Never lose a request
• ✅ Environment Variables - Multiple environments with variable substitution

Advanced Features

• 🔗 Chain Builder - Create multi-step request workflows with visual editor
• 📊 Variable Extraction - Extract values from responses using JSONPath
• 🔄 Variable Interpolation - Use extracted variables in subsequent requests
• ⚠️ Conflict Detection - Prevents accidental variable overwrites
• 🔍 Response Diffing - Compare responses side-by-side
• 🌐 WebSocket Support - Test real-time connections
• 📝 Code Generation - Export to cURL, JavaScript, Python, Axios
• 🔎 Global Search - Find any request instantly
• 💾 Export/Import - Backup and share your collections

Professional UX

• 🎨 Dark/Light Mode - Seamless theme switching
• 📐 Resizable Panels - Customize your workspace
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts - Cmd+B, Cmd+Enter, and more
• 💾 Auto-Save - Never lose your work
• 🎯 Smart Defaults - Sensible defaults that just work
• ✨ Visual Feedback - Clear loading states and status indicators

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🎥 Demo

Coming soon - demo video and screenshots

Key Workflows to Showcase:

1. Simple GET request → formatted response
2. Chain Builder: Create user → Create post → Fetch post (showing variable flow)
3. Variable extraction from response
4. Code generation export
5. Response comparison

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ installed
• npm or yarn package manager

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Dancode-188/restbolt.git
cd restbolt

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Quick Start Guide

1. Send Your First Request

   • Enter a URL (try https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1)
   • Click "Send" or press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter
   • View formatted response

2. Create a Collection

   • Click "Collections" tab in sidebar
   • Click "New Collection"
   • Save requests for later

3. Try the Chain Builder (The Cool Part!)

   • Click "Chains" tab in sidebar
   • Click "New Chain"
   • Add multiple steps
   • Extract variables from responses (e.g., userId = $.id)
   • Use variables in next steps (e.g., /users/{{userId}}/posts)
   • Execute and watch variables flow through the chain!

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🔗 Chain Builder - Our Killer Feature

The Chain Builder is what makes RestBolt special. It lets you create visual, multi-step API workflows where data flows automatically between requests.

Example Use Case: User Onboarding Flow

Step 1: Create User
  POST /api/users
  Extract: userId = $.id

Step 2: Create Profile  
  POST /api/profiles
  Body: { "userId": {{userId}}, "bio": "..." }
  Extract: profileId = $.id

Step 3: Upload Avatar
  POST /api/avatars
  Body: { "profileId": {{profileId}}, "image": "..." }

Step 4: Verify Setup
  GET /api/users/{{userId}}/complete

Features:

• Visual step-by-step editor
• JSONPath-based variable extraction
• Variable interpolation in URLs, headers, and body
• Conflict detection (warns if overwriting variables)
• Execution history tracking
• Continue-on-error handling
• Delay between steps
• Export/import chains

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 15 (App Router)
• Language: TypeScript
• State Management: Zustand
• UI: Tailwind CSS
• Code Editor: Monaco Editor (VS Code editor)
• HTTP Client: Axios
• Local Storage: Dexie.js (IndexedDB wrapper)
• Resizable Panels: react-resizable-panels
• Keyboard Shortcuts: react-hotkeys-hook

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl + Enter	Send request
Cmd/Ctrl + B	Toggle sidebar
Cmd/Ctrl + K	Focus URL bar
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ?	Show all shortcuts
Cmd/Ctrl + ,	Open settings
Esc	Close modals

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📁 Project Structure

restbolt/
├── src/
│   ├── app/              # Next.js app router pages
│   ├── components/       # React components
│   │   ├── ChainBuilder.tsx
│   │   ├── ChainManager.tsx
│   │   ├── RequestBuilder.tsx
│   │   ├── ResponseViewer.tsx
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── lib/              # Services and utilities
│   │   ├── chain-service.ts
│   │   ├── http-client.ts
│   │   ├── db.ts
│   │   └── ...
│   └── types/            # TypeScript type definitions
├── public/               # Static assets
└── package.json

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🎯 Roadmap

See GitHub Issues for planned features:

• GraphQL support with dedicated query builder
• Mock server for API simulation
• Automated testing framework
• Request scripting (pre/post-request scripts)
• Team collaboration features
• Cloud sync (optional)
• Desktop app (Tauri packaging)
• Plugin system

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Report Bugs - Open an issue with details
2. Suggest Features - Open an issue with your idea
3. Submit PRs - Fork, create a feature branch, and submit a PR
4. Improve Docs - Help us make the documentation better
5. Spread the Word - Share RestBolt with other developers

Development Setup

# Fork and clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/Dancode-188/restbolt.git
cd restbolt

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

# Run linting
npm run lint

# Build for production
npm run build

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📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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💬 Support & Community

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Email: danbitengo@gmail.com

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🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with ❤️ by developers who were tired of slow, bloated API clients.

Special thanks to:

• Next.js team for the amazing framework
• Monaco Editor for the beautiful code editor
• The open-source community for incredible libraries

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⭐ Star Us!

If you find RestBolt useful, please consider giving it a star on GitHub! It helps others discover the project.

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RestBolt - Fast, local-first API testing for developers who care about speed and simplicity.