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Import & Export

Istek supports importing collections from popular formats and tools.

Supported Formats​

FormatImportDescription
OpenAPI 3.x✓OpenAPI/Swagger specifications
Swagger 2.0✓Legacy Swagger format
Postman✓Postman collection v2.1

Importing from OpenAPI​

From File​

  1. Click Import in the sidebar
  2. Select OpenAPI/Swagger
  3. Choose From File
  4. Select your .yaml or .json file
  5. Click Import

From URL​

  1. Click Import in the sidebar
  2. Select OpenAPI/Swagger
  3. Choose From URL
  4. Enter the spec URL: 
    https://api.example.com/openapi.json
  5. Click Import

What Gets Imported​

OpenAPI ElementIstek Equivalent
pathsRequest endpoints
parametersQuery params, headers
requestBodyRequest body
responsesResponse schemas (for mocks)
serversBase URL variable

Example​

# petstore.yaml
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: Pet Store API
  version: 1.0.0
servers:
  - url: https://petstore.example.com/v1
paths:
  /pets:
    get:
      summary: List all pets
      parameters:
        - name: limit
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
      responses:
        '200':
          description: A list of pets

Imported as:

  • Collection: "Pet Store API"
  • Request: GET /pets
  • Parameter: limit (query)
  • Base URL: {{API_URL}} = https://petstore.example.com/v1

Importing from Postman​

Export from Postman​

  1. In Postman, select your collection
  2. Click Export
  3. Choose Collection v2.1
  4. Save the JSON file

Import to Istek​

  1. Click Import in the sidebar
  2. Select Postman
  3. Choose your exported .json file
  4. Click Import

What Gets Imported​

Postman ElementIstek Equivalent
CollectionCollection
Folders(flattened)
RequestsRequests
VariablesGlobal variables
HeadersHeaders
BodyRequest body

Postman Variables​

Postman variables like {{baseUrl}} are converted to Istek variables.

Import Options​

Auto-create Variables​

When importing, Istek can:

  • Create variables from server URLs
  • Extract common values as variables

Merge vs Replace​

OptionBehavior
Create NewNew collection with unique name
MergeAdd to existing collection
ReplaceOverwrite existing collection

Response Schemas​

When importing OpenAPI specs, response schemas are stored for:

  1. Mock Server: Generate realistic fake data
  2. Validation: Validate responses against schema

Schema Storage​

{
  "request": {
    "url": "/pets",
    "method": "GET",
    "responseSchema": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Pet"
      }
    }
  }
}

Common Import Sources​

Public APIs​

Many APIs publish OpenAPI specs:

APISpec URL
GitHubhttps://api.github.com/openapi.json
Stripehttps://raw.githubusercontent.com/stripe/openapi/master/openapi/spec3.json
Twiliohttps://www.twilio.com/docs/openapi

Local Development​

Import specs from local services:

http://localhost:3000/api-docs
http://localhost:8080/v3/api-docs

Troubleshooting​

Invalid Format​

  • Verify the file is valid JSON/YAML
  • Check OpenAPI version (2.0 or 3.x)
  • Validate with an online validator

Missing Endpoints​

  • Some endpoints may be skipped if malformed
  • Check the import summary for warnings

Variable Conflicts​

  • Existing variables are not overwritten
  • Review imported variables in the Variable Manager

Best Practices​

Keep Specs Updated

Re-import when your API changes to stay in sync.

Review After Import

Check imported requests for accuracy and completeness.

Organize Collections

Rename imported collections to match your naming convention.

Variable Management

After import, review and organize variables in the Variable Manager.