The Cleanest Way To Debug Your API Endpoints With EchoAPI in VSCode

I first remember trying out EchoAPI both for one of my products and for an open-source project that I had started a while back.

It turned out to be one of the best and most user-friendly products I’ve come across in a long time. Now I use it whenever I’m working on building APIs.

Here is how I use it in my workflow:

1. Whenever there is a new entry-level component that the UI will interact with, it needs to have an endpoint.
2. One way to test that endpoint is to open the API URL in the browser and test it manually. While this is the most straightforward method, it’s not the most efficient one.
3. To automate this process, I use EchoAPI. Using EchoAPI also ensures that my API doesn’t break if I make any changes to the codebase.

Why do I need to test my API endpoints while developing my API?

Primarily to improve developer experience. You should always aim to automate as much as possible in your workflow.

Example of a basic workflow of how I use EchoAPI to debug my API

Suppose I’m working on a new component named login_controller.py. I need to make sure that the endpoints work correctly and that the login token validation works properly. That means it should allow the user to log in when the token is valid, and it should deny the user access if the token is invalid.

To test this endpoint, I go to the EchoAPI tab on the left side of VS Code and click on the Debug tab.

You can read the full article on my Substack here.