Send your first request

Send a safe GET request and read the answer. No account needed.

In short

An API lets two programs talk: one sends a request, the other sends a response. API Tester lets you send the request yourself and see exactly what happened - the status, the time and the body. You can try it without an account; signed in, saved requests also keep who ran them and whether they passed.

Before you start

• Who: anyone. You need no account to send a single request; as a guest the result appears on the page and is not saved.
• Plan: none. Signed in, your plan's request allowance applies (see /help/settings/plan-limits).
• First: nothing. Pick a public address you may call; a GET only reads.

Steps

1. Open API Tester. As a guest you land on "Quick request"; signed in with no project, Requests opens on "Paste a URL or cURL". If you already have a project, press the arrow beside "New request" ("More ways to add requests") and choose "Quick request (not saved)".
2. The request starts ready on a practice bookstore API, with "HTTP method" on GET, which only reads information. Keep it, or choose another practice request after "Try the practice API:".
3. To call another API, enter a complete URL beginning with http:// or https:// in the URL field.
4. Press "Send".

Result: the response panel shows the status, time and size, then the body, formatted or Raw. A Headers tab lists the response headers. When the request worked, a card gives the status and time and "Suggested checks". Signed in, "Save to your project" saves it. As a guest, "Sign in to save" asks you to sign in first.

The words you will meet

Good to know

• 200 to 299: the request worked.
• 300 to 399: the API is redirecting you.
• 400 to 499: the request, sign-in or permission was not accepted.
• 500 to 599: the server could not complete the request.
• A 500 in 20 ms is still a failure. The status says whether it worked; the time says how long it took.
• Guests can send a single request. Guest results appear on the page but are not saved.
• What happens next: signed in, every send is listed under your recent sends and can be saved into a project later. Closing the page loses a guest's result.

If something goes wrong

• A connection error: no answer arrived. Check the URL, the server, a VPN, the certificate or the timeout.
• "Not sent": the address is on your own machine or network, which {{brand}}'s servers cannot reach. See /help/api-testing/send-to-localhost.
• "must be an absolute HTTP(S) URL": type the whole address, starting with http:// or https://.

Related

• /help/api-testing/single-request
• /help/api-testing/request-editor-and-checks
• /help/api-testing/test-this-api
• /help/api-testing/start-from-a-template