Fishman

A native, Git-first API client for developers who care about speed, privacy, and flow.

Fishman is an open-source desktop API client built with Rust, Tauri v2, React, and TypeScript. It combines a focused request workspace with local-first storage and optional Git-native collections that live next to your code.

No Electron bloat. No cloud lock-in. Your requests, history, and secrets stay on your machine unless you export or commit them.

Features · Install · Development · Docs · Contributing

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Support

Sponsorship never gates features — Fishman stays open source and free to use.

Features

Area	What you get
REST	Full method set including HTTP `QUERY`, rich body types, auth, code gen
GraphQL	Query / variables / operation name, introspection docs, data & errors view
WebSocket	Connect / disconnect, live timeline, Text / JSON / Binary composer
Git-native	Collections as `*.fish` JSON in your repo — branch, review, and merge
Scanner	Point at a codebase (or GitHub URL) and generate a collection
Privacy	Local SQLite + optional filesystem workspace; nothing synced by default
Native	HTTP via Rust `reqwest`; small Tauri shell instead of Chromium-as-app

Highlights

Multi-tab workspace with pin, unsaved indicators, and keyboard shortcuts
Environments with {{variable}} substitution and live scope hints
Import / export Postman and Fishman formats
Find & Replace URLs — sidebar panel (VS Code–style); select text + Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+H
Workspaces, cookies manager, history, themes (light / dark / system)
Plugin-oriented scanner and import-export layers

Screenshots

Screenshots coming soon. Place product images under docs/images/ and link them here.

docs/images/
  overview.png
  request-builder.png
  git-native.png

Installation

Download binaries

Installers are published on GitHub Releases.

Platform	Artifact	Notes
Linux	`.AppImage`	`chmod +x` then run
Linux	`.deb`	Ubuntu / Debian
Windows	NSIS `*-setup.exe`	Recommended for most users
Windows	`.msi`	Silent / IT install

macOS builds are not yet in the default release pipeline.

From source

git clone https://github.com/nkrider7/fishman.git
cd fishman
npm install
npm run tauri build

See Development setup for prerequisites.

Development setup

Requirements

Tool	Version
Node.js	20+ (22 LTS recommended)
Rust	Stable (via rustup)
Platform deps	Tauri prerequisites

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget file \
  libssl-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

Running locally

npm install
npm run tauri dev    # full desktop app
npm test             # unit tests
npm run tauri build  # production installers

Quick smoke test after launch:

GET https://httpbin.org/get
POST https://httpbin.org/post with body {"hello":"world"}

Project structure

fishman/
├── src/                 # React frontend
│   ├── app/             # App shell & providers
│   ├── components/      # Feature UI
│   ├── store/           # Redux Toolkit
│   ├── services/        # DB, environments, orchestration
│   ├── scanner/         # Code → collection plugins
│   ├── import-export/   # Format plugins
│   ├── git-native/      # Filesystem / Git workspace codec
│   ├── tauri/           # Typed invoke wrappers
│   └── types/           # Shared TypeScript models
├── src-tauri/           # Rust backend (HTTP, SQLite, IPC)
├── docs/                # Architecture, roadmap, community docs
├── .github/             # CI, templates, Dependabot
└── public/              # Static assets

Supported APIs

REST

Methods: GET, QUERY, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS, TRACE, CONNECT
Bodies: JSON, form-data, x-www-form-urlencoded, raw, XML, HTML, GraphQL, binary
Auth: Bearer, Basic, API Key, JWT, OAuth2 token, custom header
Code snippets: cURL, HTTPie, fetch, axios, Python requests, and more

GraphQL

Query / Variables / Operation Name editors
Schema introspection and docs sidebar
GraphQL data and errors response view
Subscriptions planned over the WebSocket client

WebSocket

ws:// and wss:// connections
Handshake headers and auth
Live message timeline with filters
Text / JSON / Binary composer and saved templates
{{variable}} support

Git-native collections

Store APIs next to your source — commit, branch, and review like code.

project/
└── fishman/
    ├── workspace.json
    ├── environments/
    │   ├── local.json
    │   └── local.secret.json   # gitignored
    └── collections/
        └── Auth/Login.fish

Deterministic JSON for clean diffs
Secrets stay in *.secret.json
File watcher + conflict UI (ours / theirs)
Details: docs/git-native.md

Environment variables

Scope	Behavior
Global	Shared across collections in a workspace
Collection	Scoped to one collection
Secrets	Prefer secret files / gitignored storage

Use {{variable}} in URLs, headers, params, body, auth, and WebSocket fields. Variable-aware inputs show live scope hints.

