Getting Started with DevTools

This guide will help you install DevTools and create your first API test in minutes.

Installation

DevTools is available in two formats: Studio Application and CLI Tool. You can download DevTools Studio for macOS, Windows, or Linux.

Studio Application

Download the Studio app for your platform from the releases page (opens in a new tab):

macOS:

# Download the .dmg file
DevTools-{version}-darwin-{arch}.dmg
 
# Open and drag to Applications folder

Windows:

# Download and run the installer
DevTools-{version}-win32-{arch}.exe

Linux:

# Download the AppImage
DevTools-{version}-linux-{arch}.AppImage
 
# Make it executable and run
chmod +x DevTools-{version}-linux-{arch}.AppImage
./DevTools-{version}-linux-{arch}.AppImage

CLI Tool

The CLI is perfect for CI/CD pipelines and headless automation.

Quick Install (macOS/Linux):

curl -fsSL https://sh.dev.tools/install.sh | bash

With wget:

wget -qO- https://sh.dev.tools/install.sh | bash

Custom Install Directory:

INSTALL_DIR=/opt/devtools curl -fsSL https://sh.dev.tools/install.sh | bash

Manual Installation:

Download the binary for your platform from the releases page (opens in a new tab) and add it to your PATH.

Verify Installation:

devtools version
# Output: DevToolsCLI v0.5.1

Your First Workspace

1. Create a Workspace

When you first open DevTools Studio:

1. Click "New Workspace"
2. Give it a name (e.g., "My API Tests")
3. Click Create

Your workspace is now ready to organize your API requests and flows.

2. Create Your First Request

Let's create a simple API request:

1. Click "New Request" in the sidebar
2. Configure the request:
   • Method: GET
   • URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1
   • Name: GetUser
3. Click Send

You should see a successful response with user data in JSON format.

3. Save and Organize

DevTools automatically saves your request. You can:

• Organize requests into folders by domain
• Add descriptions and tags
• Group related requests into collections

Quick Tour: Key Features

Request Editor

The request editor provides a familiar interface similar to Postman:

• URL Builder: Enter your endpoint with autocomplete support
• Headers Tab: Add custom headers (Authorization, Content-Type, etc.)
• Body Tab: Support for JSON, form data, raw text, and binary
• Query Params Tab: Build query strings visually
• Tests Tab: Add response assertions

Response Viewer

After sending a request:

• Body: View formatted JSON, XML, HTML, or raw text
• Headers: Inspect response headers
• Status: HTTP status code and response time
• Variables: See extracted variables (when using flows)

Next Steps

Now that you have DevTools installed and understand the basics:

1. Import Real Requests: Learn how to import HAR files from browser recordings
2. Create Flows: Build visual test workflows with the Flow Builder
3. Manage Environments: Set up environments and variables for different configurations
4. Automate Tests: Integrate with CI/CD using the CLI tool

Common First-Time Questions

Where is my data stored?

All data is stored locally on your machine:

• Studio: SQLite database in your user data directory
• CLI: In-memory database (ephemeral) or specified workspace file

No data is sent to external servers.

What formats can I import?

DevTools supports:

• HAR files (HTTP Archive)
• cURL commands
• OpenAPI/Swagger specs (coming soon)

See Importing HAR Files for details.

Does DevTools support authentication?

Yes, DevTools supports all standard authentication methods:

• Bearer tokens
• Basic Auth
• API keys (header or query param)
• OAuth 2.0 (via variable substitution)
• Custom authentication schemes

Can I use DevTools in my CI/CD pipeline?

Absolutely! The CLI tool is designed for CI/CD integration. See CI/CD Integration for examples with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and more.

Is DevTools free?

Yes, DevTools is open source under the Apache-2.0 license and free to use. The source code is available on GitHub (opens in a new tab).

Ready to import real API requests? Continue to Importing HAR Files.