Quest

Quest: When API Testing Meets Beautiful Terminal UI

I'm tired of switching between my terminal and Postman every time I need to test an API. As a developer who practically lives in the terminal, I wanted something that feels native to my workflow but doesn't sacrifice the visual appeal that makes tools like Postman so great.

That's how Quest was born - a terminal HTTP client that actually looks and feels good to use.

Why Another HTTP Client?

Sure, curl exists. But have you ever tried to craft a complex POST request with headers and JSON body using curl? It's a nightmare of escaped quotes and backslashes.

And while GUI tools like Postman are great, they break my flow. I don't want to alt-tab out of my terminal just to test an endpoint.

Quest bridges this gap by bringing a beautiful, interactive interface directly to your terminal.

The Architecture: Clean Go + Charm's TUI Stack

Quest is built with Go and leverages the incredible Charm CLI ecosystem:

Core Framework:

• Bubble Tea: The TUI framework that handles the event loop and state management
• Lipgloss: For styling and creating the beautiful color-coded interface
• Bubbles: Pre-built components like text inputs and viewports

Design Principles:

• Modular: Clean separation between UI components and HTTP logic
• Responsive: Adapts to any terminal size
• Keyboard-driven: Everything accessible via keyboard shortcuts
• Fast: Efficient rendering and HTTP client implementation

Key Features That Make It Special

Tabbed Interface: Quest organizes everything into intuitive tabs - URL/Method, Headers, Body, and Response. You can navigate with Ctrl+arrow keys or tab through fields naturally.

Visual HTTP Methods: Each HTTP method gets its own color coding:

• GET (green) for retrieving data
• POST (blue) for creating resources
• PUT (yellow) for updates
• DELETE (red) for removal
• And more with consistent visual language

Real-time Response Display: Responses show up with syntax highlighting, proper formatting, and separate views for headers vs body. Status codes are color-coded so you immediately know if something succeeded or failed.

Request Persistence: Save requests to .quest files and load them later. Perfect for building collections of API calls you use frequently.

Implementation Challenges & Solutions

Terminal Compatibility: Getting colors and layouts to work across different terminals was tricky. The Lipgloss library helped, but I still had to handle edge cases for various terminal emulators.

State Management: With multiple tabs and input fields, keeping state synchronized was complex. Bubble Tea's message-passing architecture made this manageable by treating state updates as events.

HTTP Error Handling:
Building robust error handling that gives meaningful feedback without overwhelming the interface required careful balance between detail and clarity.

The Developer Experience

What I love about Quest is how it feels to use. You can:

1. Enter a URL and immediately start typing
2. Tab through fields naturally
3. Use keyboard shortcuts that feel intuitive (Ctrl+S to send)
4. See responses formatted beautifully with syntax highlighting
5. Save and recall requests for repeated testing

It's API testing that feels like it belongs in a developer's terminal workflow.

Future Roadmap

Quest is already functional, but I have plans for:

• Request history and collections
• Environment variables and templating
• Multiple authentication methods
• GraphQL support
• Response export capabilities

For now, it solves the core problem: beautiful, fast API testing without leaving your terminal.