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https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator

Generate .http files from OpenAPI (Swagger) specifications
https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator

openapi openapi-specification openapi3 rest-client swagger

Last synced: 24 days ago
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Generate .http files from OpenAPI (Swagger) specifications

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

          



- [HTTP File Generator](#http-file-generator)

  - [Installation](#installation)

  - [Usage](#usage)

  - [Error Logging, Telemetry, and Privacy](#error-logging-telemetry-and-privacy)

  - [VS Code Extension](#vs-code-extension)

  - [Visual Studio 2022 Extension](#visual-studio-2022-extension)

  



#



[![Build](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/actions/workflows/build.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/actions/workflows/build.yml)

[![Smoke Tests](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/actions/workflows/smoke-tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/actions/workflows/smoke-tests.yml)

[![Quality Gate Status](https://sonarcloud.io/api/project_badges/measure?project=christianhelle_httpgenerator&metric=alert_status)](https://sonarcloud.io/summary/new_code?id=christianhelle_httpgenerator)

[![codecov](https://codecov.io/gh/christianhelle/httpgenerator/graph/badge.svg?token=YeSFnn0bH6)](https://codecov.io/gh/christianhelle/httpgenerator)



# HTTP File Generator



Generate .http files from OpenAPI specifications



`.http` files were made popular by the Visual Studio Code extension [REST Client](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=humao.rest-client), which then was adopted by JetBrains IDE's, and later on [Visual Studio 2022](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MadsKristensen.RestClient)



## Installation



HTTP File Generator now ships as a Rust CLI plus thin IDE hosts.



- **crates.io**: `cargo install httpgenerator`

  - Best when you already have Rust and Cargo (Rust 1.95+) on your machine and want the canonical Rust ecosystem install path for published releases.

  - The public crates.io surface is the end-user CLI crate `httpgenerator` plus the reusable library crate `httpgenerator-core`.

- **One-line installer (macOS/Linux)**: `curl -fsSL https://christianhelle.com/httpgenerator/install | bash`

  - Best when you want the prebuilt CLI without installing the Rust toolchain.

  - Use `curl -fsSL https://christianhelle.com/httpgenerator/install | INSTALL_DIR=$HOME/.local/bin bash` to install into a user-writable directory, or pass `--version ` to pin a specific release.

- **One-line installer (Windows PowerShell)**: `irm https://christianhelle.com/httpgenerator/install.ps1 | iex`

  - Use `-InstallDir ` to choose a custom directory or `-Version ` to pin a specific release.

- **Standalone CLI archives**: download the platform-specific archive from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/releases) and place `httpgenerator` / `httpgenerator.exe` on `PATH`.

  - `httpgenerator--linux-x64.tar.gz`

  - `httpgenerator--darwin-x64.tar.gz`

  - `httpgenerator--darwin-arm64.tar.gz`

  - `httpgenerator--win-x64.zip`

- **Build locally**: `cargo build --release -p httpgenerator`

- **Workspace testing**: `cargo test --workspace`

- **VS Code**: install the platform-specific `.vsix` for your OS and architecture. Each package bundles the native Rust CLI, and you can override it with `http-file-generator.executablePath`.

- **Visual Studio 2022**: install the Visual Studio `.vsix`, which bundles `httpgenerator.exe`.



The legacy `.NET` CLI remains in the repository as the migration oracle and compatibility host, but it is no longer the primary release path.



crates.io complements rather than replaces the existing release channels. Use crates.io for Rust-native installation and library consumption, use the install scripts or GitHub Releases for prebuilt standalone CLI binaries, and use the VS Code / Visual Studio Marketplace packages when you want the editor hosts with their bundled binaries.



The standalone release matrix currently covers Linux x64, macOS x64, macOS ARM64, and Windows x64. Windows on ARM currently uses the x64 standalone install path.



### Repository layout



- `src\rust` contains the two Rust workspace projects: `src/rust/cli` for the `httpgenerator` CLI package and `src/rust/core` for the `httpgenerator-core` library package.

- `src\dotnet` contains the legacy .NET CLI, core library, test suite, and Visual Studio VSIX host.

- `src\vscode` contains the VS Code extension.

- Root-level entrypoints are preserved: run Cargo commands from the repository root via `Cargo.toml`, target the moved .NET solutions with `src/dotnet/*.slnx`, and invoke VS Code packaging with `src\vscode\build.ps1`.

