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SendPad Docs

Introduction

SendPad is a text-first API testing desktop app. Write .http, .flow, and .ws files, open the folder in SendPad, and click Run. No accounts, no cloud sync, no proprietary format.

The core idea

Section titled “The core idea”

The files are the project. Every request, flow, environment variable, and assertion is a plain text file on disk. Teams collaborate through git — diff, PR review, and code ownership all work naturally.

Why not Postman / Insomnia?

Section titled “Why not Postman / Insomnia?”
ProblemHow SendPad solves it
Proprietary collection formatPlain .http / .flow text files
Requires a cloud accountNo account, no sign-up, no internet needed
Hard to diff in gitEvery file is a human-readable text diff
GUI-only, no automation storyFiles work in CI, scripts, git hooks
Non-devs can’t edit collectionsAnyone can edit a .http file in any editor

Core principles

Section titled “Core principles”
  1. Text is the source of truth. Every request, flow, and environment is a human-readable plain text file.
  2. Git-native. Open a folder, run requests, commit the files. PRs, diffs, and blame all work naturally.
  3. Zero config. Open the app, open a folder, click Run. No setup wizard, no account creation.
  4. Tests are documentation. .flow files support prose alongside requests — running them produces a living test report.
  5. Nothing is magical. Variables, extractions, assertions, cookies — everything is explicit, inspectable, and plain text.

File types

Section titled “File types”
ExtensionPurpose
.httpOne or more HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE…)
.flowChained requests with extraction and assertions
.wsWebSocket sessions — interactive or scripted
.envEnvironment variables (KEY = value)

Workspace layout

Section titled “Workspace layout”

A typical SendPad workspace looks like:

my-workspace/
  envs/
    dev.env
    staging.env
    prod.env        ← add to .gitignore
  requests/
    users.http
    orders.http
  flows/
    checkout.flow
  testdata/
    avatar.jpg
  .sendpad/         ← auto-gitignored (history, cookies)

Any folder works. The app auto-creates .sendpad/ and gitignores it.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”