What is Step CI used for?

Step CI is a free, open-source, self-hosted API quality assurance framework for testing REST, GraphQL, gRPC, tRPC and SOAP APIs with YAML, JSON or JavaScript workflows. It is a good fit for multi-protocol API test automation in CI/CD and migrating API tests off Postman or Insomnia.

Is Step CI open source?

Yes. Step CI is open source under the MPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at stepci/stepci and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Step CI is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What is Step CI an alternative to?

Step CI is an open-source alternative to Postman, ReadyAPI, Testfully and Parasoft. Other open-source alternatives to Postman include Karate, Hoppscotch and Bruno.

Is Step CI actively maintained?

The most recent commit to Step CI was on 3 August 2024, and the latest release is 2.8.2, published on 10 June 2024. The project has 1.9k stars on GitHub.

Step CI: open-source alternative to Postman, ReadyAPI

About Step CI

Step CI is an API quality assurance framework aimed at developers who need to test several different API styles within the same test workflow, rather than using separate tools for REST, GraphQL and other protocols. It is language-agnostic, letting workflows be configured in YAML, JSON or JavaScript.

It supports testing REST, GraphQL, gRPC, tRPC and SOAP APIs, can run self-hosted on a local network, locally, or inside a CI/CD pipeline, and integrates with other tooling such as GitHub Actions. The README specifically calls out migration guidance for users coming from Postman and Insomnia, and an online playground is available to try workflows without installing anything.

The CLI can be installed via Node.js or Homebrew, and by default collects anonymous usage data, including a unique user ID, OS name, Node version and which commands are run, which can be disabled with an environment variable. Step CI is written in TypeScript and released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, with a separate paid support plan offering SLA-backed support, onboarding and prioritized feature requests on top of the free core.

Key features

Tests REST, GraphQL, gRPC, tRPC and SOAP APIs
YAML, JSON or JavaScript workflow configuration
Self-hosted or CI/CD-integrated testing
Online playground for trying workflows
Optional anonymous usage analytics (can be disabled)

Good fit for

→Multi-protocol API test automation in CI/CD
→Migrating API tests off Postman or Insomnia

Built with: TypeScript; GraphQL
Tags: api-testing; ci-cd; qa; graphql; grpc; typescript; self-hosted

Step CI: questions and answers

What is Step CI used for?: Step CI is a free, open-source, self-hosted API quality assurance framework for testing REST, GraphQL, gRPC, tRPC and SOAP APIs with YAML, JSON or JavaScript workflows. It is a good fit for multi-protocol API test automation in CI/CD and migrating API tests off Postman or Insomnia.
Is Step CI open source?: Yes. Step CI is open source under the MPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at stepci/stepci and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Step CI free?: Yes. Step CI is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is Step CI an alternative to?: Step CI is an open-source alternative to Postman, ReadyAPI, Testfully and Parasoft. Other open-source alternatives to Postman include Karate, Hoppscotch and Bruno.
Is Step CI actively maintained?: The most recent commit to Step CI was on 3 August 2024, and the latest release is 2.8.2, published on 10 June 2024. The project has 1.9k stars on GitHub.