- Plain `cargo publish --dry-run --allow-dirty` from the repo root attempts both Rust packages: `httpgenerator-core` and `httpgenerator`. CI still checks publish readiness in dependency order with `cargo publish --dry-run -p httpgenerator-core` plus `cargo check -p httpgenerator`.



### Public vs private Rust crates



- `httpgenerator` is the public CLI crate and the package normal users install with `cargo install httpgenerator`.

- `httpgenerator-core` is the public library crate for the normalized model, `.http` rendering pipeline, and the `httpgenerator_core::openapi::*` loading/inspection/normalization API.

- Differential compatibility coverage remains in the repository as test-only support under `src/rust/cli/tests`.



## Usage



```text

USAGE:

    httpgenerator [URL or input file] [OPTIONS]



EXAMPLES:

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --output ./

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --output-type onefile

    httpgenerator https://petstore.swagger.io/v2/swagger.json

    httpgenerator https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/openapi.json --base-url https://petstore3.swagger.io

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --authorization-header Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9c

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --azure-scope [Some Application ID URI]/.default

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --generate-intellij-tests

    httpgenerator ./openapi.json --custom-header X-Custom-Header: Value --custom-header X-Another-Header: AnotherValue



ARGUMENTS:

    [URL or input file]    URL or file path to OpenAPI Specification file



OPTIONS:

                                                                DEFAULT

    -h, --help                                                                       Prints help information

    -v, --version                                                                    Prints version information

    -o, --output                                        ./                   Output directory

        --no-logging                                                                 Don't log errors or collect telemetry

        --skip-validation                                                            Skip validation of OpenAPI Specification file

        --authorization-header                                               Authorization header to use for all requests

        --load-authorization-header-from-environment                                 Load the authorization header from an environment variable or define it in the

                                                                                     .http file. You can use --authorization-header-variable-name to specify the

                                                                                     environment variable name

        --authorization-header-variable-name     authorization        Name of the environment variable to load the authorization header from

        --content-type                            application/json     Default Content-Type header to use for all requests

        --base-url                                                         Default Base URL to use for all requests. Use this if the OpenAPI spec doesn't

                                                                                     explicitly specify a server URL

        --output-type                              OneRequestPerFile    OneRequestPerFile generates one .http file per request. OneFile generates a

                                                                                     single .http file for all requests. OneFilePerTag generates one .http file per

                                                                                     first tag associated with each request

        --azure-scope                                                         Azure Entra ID Scope to use for retrieving Access Token for Authorization header

        --azure-tenant-id                                                 Azure Entra ID Tenant ID to use for retrieving Access Token for Authorization

                                                                                     header

        --timeout                                      120                  Timeout (in seconds) for writing files to disk

        --generate-intellij-tests                                                    Generate IntelliJ tests that assert whether the response status code is 200

        --custom-header                                                              Add custom HTTP headers to the generated request

        --skip-headers                                                               Don't generate header parameters in the files

```



Running the following:



```sh

httpgenerator https://petstore.swagger.io/v2/swagger.json

```



Outputs the following:



![CLI Output](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/raw/main/images/httpgenerator-output.png)



Which will produce the following files:



```sh

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  593 Dec 10 10:44 DeleteOrder.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  231 Dec 10 10:44 DeletePet.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  358 Dec 10 10:44 DeleteUser.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  432 Dec 10 10:44 GetFindPetsByStatus.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  504 Dec 10 10:44 GetFindPetsByTags.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  371 Dec 10 10:44 GetInventory.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  247 Dec 10 10:44 GetLoginUser.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  291 Dec 10 10:44 GetLogoutUser.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  540 Dec 10 10:44 GetOrderById.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  275 Dec 10 10:44 GetPetById.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  245 Dec 10 10:44 GetUserByName.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  513 Dec 10 10:44 PostAddPet.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  521 Dec 10 10:44 PostCreateUser.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  610 Dec 10 10:44 PostCreateUsersWithListInput.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  464 Dec 10 10:44 PostPlaceOrder.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  299 Dec 10 10:44 PostUpdatePetWithForm.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  274 Dec 10 10:44 PostUploadFile.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  513 Dec 10 10:44 PutUpdatePet.http

-rw-r--r-- 1 christian 197121  541 Dec 10 10:44 PutUpdateUser.http

```



In this example, the contents of `PostAddPet.http` looks like this:



```sh

@contentType = application/json



#############################################

### Request: POST /pet

### Summary: Add a new pet to the store

### Description: Add a new pet to the store

#############################################



POST https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/pet

Content-Type: {{contentType}}



{

  "id": 0,

  "name": "name",

  "category": {

    "id": 0,

    "name": "name"

  },

  "photoUrls": [

    ""

  ],

  "tags": [

    {

      "id": 0,

      "name": "name"

    }

  ],

  "status": "available"

}

