Workspace Modes
Choose where each RESTK workspace's data lives — fully local, versioned in a git repo you own, or synced through the cloud. Pick the mode per workspace.
Every RESTK workspace runs in one of three modes, and you choose the mode per workspace. A personal scratch workspace can be local, your team's shared collection can be in git, and a fast-moving project can use cloud sync — all at the same time.
| Mode | Where data lives | Account required | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | Only on your machine | No | Solo work, private experiments, anything that should never leave your device |
| Git | Plain files in a repo you own | No | Teams who want API changes reviewed and versioned like code |
| Cloud | Synced through RESTK, encrypted | Yes | Teams who want changes to appear instantly across devices |
Marked secrets are always local
A value you mark as secret is never synced and never committed — in any mode. It stays on your device regardless of which mode the workspace uses.
Local
Local mode keeps everything on your machine. There is no account, no login, and no network involved — install RESTK and start working. Your workspace is stored in an encrypted database on your device and goes nowhere.
Use local mode when you want a fast, native API client with no notion of a backend, or for any workspace whose data should simply never leave your machine. Because nothing of yours reaches a server, there is no infrastructure of ours in the loop at all.
Git
Git mode stores your workspace as plain files in a git repository you own. You commit, branch, open pull requests, and merge API changes with the same workflow you use for code, and RESTK does the git work from inside the app.
- Your requests, environments, folders, and runners are versioned in the repository.
- You can see exactly what changed in each commit.
- Merging keeps everyone's work, with a visual resolver for genuine conflicts.
- Secrets are never committed: teammates see which secrets a workspace expects, never their values.
See the Git Sync guide for the full workflow.
Cloud
Cloud mode syncs your workspace through RESTK so changes appear across your devices and your team in real time. It is offline-first: you work locally and sync when ready, and RESTK merges changes field by field.
Cloud sync uses managed encryption. Values are encrypted on your device before they are sent, with a rotating per-workspace key — but the keys are server-managed, which is what makes team features like invites and device recovery work.
Cloud sync uses managed encryption, not zero-knowledge
Because the keys are server-managed, RESTK is technically able to decrypt cloud-synced data. We do not describe this as end-to-end or zero-knowledge. If you need a mode where that is not even possible, use local or git — there is no key of ours and no server of ours in the loop. Values marked secret are never synced in any mode. The full threat model is in Security & Encryption.
Choosing a Mode
Ask what a given workspace actually needs:
- Should it ever leave this machine? If no, use local.
- Should changes be reviewed and versioned like code, in infrastructure you own? Use git.
- Should changes appear instantly across a team's devices? Use cloud.
You can run different workspaces in different modes at the same time, so you do not have to make one choice for everything.
Related
- Git Sync — version your workspace as files in a repo
- Sync & Collaboration — real-time cloud sync for teams
- Security & Encryption — what each mode protects, and what it does not
- Workspaces — creating and organizing workspaces