Working with Requests

Requests are the core of Mercury. Learn how to create, edit, and manage your HTTP requests using the simple .http file format.

What is a Request?

In Mercury, every request is a plain text .http file. This means:

• Version control friendly (Git works perfectly)
• Editable in any text editor
• Portable across any system
• No proprietary formats

Creating Requests

From the UI

1. Right-click in the sidebar → New Request
2. Or press ⌘+N (Mac) / Ctrl+N (Windows/Linux)
3. Enter a name (e.g., get-users)

Mercury creates a .http file in your workspace.

From Your Editor

Create any file with .http extension:

GET https://api.example.com/users

Mercury detects it automatically thanks to live file watching.

The .http File Format

Every .http file follows this structure:

METHOD URL
Header-Name: Header-Value
Header-Name: Header-Value

Body content here

Example: Simple GET Request

GET https://api.example.com/users

Example: POST with Headers and Body

POST https://api.example.com/users
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com"
}

HTTP Methods

Mercury supports all standard HTTP methods:

Method	Description	Color
GET	Retrieve data	Green
POST	Create resource	Blue
PUT	Replace resource	Orange
PATCH	Partial update	Yellow
DELETE	Remove resource	Red
HEAD	Get headers only	Cyan
OPTIONS	Get allowed methods	Brown

Click the method badge in the URL bar to change methods.

Adding Headers

Headers go on lines between the URL and the body:

GET https://api.example.com/data
Accept: application/json
X-API-Version: 2
Cache-Control: no-cache

Common Headers

Header	Purpose
Authorization	Auth credentials (Basic, Bearer)
Content-Type	Body format (application/json)
Accept	Expected response format
User-Agent	Client identification

Auto-Headers

Mercury automatically adds Content-Type: application/json when your body starts with { or [.

Request Body

Add a blank line after headers, then your body content:

JSON Body

POST https://api.example.com/users
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Mercury",
  "type": "API Client",
  "features": ["fast", "minimal", "free"]
}

Form Data (URL-encoded)

POST https://api.example.com/login
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

username=john&password=secret

Plain Text

POST https://api.example.com/webhook
Content-Type: text/plain

This is a plain text message

Using Variables

Reference environment variables with {{variable}} syntax:

GET {{BASE_URL}}/users/{{USER_ID}}
Authorization: Bearer {{API_TOKEN}}

Mercury shows indicators for each variable:

• Green — Variable is defined in your .env file
• Red — Variable is undefined (will be sent as literal text)

See Environment Variables for more details.

Sending Requests

Keyboard: Press ⌘+Enter (Mac) or Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux)

Mouse: Click the Send button in the URL bar

The button animates while the request is in progress.

Request Actions

Right-click on a request in the sidebar for actions:

Action	Description
Duplicate	Create a copy of the request
Rename	Change the filename
Delete	Move to trash
Copy as cURL	Copy as cURL command

Related Features

• Collections — Organize requests in folders
• Environments — Use variables for different environments
• Authentication — Add Basic Auth or Bearer tokens
• File Format Reference — Complete .http specification