```



and the contents of `GetPetById.http` looks like this:



```sh

@contentType = application/json



#######################################

### Request: GET /pet/{petId}

### Summary: Find pet by ID

### Description: Returns a single pet

#######################################



### Path Parameter: ID of pet to return

@petId = 0



GET https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/pet/{{petId}}

Content-Type: {{contentType}}

```



with the `--generate-intellij-tests` option, the output looks like this:



```sh

@contentType = application/json



#######################################

### Request: GET /pet/{petId}

### Summary: Find pet by ID

### Description: Returns a single pet

#######################################



### Path Parameter: ID of pet to return

@petId = 1



GET https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3/pet/{{petId}}

Content-Type: {{contentType}}



> {%

    client.test("Request executed successfully", function() {

        client.assert(

            response.status === 200,

            "Response status is not 200");

    });

%}

```



Here's an advanced example of generating `.http` files for a REST API hosted on Microsoft Azure that uses the Microsoft Entra ID service as an STS. For this example, I use PowerShell and Azure CLI to retrieve an access token for the user I'm currently logged in with.



```powershell

az account get-access-token --scope [Some Application ID URI]/.default `

| ConvertFrom-Json `

| %{

    httpgenerator `

        https://api.example.com/swagger/v1/swagger.json `

        --authorization-header ("Bearer " + $_.accessToken) `

        --base-url https://api.example.com `

        --output ./HttpFiles

}

```



You can also use `--azure-scope` and `--azure-tenant-id` to let the Rust CLI acquire an access token during generation. The CLI currently checks Azure CLI and Azure Developer CLI logins and keeps generation running even if token acquisition fails.



```powershell

httpgenerator `

  https://api.example.com/swagger/v1/swagger.json `

  --azure-scope [Some Application ID URI]/.default `

  --base-url https://api.example.com `

  --output ./HttpFiles

```



### Error Logging, Telemetry, and Privacy



The Rust CLI keeps a sink-agnostic telemetry recorder that can capture feature usage and redacted error context.



By default, logging is enabled, but `--no-logging` disables feature and error event recording entirely.



User tracking is anonymous and derived from the **Support key** shown when running the tool while logging is enabled.



```sh

HTTP File Generator v0.1.5

Support key: mbmbqvd

```



The support key is just the first 7 characters of the generated anonymous identity. Authorization headers are recorded as **`[REDACTED]`**, and personal machine details are normalized before telemetry is emitted.



No **support key** is generated when you opt out with `--no-logging`.



### VS Code Extension



The VS Code extension is now packaged per platform because it bundles the native Rust CLI.



When `http-file-generator.executablePath` is empty, the extension looks for a bundled binary, repo-root workspace `target\debug` / `target\release` outputs, and finally `httpgenerator` on `PATH`. That means a Cargo-installed `httpgenerator` binary can also satisfy the extension if you prefer to manage the CLI yourself.



### Visual Studio 2022 Extension



This tool is also available as a [Visual Studio 2022 extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ChristianResmaHelle.HttpGenerator)



From the **Tools** menu select **Generate .http files**



![Tools menu](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/blob/main/images/vsix_tools.png?raw=true)



This opens the main dialog which has similar input fields as the CLI tool and now shells out to the Rust `httpgenerator` executable.



The Visual Studio extension resolves `httpgenerator.exe` from `HTTPGENERATOR_PATH`, the bundled VSIX payload, repo-root workspace `target\debug` / `target\release` outputs during development, or `PATH`. A Cargo-installed CLI can therefore be reused here as long as the binary is discoverable on `PATH` or via `HTTPGENERATOR_PATH`.



![Main dialog](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/blob/main/images/vsix_httpgenerator_dialog.png?raw=true)



You can supply Azure Entra ID tenant and scope settings by clicking on the `...` button beside the **Authorization Headers** input field. The Rust CLI acquires the access token during generation.



![Acquire Azure Entra ID access token](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/blob/main/images/vsix_azure_entra_id.png?raw=true)



By default, the **Output folder** is pre-filled with the path of the currently active C# Project in the Solution Explorer, suffixed with **\HttpFiles**



![Solution explorer](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/blob/main/images/vsix_solution_explorer.png?raw=true)



Once the .http files are generated you can easily open and inspect them



![.http file](https://github.com/christianhelle/httpgenerator/blob/main/images/vsix_http_file.png?raw=true)



#



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