Insomnia Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-04-29

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Insomnia is an open-source, cross-platform API client developed by Kong, designed for testing, debugging, and designing APIs across REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), Socket.IO, and other HTTP-compatible protocols. It offers a lightweight, developer-friendly alternative to Postman with unlimited collection runs, native Git sync, AI-powered features (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, or local LLM), and full support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Insomnia streamlines API workflows through intuitive templating, powerful scripting (pre-request and after-response), environment management, and flexible storage options—local, cloud, or Git-based—making it essential for modern API development and collaborative testing. A key advantage is its simplicity and speed, which keeps developers focused on API functionality rather than wrestling with tooling complexity.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 21 focused tables and 169 indexed concepts, 133 flashcards. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Request Types and Protocol SupportTable 2: Workspace Organization and StorageTable 3: Environment Variables and TemplatingTable 4: Authentication MethodsTable 5: Request Body FormatsTable 6: Scripts and AutomationTable 7: Testing and ValidationTable 8: Mock ServersTable 9: Code Generation and ExportTable 10: Design and DocumentationTable 11: Collaboration FeaturesTable 12: AI and MCP FeaturesTable 13: CI/CD IntegrationTable 14: Plugins and ExtensionsTable 15: Import and MigrationTable 16: Keyboard ShortcutsTable 17: Response InspectionTable 18: Advanced Request FeaturesTable 19: Settings and PreferencesTable 20: Troubleshooting and DebuggingTable 21: Enterprise Features

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Table 1: Request Types and Protocol Support

Insomnia is not just a REST client—it speaks the full spectrum of modern API protocols from a single window. Whether you're hitting a plain HTTP endpoint, introspecting a GraphQL schema, streaming gRPC, or holding open a WebSocket, each protocol gets its own dedicated request type with the right editor and response view.

Protocol	Example	Description
HTTP/REST	`GET https://api.example.com/users` `POST /auth/login`	• Standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS) for RESTful APIs • full header, body, and query parameter control.
GraphQL	`query { user(id: "1") { name email } }`	Native GraphQL support with query editor, variable section, schema introspection, auto-completion, and inline validation based on the type system.
gRPC	Host: `localhost:50051` Method: `/grpc.health.v1.Health/Check`	• Supports all four gRPC types: unary, server-streaming, client-streaming, bidirectional • configure host, port, metadata, and use `.proto` files for schema definitions.
WebSocket	`ws://localhost:8080/socket` Send: `{"action": "subscribe"}`	• Bi-directional persistent connections for real-time communication • send and receive messages interactively; messages can be JSON or raw format.
Server-Sent Events (SSE)	`GET https://api.example.com/events` Accept: `text/event-stream`	• Unidirectional streaming from server to client • view live event data as it arrives, ideal for notifications and real-time updates.
Socket.IO	`socket.io://localhost:3000` Event: `chat message`	• Native Socket.IO request type for event-driven real-time messaging • supports custom handshake paths and correct JSON request/response handling.
SOAP	`POST https://soap.example.com/service` Content-Type: `text/xml`	• Send XML-based SOAP requests with envelope structure • define WSDL schemas and inspect SOAP responses.

Table 2: Workspace Organization and Storage

How you group requests and where their data lives are two decisions worth making up front. Collections and projects shape the hierarchy, while the storage choice—local vault, cloud sync, or Git—determines whether your work stays on the machine, syncs encrypted to teammates, or lives in version control alongside your code.

Option	Example	Description
Collections	Create → Request Collection → "User API"	• Group related requests into collections (folders) • supports nesting, ordering, pre/after scripts, and Collection Runner for batch execution.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 3: Environment Variables and Templating

This is where Insomnia stops repeating yourself. Environment variables hold values like base URLs and tokens that swap cleanly between dev, staging, and prod, while Nunjucks template tags let you pull a value straight out of a previous response, generate a UUID, or stamp a timestamp—the foundation of request chaining and dynamic auth.

Feature	Example	Description
Environment Variables	`{ "base_url": "https://api.dev.com", "token": "abc123" }`	• Define key-value pairs in JSON format • reference as `_.base_url` in URLs, headers, or bodies • supports sub-environments for staging, dev, prod.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 4: Authentication Methods

Almost every real API expects you to prove who you are, and Insomnia builds the auth header for you instead of making you hand-roll it. The list runs from the everyday Bearer token, API key, and Basic auth to full OAuth 2.0 flows with PKCE, AWS Signature v4, and legacy options like Digest and NTLM for corporate services.

Method	Example	Description
Bearer Token	Token: `{% response 'body', 'req_login', '$.token' %}`	• Adds `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header • supports dynamic tokens via template tags for chained requests.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 1: Request Types and Protocol Support

Protocol	Example	Description
HTTP/REST	`GET https://api.example.com/users` `POST /auth/login`	• Standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS) for RESTful APIs • full header, body, and query parameter control.
GraphQL	`query { user(id: "1") { name email } }`	Native GraphQL support with query editor, variable section, schema introspection, auto-completion, and inline validation based on the type system.
gRPC	Host: `localhost:50051` Method: `/grpc.health.v1.Health/Check`	• Supports all four gRPC types: unary, server-streaming, client-streaming, bidirectional • configure host, port, metadata, and use `.proto` files for schema definitions.
WebSocket	`ws://localhost:8080/socket` Send: `{"action": "subscribe"}`	• Bi-directional persistent connections for real-time communication • send and receive messages interactively; messages can be JSON or raw format.
Server-Sent Events (SSE)	`GET https://api.example.com/events` Accept: `text/event-stream`	• Unidirectional streaming from server to client • view live event data as it arrives, ideal for notifications and real-time updates.
Socket.IO	`socket.io://localhost:3000` Event: `chat message`	• Native Socket.IO request type for event-driven real-time messaging • supports custom handshake paths and correct JSON request/response handling.
SOAP	`POST https://soap.example.com/service` Content-Type: `text/xml`	• Send XML-based SOAP requests with envelope structure • define WSDL schemas and inspect SOAP responses.

Table 2: Workspace Organization and Storage

Option	Example	Description
Collections	Create → Request Collection → "User API"	• Group related requests into collections (folders) • supports nesting, ordering, pre/after scripts, and Collection Runner for batch execution.

Table 3: Environment Variables and Templating

Feature	Example	Description
Environment Variables	`{ "base_url": "https://api.dev.com", "token": "abc123" }`	• Define key-value pairs in JSON format • reference as `_.base_url` in URLs, headers, or bodies • supports sub-environments for staging, dev, prod.

Table 4: Authentication Methods

Method	Example	Description
Bearer Token	Token: `{% response 'body', 'req_login', '$.token' %}`	• Adds `Authorization: Bearer <token>` header • supports dynamic tokens via template tags for chained requests.