REST Endpoint Documenter

How to Use the REST Endpoint Documenter:

1. Load a Preset (Optional): Click one of the preset buttons at the top — Create User, List Items, Update Resource, or Delete Resource — to instantly populate a complete example. This is the fastest way to see the tool in action and understand the expected inputs before entering your own endpoint.

2. Enter a Description: Add a short one-line summary of what the endpoint does (e.g., "Create a new user account"). This becomes the heading in the generated Markdown document. If left blank, the tool will use the HTTP method and URL as the heading.

3. Select the HTTP Method: Click the method badge (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS) that matches your endpoint. The selected method is highlighted with a color-coded badge and is reflected in the generated cURL command.

4. Enter the Endpoint URL: Type or paste the full URL including the base URL and path (e.g., https://api.example.com/v1/users). Path parameters like :id can be included directly in the URL. The URL is used in both the Markdown overview table and the cURL command.

5. Set Authentication: Choose the authentication type — No Auth, Bearer Token, API Key, or Basic Auth — then enter the token or credentials in the field that appears. Bearer Token adds an Authorization: Bearer header, API Key adds X-API-Key, and Basic Auth uses the -u flag in the generated cURL.

6. Add Query Parameters: Click "Add Parameter" to add key-value pairs that will be appended to the URL as query strings (e.g., page=1&per_page=20). Each parameter appears in a Markdown table and is encoded into the cURL URL. Remove unwanted rows with the × button.

7. Add Request Headers: Click "Add Header" to include any custom request headers beyond authentication (e.g., Content-Type: application/json, Accept: application/json). Headers appear in a Markdown table and as -H flags in the cURL command.

8. Enter the Request Body: Paste or type the JSON (or other format) request payload. The tool auto-detects JSON and pretty-prints it in the Markdown output with a json code fence. Leave blank for GET/DELETE endpoints with no body.

9. Set the Response: Select the expected HTTP status code from the dropdown (200 OK, 201 Created, 404 Not Found, etc.), add an optional description, and paste a sample response body. The response section is added at the bottom of the generated documentation.

10. Click Generate Docs: Press the Generate Docs button to instantly produce the Markdown documentation and cURL command. Switch between the Markdown and cURL tabs in the output panel to view each. Click Copy to copy the active tab to your clipboard.

Common Use Cases:

• README files: Drop generated docs directly into a project README or API reference section.
• OpenAPI alternatives: Quickly document endpoints without setting up a full Swagger/OpenAPI spec.
• Team wikis: Generate Markdown for Notion, Confluence, or GitHub Wiki pages.
• Client handoffs: Provide clear endpoint documentation to frontend developers or external consumers.
• Code reviews: Add endpoint docs as PR comments or review artifacts.
• Postman collections: Use the cURL output to import endpoints directly into Postman or Insomnia.
• Internal tooling: Document internal microservice APIs for onboarding new team members.

Tips and Best Practices:

• Use presets to understand the expected format before entering your own data.
• JSON in request and response body fields is auto-detected and pretty-printed.
• The cURL tab gives a ready-to-run command you can paste directly into a terminal.
• For path parameters (e.g., /items/:id), replace :id with the actual value or keep as a placeholder.
• Bearer Token auth adds Authorization: Bearer <token> — replace YOUR_TOKEN with a real or dummy value.
• Adding Content-Type: application/json as a header is recommended whenever you have a JSON body.
• The Description field becomes the Markdown heading — keep it concise and action-oriented.
• You can generate multiple endpoints by filling in the form, copying the output, then clearing and repeating.