The local agent
The local agent lets API Stash reach APIs that aren't on the public internet — services behind your firewall, on a private network, or running on a build runner — without opening any ports or VPN-ing into prod.
What it is
The agent is a small binary you run on a dev machine or build runner. The web app talks to it over an authenticated WebSocket. When you send a request targeting a private host, API Stash dispatches it to the agent; the agent makes the call from inside your network and streams the response back.
How it works
- You start the agent on a machine that can reach the target API.
- The agent opens an outbound, authenticated WebSocket connection to API Stash — no inbound ports.
- Requests routed through the agent are executed locally and their responses returned to the browser.
No firewall holes or VPN-into-prod. Because the agent connects outbound, you don't expose internal services to the internet or grant broad network access.
When to use it
- Hitting internal services on a corporate or private network.
- Targeting an API on localhost or a dev machine.
- Running tests in CI against services only the build runner can reach.