API Console feature

[RomanHotsiy]

Implement API Console functionality.

Each method in ReDoc will have a button: “Try this method” which will open interactive console modal window.

There is the list of key features that should be implemented in the first version:

• Ability to send GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, UPDATE requests
• Ability to input/use/save authorization credentials
• Show UI for easy entering parameters for path, headers, query and body (payload) parameters
• UI should show selectbox for enums, checkboxes for boolean, text input for other simple types
• Request should be validated before send according to OpenAPI spec
• Support different environments (e.g. sandbox, dev, testing, etc) through OpenAPI vendor extension (each env will have unique base url and description) + ability to set default env specially for API-console
• For most parts response will be shown “as is”. JSON response will be only prettified (with possibility of collapsing). The other responses will be represented as strings.
• Show response headers that are documented in swagger. HTTP response headers that are not documented will be hidden under “Show undocumented response headers” button

[RomanHotsiy]

A few mockups:

[SebastianStehle]

Do you have a timeline for this feature? If you are done with it, SwaggerUI should be replaced by Redoc as the official solution ;)

[RomanHotsiy]

@SebastianStehle can't promise anything. It is on our list but before we have a few other things to implement. I will update the roadmap shortly.

Hopefully, we will get this ready in 3-4 months

[sixers]

Hey, any update on this?

[RomanHotsiy]

API Console is one of the priorities now. But so far we haven't started working on that :(
This seems to be the next big task on our roadmap.
I will post here once we start work on this.

[adamaltman]

It may be good if the console can also send PATCH requests too.

[dolmen]

About the support for "different environments" in the description of this issue, I don't think this should be a priority: the host and the basePath are specified in the Swagger spec and allowing to switch environments would imply to override the information from the spec. But there would be a much simpler to way to have this feature: have multiple instances of ReDoc with its own spec with the specialized spec with the specific host/basePath settings. That's how I'm handling multiple environments with swagger-ui right now.

Note that sandbox/dev/testing environments are usually not information you want to expose (and accidentally leak), so using a vendor extension of the spec does not seem to be the right place.

[gembin]

It will be awesome to have API Console. +1

[pkvenu]

+1 for API Console. Do you guys have a timeline for this?

[Rikhart]

+1 for API Console.

[nifedorov]

+1 for API Console

[gkonnov]

+1 for API Console

[bryuzgin]

+1 for API Console

[drfill]

+1 for API Console

[dolmen]

Please stop adding "+1" comments. Use instead the reaction feature of GitHub.

You can even delete your own useless comments!

[j26nz]

Hey @RomanGotsiy Thanks for such an awesome API documentation tool :) Are you currently working on implementing API console ? Do you have any timeline for this feature?

[RomanHotsiy]

@j26nz no, I'm on 2-week vacation now and don't have any timeline for now.
I have this partially implemented for very simple use-cases but swagger has so many ways to describe the same thing that there's still a lot of work to finish this.

I will try to keep all you guys updated on the progress

[seanpk]

@RomanGotsiy - did you all look into the support that Postman has for generating collections from swagger? (you have to scroll down a bit)

I'm not saying that there's no reason for ReDoc to have a console, but if there's another workable option, I wonder if there are other features that would be more valuable. Especially when I think about not only the complexity of supporting the multiple ways of expressing the same thing that OpenAPI supports, but also the tough time properly supporting built-in security features and allowing for user extensions.

I know the community is really looking forward to a built-in console, but having come to ReDoc from the disappointments of SwaggerUI, I'd hate to see this great tool get bogged down in the implementation and support of a "nice to have" feature when there are workable alternatives.

I hope over the next few days to look into Postman's support and will share my experience here too.

[seanpk]

Update on trying out Postman-generated collections, first impressions:

• imported a couple specs that make use of "advanced" OpenAPI features without issue, including:
  • use of discriminator (polymorphic types)
  • use of additionalProperties
• interpretation of markdown in descriptions (including tables and fenced code) ...
  • (this is a little bit handy, but I'd still have the ReDoc rendering for real documentation)
• ability to add a pre-request script for calculating any security headers

Generated Postman collections look good for our use cases, at least. We'll proceed beyond the quick POT I've done and see what more we learn.

