Yaade: The Self-Hosted API Tool Teams have Been Waiting For 🚀
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Let’s face it—API development can sometimes feel like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Between managing endpoints, sharing collections with your team, and keeping sensitive data secure, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to Yaade , an open-source, self-hosted API development environment that’s here to make life easier (and maybe even fun).
I’ll admit, when I first stumbled across Yaade, I was skeptical. Another Postman alternative? Really? But after giving it a spin on one of our recent projects, I was blown away by how smooth and intuitive it felt. It’s not just another tool—it’s the right tool for teams who care about control, security, and collaboration.
Oh, and did I mention it has dark mode by default ? Yeah, we’re already besties.
Why Yaade Exists (And Why You’ll Love It)
Here’s the thing: existing tools like Postman are great, but they don’t always play nice if you want full control over where your data lives. And while there are other open-source options out there (cough Hoppscotch), most rely on third-party services like Firebase for storage. Not ideal when you’re dealing with sensitive API keys or confidential requests.
The creator of Yaade had the same problem—they needed something self-hosted , secure , and collaboration-friendly . So instead of settling, they built Yaade from scratch. The result? A sleek, powerful API tool designed specifically for developers who value privacy and flexibility.
Personally, I love how Yaade lets me keep everything in-house without sacrificing usability. Plus, setting it up was a breeze—even my least tech-savvy teammate got it running in under 10 minutes. No joke.
Our Experience Using Yaade
When we started using Yaade for a client project last month, I honestly didn’t expect it to integrate so smoothly into our workflow. We were working on a SaaS platform with multiple microservices, which meant tons of APIs to juggle.
Sharing Postman collections via email was getting messy, and we couldn’t risk storing sensitive info anywhere outside our own infrastructure.
Enter Yaade. Within hours, we had it up and running on our server, imported all our existing Postman collections, and started collaborating in real-time.
The ability to assign roles and permissions gave us confidence that only authorized teammates could view or edit certain endpoints. We set up nightly tests to ensure every endpoint was functioning correctly without lifting a finger.
Browser Extension
Yaade’s browser extension acts as a proxy to handle CORS requests seamlessly. Simply install the Chrome extension, enter your server URL (e.g., https://yaade.example.com/ ), and let it route API calls from your Yaade tabs.
This ensures smooth, secure testing without pesky CORS restrictions—perfect for developers who want hassle-free workflows!
Features That Make Yaade Shine
Alright, let’s talk features. Yaade isn’t just another pretty face; it’s packed with functionality that makes API development faster, smarter, and way cooler. Here’s what stood out to me:
- Self-Hosted Freedom : Your data stays exactly where it belongs—on your server. No third-party nonsense, no risky cloud dependencies. Total peace of mind.
- Multi-User Magic : Invite your whole squad! Yaade lets you manage users and permissions, so everyone gets access to what they need—and nothing they don’t.
- Persistence You Can Trust : Whether you restart your container or migrate servers, your data sticks around. No more lost work or frantic re-imports.
- Single-File Import/Export : Need to share a collection with someone? Done. One file, zero hassle. Perfect for backups too.
- Proxy Power : Route requests through your browser or the server itself. Super handy for testing APIs behind firewalls or proxies.
- REST + WebSockets + Markdown Docs : Build, test, and document RESTful APIs and WebSocket connections—all in one place. Bonus points for supporting Markdown docs because readability matters.
- Scripting Like a Pro : Automate tasks with JavaScript scripts. Run them as cron jobs or trigger them via the API. Test endpoints, execute requests, or automate workflows—it’s all possible.
- Import/Export Flexibility : Bring in collections from OpenAPI or Postman, then export them into any language or framework you want. Seamless transitions? Yes, please.
- Dark Mode Default : Let’s be real—this might be my favorite feature. Dark mode isn’t just easier on the eyes; it’s basically mandatory for late-night coding marathons.
Install
You can easily install using Docker:
docker volume create yaade
docker run -d --restart=always -p 9339:9339 -e YAADE_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin -v yaade:/app/data --name yaade esperotech/yaade:latest
License
Yaade is a free and open-source app that is released under the MIT license.
Resources
EsperoTech
