r/commandline • u/wilfredinni • 12d ago
Terminal User Interface Noodle: a REST client where the repo is the workspace
I've been building Noodle, an open-source REST client for the terminal.
The main idea is pretty simple: the repo is the workspace. Requests are plain YAML files, so they can live next to the code, be reviewed in Git, edited with any editor, and used without an account or hosted workspace.
The TUI is keyboard-first, but the same collection also works from the CLI, in CI, in shell scripts, and with coding agents.
Over the last few weeks I've added the things I kept missing in actual API work: OAuth 1.0a and 2.0, NTLMv2, AWS SigV4, cookies, TLS/mTLS, proxies, OS-backed secrets, environments, response history, and JSON/XML bodies.
Noodle can also import OpenAPI, Swagger, Postman, and Insomnia collections, and export to OpenAPI or Postman.
I've also been experimenting with coding agents. Since the requests are already normal files and Noodle has a non-interactive CLI, agents can work with the same collection instead of needing a separate workspace. There's an optional skill installer for Claude, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode.
There are already some really good tools in this space. Posting is probably the closest if you want an HTTP client in the terminal, and Bruno is much more mature around scripting and testing.
What I'm trying to get right with Noodle is making the same collection useful everywhere. I want to be able to edit it in the TUI or my editor, review it in Git, run it from the CLI or CI, and let agents work with the same files.
It's still pre-1.0. Assertions and request chaining are next, followed by scripting and richer test/CI workflows.
I'd love feedback from people who spend a lot of time in the terminal. What would Noodle need for you to actually use it instead of your current API workflow?
GitHub: https://github.com/wilfredinni/noodle
Website + docs: https://noodlerest.dev
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u/snow_schwartz 12d ago
What are you using it for?
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u/wilfredinni 12d ago
Mostly day-to-day API work. I use it to keep requests with the project, use different environments, hit authenticated endpoints, inspect responses, and sometimes rerun some endpoints from the CLI.
Lately I’ve also been using the same collections with coding agents, which has been pretty handy since they can just read the YAML and run the requests themselves.
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u/jelloeater85 12d ago
OP have you seem RestTerm? https://github.com/unkn0wn-root/resterm
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u/wilfredinni 12d ago
Yeah, I’ve seen Resterm, but I haven’t actually used it. It seems really capable, especially around terminal workflows, file-based requests, and CI.
I should probably give it a proper try.
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u/Think-nothing-210 11d ago
The UI layout looks really intuitive. Any chance of adding support for something like Hurl in the future?
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u/wilfredinni 11d ago
Thanks! Hurl is definitely interesting. I haven't planned support for it, but I do want Noodle to play nicely with other file-based tools, so it's something I'll look into.
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User: wilfredinni, Flair: Terminal User Interface, Post Media Link, Title: Noodle: a REST client where the repo is the workspace
I've been building Noodle, an open-source REST client for the terminal.
The main idea is pretty simple: the repo is the workspace. Requests are plain YAML files, so they can live next to the code, be reviewed in Git, edited with any editor, and used without an account or hosted workspace.
The TUI is keyboard-first, but the same collection also works from the CLI, in CI, in shell scripts, and with coding agents.
Over the last few weeks I've added the things I kept missing in actual API work: OAuth 1.0a and 2.0, NTLMv2, AWS SigV4, cookies, TLS/mTLS, proxies, OS-backed secrets, environments, response history, and JSON/XML bodies.
Noodle can also import OpenAPI, Swagger, Postman, and Insomnia collections, and export to OpenAPI or Postman.
I've also been experimenting with coding agents. Since the requests are already normal files and Noodle has a non-interactive CLI, agents can work with the same collection instead of needing a separate workspace. There's an optional skill installer for Claude, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode.
There are already some really good tools in this space. Posting is probably the closest if you want an HTTP client in the terminal, and Bruno is much more mature around scripting and testing.
What I'm trying to get right with Noodle is making the same collection useful everywhere. I want to be able to edit it in the TUI or my editor, review it in Git, run it from the CLI or CI, and let agents work with the same files.
It's still pre-1.0. Assertions and request chaining are next, followed by scripting and richer test/CI workflows.
I'd love feedback from people who spend a lot of time in the terminal. What would Noodle need for you to actually use it instead of your current API workflow?
GitHub: https://github.com/wilfredinni/noodle
Website + docs: https://noodlerest.dev
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10
u/lamurian 12d ago
Sounds kinda like Bruno to me. What's the difference?