How it helps your business
Best for:Software Engineering TeamsAPI Designers & ArchitectsQA & Testing ProfessionalsTechnical Writers (Documentation)Independent Developers
Hoppscotch is the API development platform built for speed and privacy. Formerly known as Postwoman, it was created as a lightweight, open-source alternative to heavy desktop applications like Postman. Built with a modern, reactive tech stack, Hoppscotch runs entirely in the browser (or as a self-hosted instance), providing a blazing-fast experience for debugging, testing, and documenting APIs—all without the invasive data tracking found in proprietary tools.
The platform excels in its versatility, offering native support for multiple protocols including REST, GraphQL, and WebSockets. Its focus on "team-first" development allows you to create shared workspaces where colleagues can collaborate on request collections and environment variables in real-time. Because it is fully open-source and self-hostable, organizations can ensure that their sensitive internal API keys and endpoint structures never leave their own secure environment.
Self-hosting Hoppscotch provides engineering teams with a world-class API playground that fosters collaboration while maintaining total data sovereignty and privacy.
Key Benefits
- Blazing Performance: A lightweight, reactive UI that loads instantly.
- Privacy First: Your API requests and environment variables stay on your machine or your server.
- Multi-Protocol Power: One tool for REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, and more.
- Team Collaboration: Shared workspaces for seamless collective API development.
- Totally Free: Professional-grade API tools with zero per-user licensing fees.
Production Architecture Overview
A production Hoppscotch self-hosted setup consists of:
- Hoppscotch Web: The main frontend application (Vue.js/Nuxt).
- Hoppscotch Backend: (Optional but recommended) Node.js service for team synchronization and auth.
- PostgreSQL: Primary database for user data, workspaces, and collections.
- Redis: Used for real-time collaboration and session management.
- Reverse Proxy: NGINX or Caddy to handle SSL/TLS and routing.
How we deploy this for you
Security Hardened
Firewalls, SSL, and hardened kernels out of the box.
Performance Tuned
Optimized for speed with cache and DB fine-tuning.
Automated Backups
Daily off-site backups so you never lose your data.
Private Cloud
You own the server and the data. No middleman.
Implementation Blueprint
Prerequisites
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start dockershell
Docker Compose Production Setup
The easiest way to self-host Hoppscotch with team features is using their official Docker orchestration.
version: '3'
services:
app:
image: hoppscotch/hoppscotch:latest
ports:
- "3000:3000"
environment:
- DB_URL=postgres://user:pass@db:5432/hoppscotch
- REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
depends_on:
- db
- redis
restart: always
db:
image: postgres:15-alpine
environment:
- POSTGRES_USER=user
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=pass
- POSTGRES_DB=hoppscotch
volumes:
- pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
restart: always
redis:
image: redis:7-alpine
restart: always
volumes:
pg_data:Kubernetes Production Deployment (Recommended)
Hoppscotch can be containerized and deployed on Kubernetes for improved availability and scaling.
# Deploy app and db as separate components
kubectl create deployment hoppscotch --image=hoppscotch/hoppscotch:latest
kubectl expose deployment hoppscotch --port=3000Benefits:
- Elastic Scalability: Scale your application pods automatically as your team of developers grows.
- Secure Persistence: Use Kubernetes PersistentVolumeClaims for your PostgreSQL store and shared collection data.
- Zero-Downtime Restarts: Automatically replace unhealthy instances without interrupting your team's work.
Scaling Strategy
- Stateless Frontend: The Hoppscotch web layer is stateless; scale it by running multiple instances behind a load balancer.
- Redis Sync: For high-scale teams, use a managed Redis cluster to handle real-time collaboration states across all app instances.
- Database Performance: Use a managed PostgreSQL instance with regular backups to ensure your API collections are always safe.
- CDN Delivery: Serve the static frontend assets via a global CDN to ensure rapid interface loading for remote teams.
Backup & Safety
- Database Snapshots: Automate daily PostgreSQL backups and store them offsite securely.
- Secret Management: Never hardcode API keys or secrets in environment variables; use a secure vault or Kubernetes Secrets.
- HTTPS Everywhere: Always run Hoppscotch behind a secure reverse proxy with SSL/TLS enabled to protect sensitive API requests.
- Private Access: Keep your Hoppscotch instance behind an internal VPN or an authenticated proxy for maximum internal security.
Includes Security & performance standards
Best place to host Hoppscotch
We recommend Hostinger for its reliability and low cost. It's the perfect home for your new apps, featuring easy setup and 24/7 support.
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