@RomanGotsiy (and others) I would be really interested in hearing about your exploration of generated Postman collections and understanding what advantages a custom built-in API console has over them.

[adamaltman]

Thanks for the update @seanpk .

[raderio]

I have this partially implemented for very simple use-cases but swagger has so many ways to describe the same thing that there's still a lot of work to finish this.

@RomanGotsiy you can release a very simple version. After releasing, people interested in more features will create new issues.

[j26nz]

hey @RomanGotsiy like @raderio said Is it possible for you to release a simple version of API console or you can put it on a separate branch and people interested in more features can start contributing to it. Thanks.

[indolent-developer]

hi is there any update on this feature. May be we can have a PR for this??

[adamaltman]

I emailed you @paperplanemove ...

[adamaltman]

Added to Todo list:

• update roadmap
• make it clear how to get/try the API console

[mona24]

@adamaltman could you please email me as well? I tried "Request invitation" a couple of times but didn't get any invite.

[adamaltman]

@mona24 I don't know your email address.

[mona24]

Hi Adam, My email ID is [email protected]. Anyhow, one of my teammates got in touch with the redoc team already. Thanks! Regards, Manogna

…

On Fri 3 May, 2019, 5:01 PM Adam Altman, ***@***.***> wrote: @mona24 <https://github.com/mona24> I don't know your email address. — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#53 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AB4F3KFEJJDOYQO72YY7RNLPTQPC5ANCNFSM4CFJMV6A> .

[GGAnderson]

Hi Adam,
We are looking for this also. Please email more info to [email protected]
Thank you,
GG Anderson

[adamaltman]

Contacted. Thanks GG.

[pongz79]

Hi @adamaltman.
I'm also looking for this.
Can you please email me at [email protected]?
Thank you.

[pekunicki]

Hi @adamaltman,
Please keep me updated.
Thanks a lot!

[edimarco12]

Hi @adamaltman.
I'm also looking for this.
Could you email me at [email protected]?

Thank you,
Erik

[rknuc12345]

Any plan to release "Tryout" feature in your upcoming releases?

[PCiszewski]

Hi could you be so kind and send me also some info about Try It? This is my email: [email protected]

[RobertGossett]

Can you send me information on console? [email protected] :)

[plittlewood-rpt]

Any ETA on when the Try It functionality will hit a release?

[GSatosov]

Can you send the information to me as well?
[email protected]

[liudonghua123]

+1 for API Console

[raha1923]

Well, our company needs API-console on redoc, so we have to try to implement it. I'm looking for a proper solution to avoid implement un-necessary implementation.
Please let me know about the existing solutions which match our(Redoc) requirements.

[FV-Admin]

Team, we are also looking for Tryout feature..! If possible can you pls share the beta link to us.

[raha1923]

I found a fork of Redoc that API console had implemented on it. I have cloned it and merge with my forked Redoc project and now I'm going to redesign it and after that, I will send it's PR to the main project. You can use my forked project until I'll send the PR and maybe you can help me to redesign it.

raha1923/redoc#1

[raha1923]

I just wanted to share with you the progress of the API console feature. You can watch it or maybe help us to implement it. raha1923#1

here are screenshots of the parts of it that implemented.

[adamaltman]

@raha1923 please read through all the comments above. Thank you for your contributions and feedback.

We really value our community and appreciate every contribution. It was a hard decision, but in summary, we decided that the API console won't be added to open-source Redoc. It is available in our commercial offering in Redocly.

Again, you're free to use and maintain your own fork of the project.

Redocly is a commercial (not free) product that offers hosted API docs. It's available in a private beta now, but we will be launching to the public by the end of February.

We've been working on this project for 55 months, and we're grateful for the support, feedback and contributions from the community. We've recently launched some new and related free open-source projects including:

https://github.com/Redocly/openapi-cli
https://github.com/Redocly/create-openapi-repo (we'll be announcing v3 in February)

You can support our projects by:

• starring them (we love stars)
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