Download and Install Insomnia For API Development

When you’re building an API, you need a way to send requests and check what the service returns. Insomnia is a desktop API client that sends requests to a service and displays its responses.

This article shows how to install Insomnia on Ubuntu with Snap and send a test request.

TL;DR: Install Insomnia on Ubuntu

Insomnia is available for Linux. Ubuntu users with Snap can install it from the Snap Store with one command.

• Run sudo snap install insomnia.
• Start it from the applications menu or the terminal.
• Snap manages package refreshes, while Insomnia’s Linux self-update behavior depends on its install method.

What is Insomnia for Linux?

Insomnia is a desktop API client for designing, debugging and testing API requests. Its Linux build supports common API protocols, including REST, GraphQL and gRPC.

An API client sends a request to a service and displays the response, so you can inspect status codes, headers and data without writing a separate command-line client. Insomnia also supports authentication helpers and environment variables such as a development server URL.

How to install and start Insomnia on Ubuntu

Snap is a package format with its own command-line tools. Our guide to using Snap packages on Linux covers the general commands. Check that Snap is available, install the package, then open Insomnia and send a simple request.

Step 1: Check Snap on Ubuntu

Snap is ready to use on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and later, according to the Snap Store’s Ubuntu instructions. On an older Ubuntu release or a flavour without Snap, install snapd first using the distribution’s supported instructions.

Step 2: Install Insomnia

Open a terminal and install the package named insomnia with the Snap Store command.

sudo snap install insomnia

After the command completes, find Insomnia in the desktop application launcher. You can also start it from a terminal by entering insomnia.

Step 3: Send a test request

Create a new HTTP request, select GET, and enter a public endpoint such as https://httpbin.org/get. Select Send. A successful response confirms that the app can reach the endpoint, though it does not test your own API or its authentication.

Read the response status and body in the result pane. Replace the public URL with your API’s base URL and use a development credential rather than a production secret.

A GET request asks the server to return a resource without changing it. It is a suitable first check for connectivity and a response body. Requests that change data need more care because they can affect the service.

What should you check after installing Insomnia?

Snap manages the installed package, so use Snap to check or apply package updates. Kong notes that Linux apps do not have guaranteed self-updates because update behavior depends on the installation method.

snap refresh insomnia

That command asks Snap to refresh this package when an update is available. If Snap reports that the package is already current, there is no newer revision available to apply through that channel.

You can use Insomnia’s local Scratch Pad without an account. For saved projects, choose a storage mode deliberately: Kong documents Local Vault for local data, Git Sync for a third-party Git repository, and Cloud Sync for cloud collaboration. The storage choice determines where project data goes, so it is separate from how the Linux app was installed.

Local Vault stores projects on the machine. Git Sync stores them in a repository, and Cloud Sync supports cloud collaboration. Check current plan details before relying on collaboration features.

If you install a downloaded DEB instead, the package follows Debian’s installer route rather than Snap’s. See how to install DEB files on Ubuntu before choosing that path. For another standalone Linux format, our AppImage installation guide explains its executable-file workflow.

When you want to remove the app, use the package manager that installed it. The Ubuntu package removal guide covers the distribution package route. For Snap, remove the package with the Snap command instead.

Conclusion: choose the package route you can maintain

On Ubuntu with Snap available, sudo snap install insomnia installs the Snap package, and Snap remains responsible for its refreshes. For other Linux distributions, start from the official download page and confirm which package format matches your system.

For related Linux package formats, see how to install AppImages on Linux. If you need a separate tool to inspect traffic on your network, see how to install Packet Sender on Linux. Insomnia’s official documentation covers API features and storage choices.