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Overview

This guide will help you get started with Auk quickly. You’ll learn how to:
  1. Install Auk
  2. Create your first workspace
  3. Send your first API request
  4. Save requests to collections
  5. Use environment variables
Time Required: 5-10 minutes

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Step 1: Install Auk

Download and install Auk for your operating system:

macOS

Download for Mac

Windows

Download for Windows

Linux

Download for Linux
View detailed installation instructions

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Step 2: Create Your First Workspace

When you first launch Auk, you’ll see the workspace creation wizard.
1

Enter Workspace Name

Give your workspace a name, like “My APIs” or “Personal Projects”
2

Choose Storage Location

Select where to store your data. Default: ~/Documents/Auk/my-workspace
3

Skip Git Setup (For Now)

Click “Skip” - you can configure Git sync later
4

Complete

Click “Create Workspace” to finish
Your workspace is now ready!

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Step 3: Send Your First Request

Let’s send a simple API request:
1

Enter URL

In the URL bar, enter: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1
2

Select Method

Make sure “GET” is selected (it’s the default)
3

Click Send

Click the “Send” button or press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter
4

View Response

You’ll see the response in the panel below:
{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Leanne Graham",
  "username": "Bret",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  ...
}
Congratulations! You’ve sent your first API request with Auk.

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Step 4: Save to Collection

Now let’s save this request for later use:
1

Click Save

Click the “Save” button in the top right
2

Name Your Request

Enter a name: “Get User”
3

Create Collection

Click “New Collection” and name it “JSONPlaceholder API”
4

Save

Click “Save” to complete
Your request is now saved in the “JSONPlaceholder API” collection.

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Step 5: Use Environment Variables

Let’s make the request more flexible with variables:
1

Create Environment

  1. Click “Environments” in the sidebar
  2. Click “Add new”
  3. Name it “Development”
  4. Click “Create”
2

Add Variables

Add these variables:
  • baseUrl = https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  • userId = 1
3

Update Request

Change the URL to: <<baseUrl>>/users/<<userId>>
4

Send Request

Click “Send” - it works the same way!
Now you can easily change the base URL or user ID by updating the environment variables.

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What’s Next?

You’ve learned the basics! Here are some next steps:

Explore Features

Learn about collections, environments, and more

Setup Git Sync

Configure Git for team collaboration

Import Data

Import from Postman, Insomnia, or OpenAPI

Best Practices

Learn local-first workflow best practices

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Common Tasks

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Send a POST Request

  1. Change method to “POST”
  2. Enter URL: <<baseUrl>>/users
  3. Click “Body” tab
  4. Select “JSON”
  5. Enter body: 
    {
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]"
}
  6. Click “Send”

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Add Headers

  1. Click “Headers” tab
  2. Click “Add new”
  3. Enter key: Authorization
  4. Enter value: Bearer <<token>>
  5. Click “Send”

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Add Query Parameters

  1. Click “Params” tab
  2. Click “Add new”
  3. Enter key: page
  4. Enter value: 1
  5. URL automatically updates: ?page=1
  6. Click “Send”

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these shortcuts:
ActionmacOSWindows/Linux
Send requestCmd + EnterCtrl + Enter
Save requestCmd + SCtrl + S
New requestCmd + NCtrl + N
Focus URLCmd + LCtrl + L
Switch workspaceCmd + Shift + WCtrl + Shift + W
View all keyboard shortcuts

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Getting Help

Need more help?

Documentation

Browse complete documentation

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions

GitHub Issues

Report bugs or request features

Community

Join discussions

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What Makes Auk Different?

As you use Auk, you’ll notice some key differences from cloud-based tools: Local-First:
  • All data stored on your device
  • Works completely offline
  • Instant response times
  • No network latency
Git-Based Collaboration:
  • Use Git for team sync
  • Standard Git workflows
  • Version control built-in
  • No cloud dependency
Privacy & Control:
  • You own your data
  • No cloud service required
  • Choose where data lives
  • Complete control
Learn more about local-first architecture
Ready to dive deeper? Check out the complete documentation or start migrating from another tool.