local-post 🚀

Professional Desktop Mock REST API Suite
Build, configure, test, save, and run local mock REST APIs with a native desktop GUI or globally installable CLI.

🚀 Quick Start: How to Run

1. Launch the Native Desktop Window (Fastest)

# In the project directory:
npm start

This immediately opens the native Electron desktop application window. No browser is required.

2. Run Globally via NPM CLI

Install globally from NPM:

npm install -g @avijitdey255/local-post

Now you can launch the native desktop application from anywhere:

# Opens the native desktop application window:
local-post

# Or use the alias:
mockforge

Or run directly without installation:

npx @avijitdey255/local-post

3. CLI Command Options

local-post supports CLI flags to configure ports, projects, or run without a window:

| Flag | Description | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | -p, --port <number> | Set mock server listening port | local-post --port 8080 | | --project <name> | Open specific project by name | local-post --project "Storefront & Auth API" | | --open-last-project | Automatically reload last active project | local-post --open-last-project | | --headless | Run mock server directly in the terminal (no GUI) | local-post --headless --port 3000 | | -v, --version | Display installed version | local-post --version | | -h, --help | Display CLI help menu | local-post --help |

Headless Mode Example (Terminal Only)

mockforge --headless --port 4000

4. Development Mode (Live Reloading)

To develop with Vite hot module replacement (HMR):

Terminal 1 (Vite Dev Server):

npm run dev:renderer

Terminal 2 (Electron with Dev Flags):

npm run dev:electron

To re-build the production UI bundle:

npm run build

5. Automated Tests

Run the Vitest test suite covering unit schemas, template parsing, rule matching, in-memory stateful store, persistence, and real HTTP server integration:

npm test

🛠️ Key Features

• Native Electron Desktop App: Secure process architecture (contextIsolation: true, sandboxed IPC bridge).
• Interactive UI: Dark mode by default (gray-900 / 950 surfaces), comfortable light theme toggle, responsive layout.
• Dynamic Route Engine:
  • Full HTTP method support: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS.
  • Dynamic path parameters (e.g. /api/products/:id) and query parameters (?page=2).
  • Safe response templating ({{params.id}}, {{query.filter}}, {{body.field}}, {{timestamp}}, {{uuid}}, {{random.number(1,100)}}).
  • Conditional response rules (override status code and payload when query, header, or body conditions match).
  • Simulated latency delays (ms).
  • CORS and preflight OPTIONS handling.
• Built-in API Request Tester: Test mock endpoints directly inside the desktop window with headers, query parameters, payload editor, and copyable cURL commands.
• Real-Time Server Console: Live traffic inspection with sanitized authentication redaction (authorization tokens and secrets are redacted from logs).
• Simulated Stateful CRUD Store: Prototyping mode for in-memory resources (POST items, GET by ID, PUT/PATCH, and DELETE).
• Safe Persistence: Configuration stored in ~/.mockforge-local/data.json with atomic writes and automatic corrupted-file recovery.
• Import & Export: Export and import projects and environments as portable JSON files.

📦 Building Standalone Desktop Installers

To create standalone desktop distributions for Windows, macOS, or Linux using electron-builder:

# Package directory without creating installer:
npm run pack

# Build production installers (NSIS for Windows, DMG for macOS, AppImage for Linux):
npm run dist

👨‍💻 Author & Developer

Developed by Avijit Dey

• 🌐 Portfolio Website: https://avijitdey.vercel.app/
• ✉️ Email: [email protected]

📄 License

MIT © 2026 Avijit Dey (https://avijitdey.vercel.app/)