How to Install Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Insomnia, a renowned API client, offers developers a seamless experience working with REST, GraphQL, GRPC, and OpenAPI. For those aiming to install Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish or its older stable release of Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa, this introduction sheds light on its core features and advantages to the API development landscape.

Key Insomnia Highlights:

• User-Friendly Design: Insomnia’s intuitive interface ensures swift setup and management of requests, streamlined workspace organization, and effortless project navigation.
• Efficient Request Chaining: Developers can extract data from one request to use in another, optimizing the testing process and minimizing manual input.
• Adaptable Environment Settings: With support for multiple environments, Insomnia facilitates easy switching between configurations and structured project settings.
• Plugin Integration: Enhance Insomnia’s capabilities by integrating plugins, allowing for a more personalized and efficient workflow.
• Advanced Response Tools: Comprehensive tools for response handling include data filtering, formatting, and visualization in diverse formats.
• Versatile Authentication: Insomnia integrates popular authentication methods such as OAuth 1.0 and 2.0, Basic Auth, Digest Auth, and more.
• Seamless Data Transfer: The ability to import and export API specifications in formats like Swagger, OpenAPI, and Postman promotes collaboration and smooth workflow transitions.

With its tailored API development features, Insomnia ranks as a top choice among developers. This guide will outline the steps to install Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish or Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa, equipping you with this dynamic tool for your API projects.

Install Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via APT

Step 1: Update Ubuntu Before Insomnia Installation

It’s a good practice to ensure your system is up-to-date with all the existing packages before installing Insomnia to avoid potential conflicts.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install the Required Packages

You’ll need to install some dependencies to install Insomnia on your Ubuntu system.

sudo apt install apt-transport-https

Step 3: Install Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 via APT Command

To start the installation process of Insomnia on your Ubuntu system, you’ll need to begin by importing the repository. You can do this by entering the following command in your terminal. This command will enable your system to access the necessary files and packages for installation.

echo "deb [trusted=yes arch=amd64] https://download.konghq.com/insomnia-ubuntu/ default all" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/insomnia.list

After importing the repository, you should run an APT update to ensure your system reflects the changes. This will allow your system to access the newly imported repository and retrieve the necessary files and packages for installation.

sudo apt update

At this point, you’re ready to install Insomnia on your Ubuntu system. You can do this by entering the following command in your terminal, and this will initiate the installation process and install the Insomnia software on your system.

sudo apt install insomnia

Launch Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Now that you have successfully installed Insomnia, you can launch the tool using either of the two available methods. If you prefer the command line terminal, you can quickly launch Insomnia by entering the following command.

insomnia

For desktop users who prefer not to use the command line terminal, the best way to launch Insomnia is by opening the application’s graphical user interface (GUI). You can do this by following the path to the Insomnia application on your system.

Activities > Show Applications > Insomnia

Tips on Getting Started with Insomnia on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

When you launch Insomnia, its user-friendly interface welcomes you, offering a range of features for testing and debugging APIs. If you’re using the tool for the first time, consider taking a few moments to learn its various components and functions. Here are some tips to help you use Insomnia effectively:

• Create a new request: To create a new request, click the “New Request” button on the top left corner of the interface. This will open a new tab where you can enter the details of your request, including the URL, HTTP method, and request headers.
• Customize your request: Insomnia provides various options for customizing your requests, including adding query parameters, request body, and authentication settings. You can access these options by clicking on the relevant tabs in the request editor.
• Send the request: Once you’ve configured your request, you can send it by clicking the “Send” button on the top right corner of the interface. Insomnia will send the request to the server and display the server response in a new tab.
• Analyze the response: Insomnia provides various tools for analyzing the server response, including viewing the response headers, body, and status codes. You can access these tools by clicking on the relevant tabs in the response editor.
• Customize Insomnia: Insomnia provides various options for customizing its interface and functionality. You can access these options by clicking on the “Preferences” button in the top right corner of the interface. This will open a new tab where you can configure various settings, including themes, keybindings, and plugins.

Additional Insomnia Commands with Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

Remove Insomnia From Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

If you remove the video conference software from your system, you can use the following command in your terminal. This will initiate the removal process and delete the software from your system.

sudo apt remove insomnia

If you have no plans to re-install the software, you can remove the repository using the following command. This will remove the repository and prevent your system from accessing it in the future.

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/insomnia.list

Conclusion

In conclusion, Insomnia is an essential tool for developers who work with REST or GraphQL APIs. Installing it on your Ubuntu system can help streamline your API testing and debugging workflow. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly and easily install Insomnia on your Ubuntu system using the command line terminal. Once installed, Insomnia provides a user-friendly interface that enables you to create, send, and analyze HTTP requests, view server responses, and optimize API performance.