Configuration

Configuration

The @config directive lets you define shared settings that apply to multiple requests, reducing repetition.

File-Level Config

A config block at the top of the file applies to all requests in that file:

@config
baseUrl: https://api.example.com
timeout: 5000
retries: 2
headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
  Accept: application/json
assert:
  status == 200

Collection-Level Config

Scope configuration to a specific collection:

@config
collection: Auth API
baseUrl: https://auth.example.com
headers:
  X-API-Key: {{apiKey}}

Config Properties

Property	Description	Example
baseUrl	Prepended to relative URLs (starting with /)	https://api.example.com
timeout	Default timeout in milliseconds	5000
retries	Default retry count for 5xx errors	3
headers	Default headers (YAML-style, key: value)	Content-Type: application/json
assert	Default assertions applied to every request	status == 200
collection	Scope this config to a named collection	Auth API

Inheritance & Override Rules

Caution

Understanding how config values are inherited and overridden is key to writing maintainable .rext files.

Property	Behavior
baseUrl	Prepended to URLs that start with /. Full URLs are not affected.
headers	Merged — request-level headers override config headers with the same key.
timeout	Applied only if the request doesn’t define its own @timeout.
retries	Applied only if the request doesn’t define its own @retry.
assertions	Accumulated — both config and request assertions run.

Example

@config
baseUrl: https://api.example.com
headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
  Authorization: Bearer {{token}}
assert:
  status >= 200

###
@name Get Users
GET /users

### This request overrides the Content-Type header
@name Create User
POST /users
Content-Type: application/xml

<user><name>John</name></user>

In the Get Users request:

• URL resolves to https://api.example.com/users
• Content-Type: application/json and Authorization: Bearer {{token}} are applied
• @assert status >= 200 is applied automatically

In the Create User request:

• Content-Type is overridden to application/xml
• Authorization is still applied from config
• The assertion is still applied

Next Steps

• Learn about variable capture
• Explore pre-request chains