Roadmap

High-level plan: docs/roadmap.md.

Status	Themes
In progress	WebSocket polish, scanner coverage, Git UX
Planned	OpenAPI / Bruno / Insomnia import, macOS releases, GraphQL subscriptions
Ideas	Collections sharing, richer docs export, more language scanners

Contributing

We welcome issues, discussions, and pull requests.

Read CONTRIBUTING.md
Follow the Code of Conduct
Use issue forms for bugs, features, and docs

For large features, open a Discussion first so we can align on design.

Security

Please report vulnerabilities privately — see SECURITY.md.

Do not file public issues for security-sensitive reports.

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

Copyright 2026 Narendra Nishad

See also NOTICE for attribution and third-party notices.

Trademark

"Fishman", the Fishman logo, and related branding are trademarks of Narendra Nishad.

The Apache-2.0 license applies to the source code only. It does not grant permission to use the Fishman name, logo, or branding for derivative products in a way that implies endorsement or official affiliation.

See docs/branding.md.

Credits

Built on Tauri, React, Vite, and the Rust ecosystem
UI primitives inspired by shadcn/ui and Radix
Inspired by the developer experience of tools like Bruno, Insomnia, and VS Code

Community

Channel	Purpose
GitHub Issues	Bugs and actionable tasks
GitHub Discussions	Ideas, Q&A, show and tell
Ko-fi	Support development
Discord	Coming soon — placeholder in docs/community.md

Suggested Discussion categories once enabled:

Announcements — releases and project news
Q&A — help using Fishman
Ideas — feature proposals
Show and tell — scanners, themes, workflows
Development — contributing and architecture

FAQ

Is Fishman free?
Yes. The source is Apache-2.0. You can use, modify, and distribute the code under that license.

Does it require an account or cloud?
No. Data is local by default.

Can I sync collections with Git?
Yes — use Git-native workspaces under a fishman/ folder in your project.

Why Tauri instead of Electron?
Smaller footprint and native Rust HTTP without shipping a full Chromium app shell.

Where do I download builds?
GitHub Releases.

Architecture overview

flowchart LR
  UI[React UI] --> RTK[Redux Toolkit]
  RTK --> SVC[Services]
  SVC --> INV[Tauri IPC]
  INV --> RUST[Rust backend]
  RUST --> HTTP[reqwest]
  RUST --> DB[(SQLite)]
  SCAN[Scanner plugins] --> SVC
  IE[Import / Export] --> SVC
  GIT[Git-native codec] --> SVC

Deep dive: docs/architecture.md

Performance

HTTP executed in Rust (reqwest), not the webview network stack
Local SQLite for app state; optional filesystem for Git-native collections
Small splash assets and deferred window show for faster perceived startup
Virtualized lists for large workspaces where applicable

Future plans

See docs/roadmap.md and docs/philosophy.md.

Priorities include broader import formats, macOS packaging, GraphQL subscriptions, and deeper Git workflows — without sacrificing local-first privacy.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl` / `⌘` + `Enter`	Send request
`Ctrl` / `⌘` + `S`	Save active request
`Ctrl` / `⌘` + `N`	New request tab
`Ctrl` / `⌘` + `W`	Close active tab

Support

Sponsorship never gates features — Fishman stays open source and free to use.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
.vscode		.vscode
docs		docs
public		public
src-tauri		src-tauri
src		src
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
NOTICE		NOTICE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
app-icon.png		app-icon.png
index.html		index.html
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
tsconfig.node.json		tsconfig.node.json
vite.config.ts		vite.config.ts
vitest.config.ts		vitest.config.ts

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WebSocket

Git-native collections

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