Show HN: OpenAstra – Chat based open-source alternative to Postman

[srikanth235]

https://github.com/srikanth235/openastra

Hi HN,

I'm excited to finally launch this project. While existing tools like Postman excel at API discovery and testing, they often require us to navigate complex interfaces, manually construct requests, etc. That's why I created OpenAstra.

The core idea is to combine the visual richness of traditional API tools with the simplicity of a chat interface. Think of it as "Postman meets ChatGPT" - allowing us to interact with APIs through natural conversation while retaining core essential features of traditional API tools. If you want to test an endpoint or understand what it does? Just ask.

The project is still in its early stages, and there's much more to build. I'd love to hear what features you'd find most valuable, and of course, pull requests are always welcome!

[cootsnuck]

I don't really understand what problem this aims to solve. "Postman meets ChatGPT" means about as much to me as "TV meets food trucks"... Doesn't tell me why I would use it.

I'm saying this to be critical, not snarky. Maybe you have something worthwhile here, but I can't tell.

[srikanth235 → cootsnuck]

Thanks for the feedback! Let me explain with a concrete example:

Currently with tools like Postman, to test an API endpoint you need to: 1. Read through API documentation 2. Manually construct request parameters 3. Navigate through multiple UI sections to set up headers/auth 4. Format and validate JSON payloads

With OpenAstra, you can simply type "Send a POST request to create a new user with email test@example.com" and it handles all the above setup automatically. It's particularly useful when: - Exploring new APIs without reading extensive docs - Running quick tests without navigating complex UIs - Helping team members who aren't familiar with API tooling

Think of it as having an assistant who understands API documentation and handles the technical setup while focusing on what you want to test. Hope this helps!

[cootsnuck → srikanth235]

That makes sense! I'd focus on that impact, i.e., significantly reducing time it takes to test new APIs.

[dankwizard]

People really do be throwing AI onto anything and everything these days

[apineda]

I think this is pretty cool.

[nsonha]

could this just be an MCP server/ChatGPT plugin?

[srikanth235 → nsonha]

Good question! While it could be implemented as a ChatGPT plugin, OpenAstra offers some key advantages:

1. Visual Features - We maintain useful UI elements from traditional API tools (request/response viewers, environment management) within your chat responses. 2. Privacy & Control - You can self-host it and use any OpenAI-compatible LLM (including local models), keeping sensitive API traffic within your infrastructure

The core idea is to build a complete API discovery and testing platform that happens to use chat as its primary interaction model.