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Request History

ReqSmith automatically tracks all your API requests, providing a comprehensive history that you can search, analyze, and replay. This feature is essential for debugging, testing, and understanding API usage patterns.

What is Request History?​

Request history is an automatic log of every HTTP request made through ReqSmith, including:

  • Request details (method, URL, headers, body)
  • Response information (status, headers, body, timing)
  • Execution context (template used, environment, timestamp)
  • Performance metrics (response time, data size)

Viewing History​

List Recent Requests​

View your most recent requests:

# Show last 10 requests (default)
reqsmith history list

# Show specific number of requests
reqsmith history list --limit 20

# Show with detailed information
reqsmith history list --details

Filter History​

Filter requests by various criteria:

# Filter by HTTP method
reqsmith history list --method GET
reqsmith history list --method POST

# Filter by status code
reqsmith history list --status 200
reqsmith history list --status 404

# Filter by URL pattern
reqsmith history list --url "api.github.com"
reqsmith history list --url "*/users/*"

# Filter by template used
reqsmith history list --template github-user

# Filter by environment
reqsmith history list --env production

# Filter by time period
reqsmith history list --days 7
reqsmith history list --since "2023-12-01"

Combined Filters​

Combine multiple filters for precise results:

# GET requests to GitHub API in the last 3 days
reqsmith history list \
  --method GET \
  --url "api.github.com" \
  --days 3

# Failed requests from production environment
reqsmith history list \
  --status 500 \
  --env production \
  --days 1

Request Details​

View Specific Request​

Get detailed information about a specific request:

# Show request by ID
reqsmith history show 12345

# Show with full response body
reqsmith history show 12345 --full

# Show request and response headers
reqsmith history show 12345 --headers

Request Information Includes​

Each history entry contains:

  • Request ID: Unique identifier
  • Timestamp: When the request was made
  • Method and URL: HTTP method and full URL
  • Status Code: Response status
  • Response Time: Request duration
  • Content Size: Response body size
  • Template: Template used (if any)
  • Environment: Environment active during request
  • Headers: Request and response headers
  • Body: Request and response body content

Searching History​

Text Search​

Search through request history:

# Search in URLs
reqsmith history search "github.com"

# Search in response bodies
reqsmith history search "error" --in-response

# Search in request bodies
reqsmith history search "username" --in-request

# Case-sensitive search
reqsmith history search "GitHub" --case-sensitive

Use advanced search patterns:

# Regular expression search
reqsmith history search "user/\d+" --regex

# Search with multiple terms
reqsmith history search "api" "users" --all-terms

# Search excluding certain terms
reqsmith history search "api" --exclude "test"

Replaying Requests​

Retry Previous Requests​

Re-execute previous requests:

# Retry a specific request by ID
reqsmith history retry 12345

# Retry the last request
reqsmith history retry --last

# Retry all failed requests
reqsmith history retry --failed

# Retry requests from last hour
reqsmith history retry --since "1 hour ago"

Retry with Modifications​

Modify requests when retrying:

# Retry with different environment
reqsmith history retry 12345 --env staging

# Retry with additional headers
reqsmith history retry 12345 --header "X-Debug: true"

# Retry with timeout override
reqsmith history retry 12345 --timeout 60

History Statistics​

View Statistics​

Get insights from your request history:

# General statistics
reqsmith history stats

# Statistics for specific time period
reqsmith history stats --days 30

# Statistics by HTTP method
reqsmith history stats --by-method

# Statistics by status code
reqsmith history stats --by-status

# Statistics by environment
reqsmith history stats --by-environment

Statistics Include​

  • Total requests: Number of requests made
  • Success rate: Percentage of successful requests (2xx status)
  • Average response time: Mean response time
  • Most used endpoints: Frequently requested URLs
  • Error patterns: Common error status codes
  • Template usage: Most used templates
  • Environment distribution: Requests per environment

History Analysis​

Performance Analysis​

Analyze request performance:

# Show slowest requests
reqsmith history analyze --slowest

# Show requests by response time
reqsmith history analyze --by-time

# Show largest responses
reqsmith history analyze --by-size

# Performance trends over time
reqsmith history analyze --trends --days 7

Error Analysis​

Identify and analyze errors:

