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Quick Start

title: Quick Start description: "Get started with ReqSmith in minutes"​

Quick Start

This guide will help you make your first API request with ReqSmith and explore its core features.

🤖 Want AI-powered assistance?

ReqSmith includes powerful AI features that can analyze APIs, suggest optimal requests, and help debug issues. Set up AI features in 2 minutes →

Your First Request​

Let's start with a simple GET request to test that ReqSmith is working:

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/get

This will:

  • Make a GET request to httpbin.org
  • Display the response with syntax highlighting
  • Automatically add the request to your history

AI-Powered Request Suggestions​

Once you have AI set up, get intelligent suggestions for any API:

# Get AI suggestions for an API
reqsmith ai suggest --url https://api.github.com

# Analyze your last response with AI
reqsmith ai analyze

Basic Request Types​

ReqSmith supports all common HTTP methods:

GET Request​

reqsmith request get https://api.github.com/users/octocat

POST Request with JSON​

reqsmith request post https://httpbin.org/post \
  --json '{"name": "John", "email": "john@example.com"}'

POST Request with Data​

reqsmith request post https://httpbin.org/post \
  --data "name=John&email=john@example.com"

Request with Headers​

reqsmith request get https://api.github.com/user \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  --header "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json"

Request with Query Parameters​

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/get \
  --param "page=1" \
  --param "limit=10"

Working with Templates​

Templates let you save and reuse request configurations:

Save a Template​

reqsmith template save github-user \
  --method GET \
  --url "https://api.github.com/users/${USERNAME}" \
  --header "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  --description "Get GitHub user information"

Use a Template​

reqsmith template use github-user --var USERNAME=octocat

List Your Templates​

reqsmith template list

Environment Management​

Environments help manage different configurations (dev, staging, prod):

Create an Environment​

reqsmith env create development

Set Environment Variables​

reqsmith env set API_BASE_URL "https://api.dev.example.com"
reqsmith env set API_TOKEN "dev-token-123"

Switch Environment​

reqsmith env switch development

Use Environment in Template​

reqsmith template save api-endpoint \
  --method GET \
  --url "${API_BASE_URL}/users" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"

reqsmith template use api-endpoint --env development

Request History​

ReqSmith automatically tracks all your requests:

View Recent Requests​

reqsmith history list --limit 10

Search History​

reqsmith history search "github.com"

Retry a Failed Request​

reqsmith history retry --failed

View Request Statistics​

reqsmith history stats

Response Formatting​

Control how responses are displayed:

JSON Format (Default)​

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/json

Table Format​

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/json --format table

Raw Format​

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/html --format raw

Save Response to File​

reqsmith request get https://httpbin.org/json --output response.json

Configuration​

Check your current configuration:

reqsmith config show

Common configuration options:

# Set default output format
reqsmith config set output.default_format table

# Set request timeout
reqsmith config set network.timeout_seconds 30

# Enable caching
reqsmith config set cache.enabled true

GraphQL Support​

ReqSmith supports GraphQL queries:

reqsmith request graphql https://api.github.com/graphql \
  --query 'query { viewer { login name } }' \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Getting Help​

ReqSmith has comprehensive built-in help:

# General help
reqsmith help

# Command-specific help
reqsmith request --help
reqsmith template --help

# Getting started guide
reqsmith help getting-started

# View examples
reqsmith help examples

# Tips and tricks
reqsmith help tips

Next Steps​

Now that you've mastered the basics:

  1. Learn about Templates - Create reusable request configurations
  2. Explore Environments - Manage different deployment environments
  3. Set up AI Features - Get intelligent suggestions and validation
  4. Check out Examples - See ReqSmith in action with real APIs

Common Workflows​

API Testing Workflow​

# 1. Create environment
reqsmith env create testing
reqsmith env set API_BASE_URL "https://api.example.com"
reqsmith env set API_TOKEN "test-token"

# 2. Create templates
reqsmith template save list-users \
  --method GET \
  --url "${API_BASE_URL}/users"

reqsmith template save create-user \
  --method POST \
  --url "${API_BASE_URL}/users" \
  --json '{"name": "${NAME}", "email": "${EMAIL}"}'

# 3. Run tests
reqsmith template use list-users --env testing
reqsmith template use create-user --env testing \
  --var NAME="Test User" \
  --var EMAIL="test@example.com"

# 4. Check results
reqsmith history stats

Development Workflow​

# Set up development environment
reqsmith env create dev
reqsmith env set API_BASE_URL "http://localhost:3000/api"

# Test local API
reqsmith request get "${API_BASE_URL}/health" --env dev

# Save common endpoints
reqsmith template save local-health \
  --method GET \
  --url "${API_BASE_URL}/health" \
  --description "Health check for local API"

Ready to dive deeper? Explore the core concepts or check out more advanced examples!