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 a body type:

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

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