Collections

Collections are the top-level organizational unit in RESTK, containing folders and requests. They help you group related API endpoints and share common settings across all items.

Quick Start

---

Creating Collections

To create a collection:

1. Click + New Collection in the sidebar
2. Enter a unique name
3. Optionally add a description
4. Click Create

To duplicate a collection:

1. Right-click on a collection
2. Select Duplicate
3. All folders, requests, auth settings, variables, and scripts are copied

---

Overview Tab

The Overview tab shows you a snapshot of your collection's contents.

What you'll see:

• Total request and folder counts
• HTTP method distribution with colored method badges and counts
• 5 most recently updated requests with time-ago formatting
• Collection created date

AI Integration

The Overview tab includes an AI Integration section where you can share your collection structure with AI assistants. This makes it easy to provide context about your API endpoints when working with AI tools.

---

Authentication

Collections can define authentication that applies to all requests set to "Inherit".

Setting Up Auth

Auth Types

Using Variables in Auth

You can use variables in any auth field:

{{api_token}}

This lets you store tokens in environment or collection variables and reference them in your auth configuration.

---

Variables

Variables let you reuse values across requests without hardcoding them.

Adding Variables

Variable Types

Default Variables

• Visible values
• Used for URLs, API versions, etc.

Secret Variables

• Masked display (••••••)
• Only key and enabled status sync — values stay local per user
• Each team member sets their own secret values
• Used for tokens, passwords

Common Variables

baseUrl = "https://api.example.com"
apiVersion = "v1"
apiKey = "your-api-key-here"

---

Scripts

Scripts let you automate tasks before and after requests using JavaScript.

Pre-request Scripts

Run before any request in the collection.

Common uses:

• Generate timestamps
• Set dynamic authentication
• Calculate request values

// Set a timestamp variable
nova.variable.set("timestamp", Date.now());

// Log to console
console.log("Collection pre-request running");

Post-response Scripts

Run after receiving a response.

Common uses:

• Extract data from responses
• Run tests and assertions
• Set variables for subsequent requests

// Test the response
nova.test("Status is 200", function() {
    nova.expect(nova.response.status).toBe(200);
});

// Extract and save data
const data = nova.response.json();
nova.variable.set("userId", data.id);

Script Execution Order

---

Settings

Configure request behavior for the entire collection. Settings defined at the collection level apply to all requests that don't override them.

Timeout

Set request timeouts in seconds. Three separate timeout values are available:

Timeouts inherit through the hierarchy: system defaults → collection → request. A request-level timeout overrides the collection setting.

Security

• SSL Certificate Verification — toggle to enable or disable
• TLS Version — select the minimum TLS version
• Client Certificate — toggle for client certificate authentication

Redirects

• Follow Redirects — enabled by default
• Max Redirect Count — default is 5

---

Importing Collections

RESTK supports importing from other API tools.

Import from Postman

Import from cURL

Paste a cURL command to create a new request:

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

Multi-File Import

You can import multiple files at once by dragging them into the import view. When importing multiple files, choose a mode:

• Separate Collections — each file becomes its own collection
• Merged — all files are combined into a single collection

The import view shows progress for each file and a summary when complete.

What's Preserved on Import

• Request name and description
• URL and HTTP method
• Headers and query parameters
• Request body
• Authentication settings
• Pre-request and post-response scripts (Postman pm.* scripts are auto-converted to nova.* by default)

---

Managing Collections

Renaming

1. Click the collection name in the detail view
2. Edit the name
3. Changes save automatically

Deleting

1. Right-click on the collection
2. Select Delete
3. Confirm (this deletes all folders and requests inside)

Reordering

Drag and drop collections to reorder them in the sidebar. Collections can only be reordered at the root level (they cannot be nested inside other collections). Your custom order syncs across all devices.

---

Permissions

Collection editing is governed by your workspace role:

---

Tips

• Use descriptive names: "Payment API" is better than "API"
• Set up auth once: Configure collection auth and all requests can inherit it
• Organize with folders: Group related endpoints in folders for better organization
• Share common variables: Put frequently used values in collection variables
• Add pre-request scripts: Generate timestamps, tokens, or dynamic data automatically
• Test in post-response scripts: Validate responses and extract data for subsequent requests

---

Next Steps