I got tired of Postman using 1GB RAM, so I built Ghostman (TUI API Client)

Description and use

The author replaced Postman with Ghostman, a lightweight terminal API client. Ghostman uses ~40 MB RAM, starts in under 200 ms, stores collections locally as YAML, avoids cloud accounts and telemetry, and includes a built-in webhook receiver on port 9090.

Problem

Postman consumes 800MB-1.5GB RAM and is slow to start; it pushes collections to the cloud, requires login, and forces telemetry.

Outcome

Ghostman reduces RAM usage from ~800MB-1.5GB to ~40MB, starts in under 200ms, keeps collections local in YAML, and provides a built-in webhook receiver on port 9090.

Workflow

• Install Ghostman from https://github.com/4yk5/Ghostman
• Start a local HTTP receiver on port 9090 using Ctrl+W
• Send incoming HTTP callbacks (e.g., Stripe, GitHub, Discord) to the local receiver
• Inspect formatted JSON responses and latency telemetry (ms) without leaving the keyboard

Evidence

Postman: Uses 800MB - 1.5GB RAM, slow to start.

Ghostman: Takes ~40MB, starts in under 200ms right in your terminal.

Postman: Pushes your collections to the cloud, requires login.

Ghostman: 100% Local-First. Collections live in plain YAML (.ghostman/collections.yaml) inside your repo. Commit it to Git with your team. Zero accounts, zero tracking.

Postman: Testing incoming webhooks (Stripe, GitHub, Discord) requires setting up external tunnels (ngrok) or web mock tools.

Ghostman: Hit Ctrl+W and it instantly spins up a local receiver on port 9090. Incoming HTTP callbacks show up live on your screen.

Complete requests, inspect formatted JSON responses, and view latency telemetry (ms) without taking your hands off the keyboard.

It is 100% open source under the MIT License (screenshots in the repo): https://github.com/4yk5/Ghostman

Source