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HTTP Requests

Learn how to make HTTP requests with Solo to test and debug your REST APIs.

Creating a New HTTP Request​

  1. Click the "+" button in the sidebar or use the keyboard shortcut
  2. Select HTTP as the request type
  3. Enter your API endpoint URL
  4. Choose the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
  5. Click Send to execute the request

HTTP Methods​

Solo supports all standard HTTP methods:

GET​

Retrieve data from an API endpoint.

GET https://api.example.com/users

POST​

Create new resources on the server.

POST https://api.example.com/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com"
}

PUT​

Update an existing resource completely.

PUT https://api.example.com/users/123
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "John Updated",
  "email": "john.updated@example.com"
}

PATCH​

Partially update an existing resource.

PATCH https://api.example.com/users/123
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "newemail@example.com"
}

DELETE​

Remove a resource from the server.

DELETE https://api.example.com/users/123

Request Configuration​

URL and Query Parameters​

Enter your API endpoint in the URL field. Query parameters can be added in two ways:

Inline in URL:

https://api.example.com/search?q=solo&limit=10

Using the Query Params tab:

  1. Click on the Query Params tab
  2. Add key-value pairs for your parameters
  3. Toggle individual parameters on/off using checkboxes

Example:

  • Key: q → Value: solo
  • Key: limit → Value: 10

Headers​

Add custom headers to your requests:

  1. Click on the Headers tab
  2. Add header key-value pairs
  3. Common headers:
    • Content-Type: application/json
    • Accept: application/json
    • User-Agent: Solo HTTP Client

Request Body​

For POST, PUT, and PATCH requests, add a request body:

  1. Click on the Body tab
  2. Select the body type:
    • JSON – For JSON payloads (most common)
    • Text – For plain text
    • Form Data – For form submissions
  3. Enter your request body content

JSON Example:

{
  "title": "New Post",
  "body": "This is the post content",
  "userId": 1
}

Authentication​

Solo supports multiple authentication methods:

Bearer Token​

  1. Click on the Auth tab
  2. Select Bearer Token from the dropdown
  3. Enter your access token
  4. Solo automatically adds the Authorization: Bearer <token> header

Example:

Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...

Basic Auth​

  1. Click on the Auth tab
  2. Select Basic Auth from the dropdown
  3. Enter your username and password
  4. Solo encodes credentials and adds the Authorization: Basic <encoded> header

No Auth​

Select No Auth if the API endpoint is public or uses custom authentication.

Response Viewer​

After sending a request, Solo displays the response:

Response Tabs​

  • Body – View the response content with syntax highlighting
  • Headers – Inspect response headers
  • Metadata – See request timing, status code, and size

Response Body Formats​

Solo automatically detects and formats:

  • JSON – Pretty-printed with syntax highlighting
  • HTML – Rendered preview
  • XML – Formatted with proper indentation
  • Plain Text – Raw response

Status Codes​

Solo displays the HTTP status code with color coding:

  • 🟢 2xx – Success (green)
  • 🟡 3xx – Redirection (yellow)
  • 🔴 4xx – Client Error (red)
  • 🔴 5xx – Server Error (red)

Advanced Features​

Variable Substitution​

Use variables in your requests for dynamic values:

GET https://{{base_url}}/users/{{user_id}}
Authorization: Bearer {{auth_token}}

Learn more in the Variables documentation.

Copy as cURL​

Export any request as a cURL command:

  1. Configure your request
  2. Click the Copy as cURL button
  3. Paste into your terminal or share with teammates

Example output:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer token123" \
  -d '{"name":"John Doe","email":"john@example.com"}'

Learn more in the cURL Integration documentation.

Request Description​

Document your API requests:

  1. Click on the Description tab
  2. Add notes about what the request does
  3. Document expected responses or usage examples
  4. All descriptions are saved locally

Keyboard Shortcuts​

Work faster with keyboard shortcuts:

  • Cmd/Ctrl + Enter – Send request
  • Cmd/Ctrl + S – Save request
  • Cmd/Ctrl + N – New request
  • Cmd/Ctrl + K – Focus URL input

View all shortcuts by clicking the keyboard icon in the title bar.

Best Practices​

Organize Your Requests​

  • Group related requests into folders
  • Use descriptive names for your requests
  • Add descriptions to document API behavior

Use Variables​

  • Define variables for base URLs, tokens, and IDs
  • Switch between environments easily
  • Keep sensitive data in variables, not hardcoded

Save Request History​

All requests are automatically saved locally, so you can:

  • Review previous API calls
  • Replay requests with the same configuration
  • Track API changes over time

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

CORS Errors

  • CORS restrictions apply when testing APIs from the browser
  • Use the native desktop app for full functionality without CORS limitations

Connection Refused

  • Verify the API endpoint URL is correct
  • Check if the API server is running
  • Ensure no firewall is blocking the connection

Timeout Errors

  • Increase the timeout in settings if needed
  • Check if the API endpoint is responsive
  • Verify network connectivity

Next Steps​