Features
- Lightweight, browser-based API testing
- REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, and MQTT support
- Collections, environments, and team collaboration
- Self-hostable with admin dashboard
Pros
- Open-source and free for all features
- Lightweight web app — no Electron overhead
- Self-hostable for enterprise environments
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem of integrations than Postman
- CLI tooling less mature than Postman
- Fewer third-party tutorials and resources
Overview
Hoppscotch is an open-source API development ecosystem that provides a fast, lightweight alternative to Postman. It runs entirely in the browser with no heavy desktop application required, supporting REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, and MQTT protocols.
Hoppscotch includes collections, environments, team workspaces, and a CLI for CI/CD integration. It can be self-hosted for organizations that need to keep API testing within their infrastructure, making it attractive for security-conscious teams.
When to Use
Choose Hoppscotch when you want a free, open-source API testing tool, when you prefer a lightweight browser-based experience over Electron apps, or when you need to self-host your API testing platform for security or compliance reasons.
Getting Started
# Use directly in browser at hoppscotch.io
# Or self-host with Docker:
docker compose up -d
# CLI usage:
npm install -g @hoppscotch/cli
hopp test -e environment.json collection.json