# Show all error responses
reqsmith history analyze --errors

# Group errors by status code
reqsmith history analyze --errors --group-by status

# Show error patterns
reqsmith history analyze --error-patterns

# Recent errors only
reqsmith history analyze --errors --days 1

Export History​

Export to Files​

Export history for analysis or backup:

# Export all history to JSON
reqsmith history export history.json

# Export with filters
reqsmith history export recent.json --days 7

# Export specific fields only
reqsmith history export summary.json --fields url,status,response_time

# Export in different formats
reqsmith history export history.csv --format csv
reqsmith history export history.xlsx --format excel

Export Formats​

Supported export formats:

  • JSON: Complete data structure
  • CSV: Tabular format for spreadsheet analysis
  • Excel: XLSX format with multiple sheets
  • HAR: HTTP Archive format for browser tools
  • Postman: Postman collection format

History Management​

Clear History​

Manage history storage:

# Clear all history (with confirmation)
reqsmith history clear

# Clear old history (older than 30 days)
reqsmith history clear --older-than 30

# Clear failed requests only
reqsmith history clear --failed-only

# Clear by environment
reqsmith history clear --env development

History Configuration​

Configure history behavior:

# Set maximum history entries
reqsmith config set storage.max_history_entries 5000

# Enable/disable history tracking
reqsmith config set history.enabled true

# Set auto-cleanup interval
reqsmith config set history.cleanup_interval_days 30

# Configure what to store
reqsmith config set history.store_request_body true
reqsmith config set history.store_response_body true

History Storage​

Storage Location​

History is stored in:

  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.reqsmith\history\
  • macOS/Linux: ~/.reqsmith/history/

Storage Format​

  • SQLite database: Efficient storage and querying
  • Indexed fields: Fast searching and filtering
  • Compression: Response bodies compressed to save space
  • Encryption: Optional encryption for sensitive data

Backup and Restore​

# Backup history database
reqsmith history backup history-backup.db

# Restore from backup
reqsmith history restore history-backup.db

# Migrate history from old version
reqsmith history migrate old-history.json

Integration with Other Features​

Template Creation from History​

Create templates from successful requests:

# Create template from history entry
reqsmith history to-template 12345 "github-user-template"

# Create template with variable extraction
reqsmith history to-template 12345 "api-endpoint" --extract-vars

Environment Variables from History​

Extract variables from successful requests:

# Extract common URLs as variables
reqsmith history extract-vars --urls

# Extract headers as environment variables
reqsmith history extract-vars --headers --env development

Advanced History Features​

History Hooks​

Automatically process requests:

# Run command after each request
reqsmith config set history.post_request_hook "notify-send 'Request completed'"

# Log specific events
reqsmith config set history.error_hook "logger 'ReqSmith error: ${STATUS}'"

History Patterns​

Identify usage patterns:

# Find common request sequences
reqsmith history patterns --sequences

# Identify API usage patterns
reqsmith history patterns --endpoints

# Find time-based patterns
reqsmith history patterns --time-based

Troubleshooting History​

Common Issues​

  1. History not updating: Check if history is enabled in configuration
  2. Search not working: Verify search terms and filters
  3. Large history file: Use cleanup commands to remove old entries
  4. Missing requests: Check if requests failed before being recorded

Debug History​

# Check history status
reqsmith history status

# Validate history database
reqsmith history validate

# Repair corrupted history
reqsmith history repair

# Show history configuration
reqsmith config show --section history

Privacy and Security​

Sensitive Data​

Protect sensitive information in history:

# Exclude sensitive headers from history
reqsmith config set history.exclude_headers "Authorization,X-API-Key"

# Don't store request/response bodies
reqsmith config set history.store_request_body false
reqsmith config set history.store_response_body false

# Enable encryption for stored data
reqsmith config set history.encrypt_data true

Data Retention​

Control how long data is kept:

# Set retention period
reqsmith config set history.retention_days 90

# Auto-delete old entries
reqsmith config set history.auto_cleanup true

# Exclude certain URLs from history
reqsmith config set history.exclude_urls "*/auth/*,*/login"

Best Practices​

  1. Regular cleanup: Remove old history entries to keep database performant
  2. Use filters: Use specific filters to find requests quickly
  3. Export important data: Backup history before major changes
  4. Monitor patterns: Use statistics to understand API usage
  5. Protect sensitive data: Configure exclusions for sensitive information
  6. Use retry wisely: Replay requests to test fixes and changes

Next Steps​