The core idea of executable documentation next to your code is exactly what we were aiming for.
The difference is that Voiden is a dedicated, cross-platform app for the modern ecosystem, bringing the power of that file-centric workflow to everyone. We specifically go further by offering resuable composable blocks for requests (closer to functions than monolithic objects), a unified toolchain for design, testing, and documentation, and a clean, Git-native experience for all developers.
Hey, that’s a fair comparison. .http files are actually one of the closest things conceptually.
The difference is mostly in how far the idea is pushed.
.http files are basically request definitions written in HTTP syntax. They are great for sending requests and keeping them next to your code.
Voiden treats the Markdown file more like an executable API workspace. Requests are composed from reusable blocks (endpoints, auth, headers, params, bodies, etc.), so instead of copying similar requests around you can structure them like small building blocks and reuse them across the file. That becomes useful once an API grows and you start repeating the same pieces everywhere.
Another difference is that the file can mix documentation, explanation, requests, tests, and scripts in the same place and actually run them. The goal is that the file itself becomes the living artifact of the API workflow rather than just a request list.
And since everything is still plain text and Git-friendly, you can keep it alongside the codebase the same way you would with .http.
If someone is happy with .http files they probably don’t need Voiden. The idea is more for teams that want the requests, tests, and docs to live together in one executable spec rather than spread across tools.
Do you use .http mostly for quick testing, or do you keep full API workflows in them?
Unfortunately I agree but there are a few that are different, for example have you tried Voiden ( https://voiden.md/) maybe?
We opensourced a few weeks back.
Postman was great when it made APIs simple, but over time all the accounts, cloud sync, and extra features kind of slowed down the core workflow.
And then a lot of clients just ended up copying that model instead of rethinking it.
On the optimistic side we are seeing some stuff that want to rethink this: tools like Voiden and Yaak with a few new approaches like Git-native workflows, reusable request pieces, more composable setups basically making API work feel more like actual dev work again.
Curl is great. I use curl. Most developers use curl. But “you can call an API with curl” and “curl is enough as an API working environment” are two very different claims.
The problem is that real API work is almost never just one request typed into a terminal like some kind of beautifully minimalist Unix haiku. It usually turns into auth, environments, copied headers, reused payload fragments, request chains, documentation, testing, debugging, sharing examples with teammates, reviewing changes in Git, and trying not to break prod because you forgot to swap one token or one base URL.
At that point, people are not really using “just curl” anymore. They are using curl plus shell scripts, plus notes, plus env files, plus copied commands from Slack, plus random JSON files, plus tribal knowledge. Which is fine, until it becomes annoying, fragile, and weirdly hard to collaborate around.
curl is great. I use curl. Most developers use curl. But “you can call an API with curl” and “curl is enough as an API working environment” are two very different claims.
The problem is that real API work is almost never just one request typed into a terminal like some kind of beautifully minimalist Unix haiku. It usually turns into auth, environments, copied headers, reused payload fragments, request chains, documentation, testing, debugging, sharing examples with teammates, reviewing changes in Git, and trying not to break prod because you forgot to swap one token or one base URL.
At that point, people are not really using “just curl” anymore. They are using curl plus shell scripts, plus notes, plus env files, plus copied commands from Slack, plus random JSON files, plus tribal knowledge. Which is fine, until it becomes annoying, fragile, and weirdly hard to collaborate around.
That is the gap Voiden is trying to solve.
So for me it is not “curl vs Voiden.” curl is a low-level execution tool. Voiden is a workspace for actual API work: writing requests, organizing them, reusing pieces, documenting them, testing them, versioning them in Git, and not duplicating the same headers/body/auth setup 45 times like a person slowly losing control of their life.
That's a pretty good comparison.
The core idea of executable documentation next to your code is exactly what we were aiming for.
The difference is that Voiden is a dedicated, cross-platform app for the modern ecosystem, bringing the power of that file-centric workflow to everyone. We specifically go further by offering resuable composable blocks for requests (closer to functions than monolithic objects), a unified toolchain for design, testing, and documentation, and a clean, Git-native experience for all developers.