Restish review
A free, open-source API client for OpenAPI-aware shell automation.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Restish is an open-source command-line API client for developers who work with REST-ish APIs and shell automation. It runs as a native binary on macOS, Linux, and Windows, supporting standard HTTP verbs including GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. Its strongest fit is for engineers who want API requests, reusable configuration, and machine-readable output in local workflows or CI pipelines rather than a graphical client built around shared team workspaces.
OpenAPI support is the product's defining advantage. Restish can discover OpenAPI descriptions and generate API-aware commands, while authentication profiles and reusable API configuration help keep recurring requests organized. Response filtering works through shorthand expressions or jq expressions, and output can be formatted as JSON, YAML, tables, CSV, NDJSON, or raw downloads. Pagination, link following, streaming responses, retries, timeouts, and HTTP response caching extend it beyond one-off requests. Plugins add options for bulk workflows, CSV, MCP, TLS signing, and custom behavior.
Restish is free and open source, with no paid tier to evaluate or compare. Scriptable output streams and exit codes make it a practical choice for repeatable shell tasks and CI automation, especially when an API has an OpenAPI description. Its focus is narrower than a broader API platform: teams looking for dedicated GraphQL, WebSocket, automated API-testing, API-documentation publishing, or shared team-workspace workflows should choose a tool centered on those needs instead. Pick Restish when local, scriptable REST/HTTP work matters most; look elsewhere when collaboration or multi-protocol coverage is the priority.
Restish pros and cons
- Where it wins
- OpenAPI discovery generates API-aware commands
- Structured output supports JSON, YAML, tables, CSV, and NDJSON
- Retries, caching, pagination, plugins, and CI-friendly scripting
- Where it doesn't
- Focused on REST/HTTP workflows rather than broader protocol coverage
- No dedicated team-workspace features
- Automated API testing is outside its documented focus
Restish fact sheet, pricing and score →
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