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Getting Started

This guide will help you get up and running with Istek in minutes.

Installation​

Download​

Download the latest release for your platform from the GitHub Releases page:

  • macOS: Istek_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg (Apple Silicon) or Istek_x.x.x_x64.dmg (Intel)
  • Windows: Istek_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe
  • Linux: Istek_x.x.x_amd64.deb or Istek_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage

Build from Source​

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/istek/istek.git
cd istek

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run tauri:dev

# Build for production
npm run tauri:build

Quick Start​

1. Make Your First Request​

  1. Open Istek
  2. The default protocol is HTTP
  3. Enter a URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1
  4. Click Run

You should see a JSON response with a sample post.

2. Try the Built-in Playground​

Istek includes a built-in playground server with demo endpoints for all protocols:

  1. Find the Playground panel at the bottom of the sidebar
  2. Click Start Playground
  3. Use the provided endpoints to test each protocol
ProtocolPlayground URL
HTTP RESThttp://localhost:19510/api/products
WebSocketws://localhost:19510/ws/echo
GraphQLhttp://localhost:19510/graphql
gRPClocalhost:19512
MQTTlocalhost:19511

3. Using Variables​

Variables let you avoid hardcoding values:

  1. Click the Settings icon next to the environment selector
  2. Add a global variable: API_URL = https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  3. In your request URL, use: {{API_URL}}/posts/1

Variables are replaced at runtime with their actual values.

4. Creating a Collection​

Organize your requests into collections:

  1. In the sidebar, go to the Collections tab
  2. Click New Collection and name it
  3. Make a request and click Save
  4. Select your collection to save the request

Interface Overview​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Protocol Selector  │  Request Tabs  │  Environment        │
├──────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          │                                                  │
│  Sidebar │              Request Panel                       │
│          │                                                  │
│ History  ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│    or    │                                                  │
│Collections│             Response Panel                      │
│          │                                                  │
├──────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Playground Status                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Areas​

  • Protocol Selector: Switch between HTTP, WebSocket, GraphQL, gRPC, MQTT, Unix Socket, MCP
  • Request Tabs: Work with multiple requests simultaneously
  • Environment Selector: Switch between environments (Dev, Staging, Prod)
  • Sidebar: Access history and collections
  • Request Panel: Configure your request (URL, headers, body, etc.)
  • Response Panel: View the response with syntax highlighting

Next Steps​