How to create a .http file from scratch
All the .http posts are here.
An “.http” file is just a plain text file with the “.http” extension. It uses a simple syntax to define one or more HTTP requests that you can run directly from your editor.
Syntax
- Variables (optional, reusable values)
Define variables at the top of the file and reference them later with “{{name}}”:
@baseUrl = https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0
@token = eyJ…- A request block
A request starts with an HTTP method and URL, followed by optional headers, a blank line, and then an optional body:
GET {{baseUrl}}/me
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json- Separating multiple requests
Use a line containing “###” to separate independent requests within the same file:
### Get my profile
GET {{baseUrl}}/me
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
### Create something
POST {{baseUrl}}/me/sendMail
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Content-Type: application/json
{
"message": {
"subject": "Test",
"body": { "contentType": "Text", "content": "Hello" },
"toRecipients": [{ "emailAddress": { "address": "someone@example.com" } }]
}
}Key syntax rules
- “# comment” or “// comment” — comment lines
- “@name = value” — define a variable reference with “{{name}}”
- “###” on its own line — separates independent requests in the same file
- Method + URL on one line (“GET”, “POST”, “PUT”, “DELETE”, etc.)
- Headers go on the lines right after, one per line (“Header-Name: value”)
- A blank line separates headers from the request body (if any)
Running the file
- For VS Code, install the “REST Client” extension (humao.rest-client), then click the “Send Request” CodeLens link that appears above each request, or press “Ctrl+Alt+R” with the cursor inside a request block
- For Visual Studio 2026, “.http" files are supported natively via the built-in
HTTP editor — just open the file and click the run/send icon next to each request.
No special tooling is required to create the file — only to execute the requests inside it.
How does this compile?
An “.http” file is not source code — it isn’t parsed into an assembly, isn’t type-checked, and has no build step. It’s a plain-text description of raw HTTP requests, so a compiler has nothing to produce.
- No syntax requires compilation — the “@variable”, “###”, method/URL, headers, and body are just text that the editor’s HTTP client (REST Client in VS Code, or the built-in HTTP editor in Visual Studio) reads and sends over the wire at the moment you click “Send Request”
- No project reference or assembly output — unlike “.cs”/”.vb” files, “.http” files aren’t included in a project’s build (“.csproj”) compilation pass, so adding, editing, or saving one never triggers (or breaks) a build
- Execution happens live— each time you click “Send Request”, the tool substitutes variables (“{{baseUrl}}”, “{{token}}”, etc.) and fires the literal HTTP request immediately. There’s no intermediate step that transforms the file into something else first
- Instant edit-and-retry loop — because nothing is compiled, you can change the URL, header, or body text and resend the request right away without waiting for a build or restarting any process
In short, “.http” files are interpreted on the spot by your editor’s HTTP client, the same way a “curl” command or Postman request is “run” rather than “built”
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Here’s an example:
# How to get an access token from Microsoft Graph Explorer:
# 1. Go to https://developer.microsoft.com/graph/graph-explorer
# 2. Sign in (top-left "Sign in" button) with the account you want to call
# Graph as.
# 3. Consent to the permissions you need (e.g. User.Read) when prompted.
# 4. Run any query (e.g. GET /me) by clicking "Run query".
# 5. Copy the token: Check the response panel's "Access token" tab if your
# version of Graph Explorer shows one.
# 6. Paste the copied token below as the value of the "token" variable
# (replacing the old one).
# NOTE: Tokens expire after ~1 hour, so you'll need to repeat this when it
# expires.
# How to send this request from VS Code:
# 1. Install the "REST Client" extension (humao.rest-client) from the
# Extensions marketplace.
# 2. Open this .http file in VS Code.
# 3. Click the "Send Request" link that appears above the GET line (CodeLens),
# or place your cursor in the request block and press Ctrl+Alt+R.
# 4. The response opens in a side pane in VS Code.
# 5. If you update the token or base URL variables, just re-click
# "Send Request" to pick up the change.
@baseUrl = https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0
@token = ey...sA
### Get the signed-in user's profile
GET {{baseUrl}}/me
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json
### Get the signed-in user's direct reports
GET {{baseUrl}}/me/directReports
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json
### Get more details about the signed-in user (select additional properties)
GET {{baseUrl}}/me?$select=displayName,givenName,surname,mail,
userPrincipalName,jobTitle,department,officeLocation,mobilePhone,
businessPhones,preferredLanguage
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json
Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any syntax to automatically pop up a login screen 😢 to get the access token.
The easiest way to get an access token is to use Graph Explorer, log in with the user, run a request and then copy the access token into the “@token = ey…sA” line in the script above.
VS automatically adds the “Send request” commands. That’s why you don’t see them in the samples I’ve included.
Running, e.g. the first command shows:
A common pattern is to use some variable returned in the previous response in the next request.
As an example:
### Get more details about the signed-in user (select additional properties)
# @name meDetails
GET {{baseUrl}}/me?$select=displayName,givenName,surname,mail,
userPrincipalName,jobTitle,department,officeLocation,mobilePhone,
businessPhones,preferredLanguage
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/json
### Look up the same user by userPrincipalName (uses the value from the
previous response)
# NOTE: Send the "meDetails" request above at least once before sending this
# one, so Visual Studio has a cached response to pull
# userPrincipalName from
GET {{baseUrl}}/users/{{meDetails.response.body.$.userPrincipalName}}
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
Accept: application/jsonThe first request (which we reference as “@name meDetails”) returns userPrincipalName, which we use in the second request.
Note: I used AI to write the VS Code parts, as I don’t use VS Code very often.
All good!
