The Request Builder is where you create and send API requests. Here's a quick orientation of the interface.

Interface Layout

The request builder has four main areas:

Area	Location	Purpose
Method & URL	Top bar	Select HTTP method and enter the URL with `{{variable}}` support
Configuration Tabs	Below URL bar	Switch between Parameters, Auth, Headers, Body, Cookies, Variables, Scripts, and Settings
Send Button	Right of URL bar	Execute the request (`Cmd+Enter`)
Response Panel	Below or beside	View status, headers, body, and test results

Configuration Tabs

The tabs appear in this order below the URL bar:

Parameters

Add query parameters as key-value pairs, or type them directly in the URL — RESTK auto-parses them into the Parameters tab. Editing either location keeps both in sync.

Auth

Set authentication for this request, or inherit from the parent folder or collection:

Inherit — Use auth from the parent folder or collection (default)
Bearer Token — Send a token in the Authorization header
Basic Auth — Send Base64-encoded username and password
API Key — Send a key as a header or query parameter
JWT — Generate and sign HMAC-based JWTs (HS256, HS384, HS512)
OAuth 2.0 — Authorization Code, Client Credentials, and other grant types
OAuth 1.0 — HMAC-SHA1 signed OAuth 1.0a requests
Digest — HTTP Digest authentication
AWS Signature V4 — Sign requests for AWS APIs
Hawk — Hawk HTTP authentication
NTLM — Windows NTLM authentication
None — Explicitly send no credentials, even if the parent has auth configured

Auth Inheritance

Auth walks up the full hierarchy — Request → Folder → Parent Folders → Collection — so you only need to configure it once at the appropriate level. RESTK shows where the active auth came from.

Headers

Add custom request headers. Common headers like Content-Type are set automatically based on your body type.

Body

Choose one of six body types:

None — No request body (default for GET, HEAD, and OPTIONS)
Raw — With sub-format picker: JSON, XML, HTML, JavaScript, or Plain Text. JSON includes syntax highlighting and a format/prettify shortcut (Option+Shift+F)
Form Data — Multipart form data with support for text fields and file uploads
URL Encoded — Traditional application/x-www-form-urlencoded form submissions
Binary — Upload a raw binary file as the request body
GraphQL — Separate input areas for the GraphQL query and its variables JSON

Cookies

Manage cookies for the request. View, add, edit, or remove cookies that will be sent with the request. Useful for testing session-based APIs, CSRF tokens, and authentication cookies.

Variables

Define request-scoped variables that override folder, collection, and environment values for this specific request.

Scripts

Write JavaScript using the nova.* API:

Pre-scripts run before the request is sent
Post-scripts run after the response is received

Settings

Per-request settings such as timeouts and redirect behavior. This tab lets you override the global defaults for individual requests.

History Mode

When viewing a request from history, the Settings tab is hidden since historical requests are read-only.

Sending a Request

Select the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS)
Enter the URL (supports {{variables}})
Configure tabs as needed
Click Send or press Cmd+Enter
View the response in the panel below

Learn More

For detailed documentation on each feature:

Request Builder