About Orval
Orval is a tool that generates type-safe TypeScript API clients from OpenAPI v3 or Swagger v2 specifications in YAML or JSON format. It produces code with appropriate type signatures for use in frontend frameworks.
The generated output includes hooks for React Query, Vue Query, Svelte Query, Solid Query, Angular, SWR, and other libraries. It also supports auto-generating MSW handlers with Faker.js data for testing without a backend.
Key features
- Generates TypeScript types from OpenAPI specs
- Produces framework-native hooks for React Query, Vue Query, Angular, SWR, Svelte, Solid, and others
- Auto-generates MSW handlers with Faker.js data for mocking
- Supports Axios, Fetch, Zod, Hono, and MCP integrations
Good fit for
- Generating type-safe API clients for frontend applications
- Creating mock handlers for testing without a backend
Orval: questions and answers
- What is Orval used for?
- Orval generates type-safe TypeScript clients, mocks, and validators from OpenAPI v3 or Swagger v2 specifications. It is a good fit for generating type-safe API clients for frontend applications and creating mock handlers for testing without a backend.
- Is Orval open source?
- Yes. Orval is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at orval-labs/orval and is written mainly in TypeScript.
- Is Orval free?
- Yes. Orval is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Orval?
- Yes. Orval can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What are some alternatives to Orval?
- Similar open-source tools in the API Tools category include OpenAPI Generator, Scalar and Insomnia. SaaS products in the same category include APIMatic, Stainless and 0mcp.
- Is Orval actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Orval was on 13 October 2026, and the latest release is v8.42.0, published on 13 October 2026. The project has 6.5k stars on GitHub.
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