User guide
Beacon, chapter by chapter
19 chapters covering the whole app, from installing it to chaining requests on a canvas. Written as plain text on purpose — the UI moves, so layouts are described in words rather than screenshots.
Getting oriented
Building requests
- Sending RequestsCompose and fire an HTTP request from the Omnibox — the single URL bar that also imports curl, runs commands, and searches your work.
- Request bodyThe seven body types, the JSON editor's conveniences, and the GraphQL schema explorer.
- Params and headersQuery parameters, path variables, and request headers — and how the key-value editor works.
- AuthorizationThe six auth types, the full OAuth 2.0 flow, and how auth is inherited from folders and collections.
- Variables and environments{{variables}}, their resolution order, environments and globals, secret values, and dynamic tokens.
- Scripts and testsPre-request scripts, the no-code assertion builder, the full pm API, schema validation, and script-free variable extraction.
Working with responses
Organizing
Advanced
- Collection runnerRunning a whole collection or folder in sequence — with iterations, data files, and per-request results.
- FlowsChaining requests visually on a canvas — one response feeds the next, with conditions, extraction, and scripts.
- Load testingFiring a request many times concurrently to measure latency and throughput, with live charts and run comparison.
- Mock, WebSocket, and monitorsThree connection tools — a local mock server, a WebSocket client, and scheduled health monitors.
Find it fast
Straight to the answer
| I want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Install Beacon and send my first request | Getting started |
| Learn what every part of the window does | Interface tour |
| Send a POST request with a JSON body | Request body |
| Add an auth token to a request | Authorization |
| Reuse a base URL or token across requests | Variables and environments |
| Write a test that checks the response | Scripts and tests |
| Find a request I sent earlier | History and cookies |
| Run every request in a collection at once | Collection runner |
| Chain one request's output into the next | Flows |
| Sync my work across machines | Cloud accounts |
| Change the timeout, proxy, or theme | Settings |
| Know what Beacon reports about itself | Settings → Privacy |
| Send feedback or report a problem | Settings → Sending feedback |
| See every keyboard shortcut | Keyboard shortcuts |
Conventions
How to read the guide
- Keyboard shortcuts are written with
⌘(for example⌘↵). - Exact UI labels — button text, tooltips, menu items, field placeholders and setting names — are shown in
code font. - The guide is text-only. The UI evolves, so layouts are described in words rather than screenshots.
Not installed yet?
One command puts Beacon in your Applications folder, with no account and nothing to configure.