⚡ LiteFetch

The Local-First, Lightweight API Workbench. Built by Jordan Gonzales (JTech Minds).

LiteFetch is a blazingly fast, privacy-focused REST client built for developers who want power without the cloud bloat.

Architected with Tauri v2, it combines the performance of a native Rust desktop shell, the flexibility of a React/Vite frontend, and the raw power of a local Python/FastAPI engine.

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LiteFetch Directives

• 🔒 Local-First & Private: No cloud sync, no forced logins, no tracking. Your data lives on your disk in human-readable JSON.
• 📂 Git-Friendly Workspaces: Collections, environments, and history are stored as standard JSON files. Commit them to Git and collaborate without proprietary enterprise tiers.
• ⚡ Lightweight Footprint: Uses the system WebView (WebKit on Linux, WebView2 on Windows) via Tauri, keeping the installer small and RAM usage low.

Key Features

Powerful Request Editor

• Full Method Support: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, and more.
• Body Masters: First-class support for JSON, Form-Data (with file uploads), x-www-form-urlencoded, and Raw text.
• Auth Built-in: Native support for Basic Auth and Bearer Tokens.
• Cookie Jar: Automatic per-environment cookie management (like a real browser).

"Auto-Magic" Request Chaining

Stop copy-pasting tokens manually. Use JMESPath rules to extract data from a response and inject it into your environment variables automatically.

• Example: Login -> Extract body.token -> Save to {{access_token}} -> Use in next request.

Dynamic Environments

• Manage sets of variables (dev, staging, prod).
• Inject variables anywhere: URL, Headers, Body, or Auth fields using {{variable_name}} syntax.
• Dynamic Generators: Use {{$uuid}}, {{$timestamp}}, and {{$randomInt}} for testing.

Migration Ready

• Postman Import: Import existing Postman collections (v2.1) in seconds.
• History Tracking: Never lose a request. Auto-saves your last 50 executions.

Development Guide

Prerequisites

• Node.js v20+
• Python 3.10+ & Poetry
• Rust (via rustup)

Linux Setup (Ubuntu/Debian)

Install system dependencies for Tauri and WebKitGTK:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \
    libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential libgtk-3-dev \
    libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev libxdo-dev \
    libssl-dev curl wget file pkg-config patchelf

Run in Development Mode

This starts the Rust shell, compiles the React frontend with HMR, and spawns the Python backend automatically.

# 1. Install dependencies
(cd backend && poetry install)
(cd frontend && npm install)

# 2. Start the desktop app
# This will auto-build the sidecar if missing and launch the GUI
npm run tauri:dev 

• Hot reloads:
  • Frontend: Vite HMR handles React/TS changes live.
  • Rust shell: tauri dev rebuilds/relaunches on Rust/Tauri changes.
• Backend: the Tauri shell auto-starts the packaged sidecar; no separate backend process is needed during desktop dev. If the sidecar is missing/outdated, run backend/build_sidecar.sh once to refresh it.

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Building for Production

We provide a one-shot script that handles the entire pipeline: building the Python sidecar (via PyInstaller), compiling the React assets, and bundling the Tauri installer (.deb or .exe).

./scripts/build-desktop.sh

Artifacts Location:

• Linux: dist/linux/LiteFetch_0.1.0_amd64.deb (adjust filename for your build).
• Windows: dist/windows/ (windows distribution not yet tested/built)

Installation

Linux

1. Build the project or download the .deb.
2. Install:

   sudo apt install ./dist/linux/litefetch-desktop_0.1.0_amd64.deb

3. Run:

• From terminal: litefetch-desktop (shows backend logs in the shell).
• From app launcher/icon: runs silently (no logs shown).

Windows

1. Ensure WebView2 Runtime and C++ Build Tools are installed.
2. Run the build script in Git Bash.
3. Run the generated .exe installer.

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Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests are welcome!

1. Fork the repo.
2. Create a feature branch.
3. Submit a PR.

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Built with Care by Jordan Gonzales - © 2025 JTechMinds LLC. MIT License.