Scalar
Turns OpenAPI/Swagger documents into interactive API docs and includes an API testing client.
- Stars
- 16.4k
- Forks
- 963
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Scalar is an open-source project that takes an OpenAPI (Swagger) description of a web API and turns it into a browsable, interactive reference page. It also includes an API client for sending test requests, and the README says it can generate code examples in many languages. Developers use it to document and try out their APIs without building that interface themselves.
- Render an OpenAPI JSON or YAML file as an interactive API reference page on a single HTML page
- Send test requests to endpoints from the built-in API testing tool
- Generate code examples for calling an endpoint in several languages
- Add an API reference route to an existing framework project using a listed integration
Great for
- Developers who already maintain an OpenAPI or Swagger document
- Teams that want readable, interactive API documentation
- Developers who want to test endpoints from the same tool they use for docs
- Backend developers using a supported framework such as FastAPI, Hono, or Express
Not ideal for
- People without an OpenAPI document, since the README centers on rendering existing OpenAPI specs rather than writing them
- Users who need an API client only for non-OpenAPI workflows, as the README emphasizes OpenAPI support
- Anyone needing a fully self-hosted setup without reviewing the README, since the quickstart example loads assets and a proxy from scalar.com and jsDelivr CDN
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Install the coding agent skill (optional)
npx skills add scalar/scalar --skill scalar-api-referenceClone the repository
git clone https://github.com/scalar/scalar - 2
Run it
- Create an HTML file with a div element and a script tag.
- Import createApiReference from the jsDelivr ESM build in the script.
- Set the url option to your OpenAPI document location.
- Open the HTML file in a browser to view the reference page.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the proxyUrl option if cross-origin requests cause problems, as the README suggests.
- Check the README's example for adding custom headers.
- Use the integration list to add the reference to a framework you already use.
- Try the browser-based client at client.scalar.com before installing anything.
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open-source under the MIT license
- Renders OpenAPI/Swagger documents with an interactive reference view
- Offers a single-HTML-file setup that needs no build step
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated, so full feature and configuration details are not confirmed here
- The quickstart depends on external CDN and proxy URLs rather than local files alone
- The latest release has no binaries, so the desktop download path is only described on the project's website
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scalar (this) | 16.4k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who already maintain an OpenAPI or Swagger document |
| redoc | 26k | Library | beginner | 5 days ago | Teams that already write OpenAPI or Swagger specs and want public or internal API docs |
| bruno | 48k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who want to test HTTP or GraphQL APIs without an account or cloud sync |
| hoppscotch | 80.7k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers who want to test REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, or other APIs without a heavy desktop client |
| fastapi | 105k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | Python developers building JSON APIs or back-end services |
| chi | 23k | Library | intermediate | 19 days ago | Go developers building REST API services |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.