Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Basic Information
3.
Rest Client in VS Code
4.
Rest Client in PyCharm
5.
Rest Client in IntelliJ
6.
Frequently Asked Questions
6.1.
What is a REST API?
6.2.
What is a RESTful API?
6.3.
How do I test a REST API?
7.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024

Rest Client in VS Code, PyCharm and IntelliJ

Author Vikash Kumar
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Introduction

Hey Ninja!! Today we will learn how to use the rest clients in VS Code, PyCharm, and IntelliJ. If you don't know about the rest client, don't worry!! Let us give you some idea about it.

rest clients in VS Code, PyCharm, and IntelliJ

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that defines a set of constraints used for creating web services. RESTful web services allow communication between client and server by sending HTTP requests and receiving responses in a format like JSON or XML.

In this blog, we'll look at the three popular code editors: Visual Studio Code (VS Code), PyCharm, and IntelliJ IDEA, and see how they support REST client functionality.

Without any further delay, let's begin !!

Basic Information

HTTP

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a communication protocol for transferring data over the internet.
 

REST

REST stands for Representational State Transfer. It is a software architectural style for building scalable and maintainable web services. RESTful web services use HTTP requests to POST (create), PUT (update), GET (read), and DELETE (delete) data.
 

VS Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free, open-source, cross-platform code editor developed by Microsoft.
 

PyCharm

It is a Python-specific integrated development environment (IDE) developed by JetBrains.
 

IntelliJ

It is a Java-centric integrated development environment (IDE) developed by JetBrains.

Rest Client in VS Code

VS Code has a built-in REST client extension called "REST Client". This extension allows you to send HTTP requests and view the responses directly within the editor. Here are the steps for using this extension.

Rest Client in VS Code

Step 1: Open VS Code and install the REST Client extension.

First, open VS Code editor.

Illustration


Step 2: Go to the Extension Market:

Now move to the left side of the page and click on the highlighted icon shown below. It will open the extension market.

Illustration

 

Step 3: Search and install REST Client:

Now search REST Client.

Illustration

Now install Rest Client in VS Code.

Illustration

 

Step 4: Create a new file with a ‘.http’ extension.

First, click on the file option, create a new text file, and set the language to HTTP.
 

Step 5: Write API requests in the file using HTTP syntax:

Code

GET  https://swapi.dev/api/people/1/

Note: Note that you need to replace the code with the actual URL of your API.

 

Step 6: Send the requests by clicking on the "Send Request" button or using a shortcut key

Press the shortcut key - Ctrl + Shift + P.

 

Illustration

Now, type Send Request and click enter.
 

Step 7: View the response in the integrated terminal.

Now you can see the result in the integrated terminal.

Code

Rest Client in PyCharm


PyCharm is an IDE for Python programming and can be used as a client for testing web APIs.

Rest Client in PyCharm

To test a web API using PyCharm, we follow the given steps.

Note: The given steps may not be available in PyCharm Community Edition. In that case, try PyCharm professional.
 

Step 1

 First, click on File. Select New and create a new HTTP file.

Illustration

Here select New.

Illustration

Select HTTP Request to make a file.
 

Step 2

Write the API request(code).

Code

GET  https://swapi.dev/api/people/1/


Step 3

Click on the green run option to run all requests in the file.

Code

 

Step 4

You will get your output in the output window.

Code

Rest Client in IntelliJ

IntelliJ IDEA, a Java-integrated development environment (IDE), has a built-in REST client that can be used to test RESTful Web Services. The REST client allows you to send HTTP requests and view the responses directly in the IDE. 

Note: The given steps may not be available in IntelliJ Community Edition. In that case, try IntelliJ Ultimate.

Rest Client in IntelliJ

To use the REST client in IntelliJ IDEA, follow the given steps:
 

Step 1

First, go to File and click on New and now select HTTP Request to make a file.

Code

Step 2

Write the API request(code).

Code

GET  https://swapi.dev/api/people/1/

 

Step 3

Click on the green run option to run all requests in the file.

Code

 

Step 4

You will get your output in the output window.

Code

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a REST API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style for building web services. A REST API is a web service that follows the REST architectural style and provides access to resources (data, functionality) through a set of operations (HTTP requests).

What is a RESTful API?

RESTful is a term that describes an API that adheres to the REST architectural style. RESTful APIs are REST APIs that follow certain best practices and conventions, such as using standard HTTP methods and providing a clear structure for accessing resources.

How do I test a REST API?

REST APIs can be tested using tools like cURL and Postman or an API testing framework like Rest-Assured. These tools allow you to send HTTP requests to an API endpoint and examine the response.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed REST Client and how we can use it in VS Code, PyCharm, and IntelliJ. We discussed every step and went through a few examples.

Check out other related articles to learn more: 

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