Inspect a REST API
You're working with a REST API — your own, or one you're integrating with — and need to send a request, read a messy JSON response, understand what a status code means, or pick apart a URL's query parameters, without installing a desktop app.
Who this is for: Developers testing an API endpoint, debugging an integration, or just trying to understand what a URL or a JSON response actually contains.
Recommended order
- 1.REST API Client
Send the actual request — choose a method, add headers and a body if needed, and see the status, timing, and response.
- 2.JSON Formatter
If the response body is a dense, unformatted JSON string, paste it here to get a readable, indented version.
- 3.HTTP Status Code Lookup
Look up what a specific status code (404, 429, 503...) actually means if the response wasn't what you expected.
- 4.URL Parser
Break down the API endpoint's URL into its protocol, host, path, and individual query parameters — useful for spotting a malformed parameter.
Limitations to know upfront
- The REST client runs in your browser, so it's subject to CORS — many APIs that don't explicitly allow browser-based cross-origin requests will fail here even though the same request works fine from curl or a backend server. This is a browser security rule, not a bug in the tool.
- There's no support for GraphQL-specific tooling, WebSockets, or gRPC — this covers plain HTTP/REST only.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a failed request means the API is down, when it's actually a CORS restriction — check the browser console; a CORS failure and a real network failure look similar from the REST client's error message alone.
- Forgetting to set a Content-Type header on a POST/PUT request — many APIs silently reject or misinterpret a JSON body sent without `Content-Type: application/json`.
Privacy
The REST client sends your request directly from your browser to the API you specify — it never passes through our servers, so we never see your URL, headers, body, or the response.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does my request work in Postman but not here?
- Postman is a desktop app, not a web page, so it isn't subject to the browser's CORS restrictions the way this tool (and any browser-based REST client) is.
- Can I save requests for later?
- The REST client keeps a short local history of your last few requests in your browser so you can reload them, but there's no account or cloud sync — it's per-device and per-browser.