Questions and answers

Straight answers about the product, plans, data safety and the usual fears before installing an API client in Chrome.

What is PolyApiIDE and why not just use Postman?

It is an HTTP client and API IDE inside Chrome: REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SOAP and gRPC, collections, environments, QA scenarios and load tests. You do not need a heavy desktop app or a vendor account to send a request.

Postman is stronger as a cloud platform for large teams. PolyApiIDE is built for local-in-browser work, fast import of existing collections, and a one-time Lifetime purchase if you do not want a subscription.

Do I need to register or create an account?

No account is required. Free opens immediately after install, with no registration window. Email is needed at website checkout (Month / Year / Lifetime), when activating an already purchased key, or if you opt into a cloud feature. Paid features and cloud services create a technical client_id (API client identifier) — not a store account and not a password login. Activate the key under Settings → License.

Is Free a crippled demo?

Free is a real daily driver: workspaces, collections, Send, environments, variables, basic auth, poly/pm scripts, import of OpenAPI, WSDL, GraphQL, .proto, AsyncAPI, Postman, curl, Insomnia, Hoppscotch and Thunder, JSON tree, curl preview, fullscreen response and the action log. Sample files: polyapiclient.ru/examples/. Limits: up to 2 active sessions, and no QA scenarios, runner, load, AI or collection patches. Cloud backup on Free is optional (last 3 versions) if you create a technical API client; paid plans keep the last 10.

If manual requests and collection import are enough, stay on Free. Paid plans are for automation, load and team patches.

Where do my tokens, collections and bodies go? Can you see my API?

Collections, environments, history and responses live in chrome.storage on your machine. We do not receive request contents on a normal Send.

polyapiclient.ru only sees what you opt into: key activation, manual cloud backup, AI chat history (truncated text after secrets and personal data are stripped), support tickets. Cloud backup is never pulled in the background. Details are in the privacy policy.

Separately, the browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) may collect its own data under the vendor’s privacy policy. We are not responsible for that processing; it is not governed by our documents.

What Chrome permissions does the extension ask for? Is it spyware?

It needs the client tab, storage and (for proxy) chrome.proxy. Calls to your API leave the extension window like a normal page. We do not read browser history or inject into unrelated sites.

The extension is listed on the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons; the agreement and privacy policy live on the website. Free does not require an account. We do not publish the source code. The paid Lifetime archive is a protected build of the same IDE. Chrome Web Store Limited Use is followed: we do not request Google account data.

After install the browser itself may collect additional data under its own privacy policy. We are not responsible for that; those relations are not governed by the PolyApiIDE agreement or privacy policy.

Is Lifetime “all future updates forever, including majors”? Is this a trap?

Lifetime is a one-time payment for ongoing access. Fixes (patches and minor bugfixes) of the current line are free. Major updates are not included automatically: you can buy them later if you want the new line (a separate major SKU is not sold yet). It is not a subscription and not “every future version forever”.

New versions of the line are available in the archive immediately — no waiting for browser store publication. Month and Year still give the current feature set while the key is valid, via the store after it is published. Lifetime fits if you do not want a subscription and will treat majors as optional.

I paid but the key never arrived. Did I just lose the money?

The key is emailed after YooMoney confirms the payment (check Spam and Promotions). Lifetime also gets a one-time zip link — save it.

If nothing arrives within 15–30 minutes, email support@polyapiide.ru from the same address you paid with. We look up the payment and resend the key. Do not create a second payment “just in case”.

Can I use it at work and at home, on several computers?

Free — up to 2 active IDE sessions; demo — 1. Month, Year and Lifetime — up to 5 concurrent sessions per key. That covers laptop + desktop with headroom, not “one key for the whole office”. One key bound to email. On a new device use «Stay here» if the limit is full, or end the session on the other profile.

How do I move collections from Postman, Insomnia or OpenAPI?

The ↓ button next to Collections. Free accepts Postman Collection / Environment, curl, OpenAPI, WSDL, GraphQL, .proto, AsyncAPI, Insomnia, Hoppscotch and Thunder. Sample files: polyapiclient.ru/examples/. Collection and folder (section) patches are on paid plans.

Empty Postman variables (often an empty token) do not wipe your environment values. After import, pick an Environment on the right and open Applied variables.

The request fails with CORS, Network Error or “GET cannot have body”. Is the client broken?

Usually this is the browser or the request itself, not “PolyApiIDE’s server is down”.

  • CORS and mixed content apply like on a normal page. For a corporate network, set a proxy on the request or collection.
  • Chrome forbids a body on GET/HEAD — the client no longer sends one for those methods.
  • A URL without https:// or with an unresolved {{baseUrl}} will not send.

401 means check token and variable hierarchy, not our firewall.

Does it work offline and without your server?

Send to your API, collections and scripts run locally. The server is needed for paid key activation/validation, demo, cloud backup, AI history and mail. After a key is activated, short offline use is fine; long stretches without validation depend on plan and session.

Keep the Lifetime archive yourself: that is the hedge if a vendor cloud ever goes away for the build you bought. If the company fully ceases operations, every paying customer (Month / Year / Lifetime) receives a Lifetime archive of the current build — this is written into the license agreement.

What do QA and Load include on Free?

The QA and Load tabs are visible without a key. Free can run QA checks after Send and up to 3 collection runs, 3 folder runs and 1 load run per calendar month. “File a bug” and advanced settings are paid. Counted runs need a technical API client. Demo and paid keys are not limited by these quotas.

Will the 14-day demo wipe my collections?

Yes: when the demo expires, IDE data is reset. The demo is once per email via the “Activate Demo” form on the website (not from the IDE). Export a snapshot or collections before you start it. Free without a demo does not wipe collections.

Why did demo/checkout reject my terms checkbox with a different version date?

The agreement and policies are published on the website and may be updated. Demo and checkout accept any version that is still valid. If a newer edition is out, the IDE may show “Service policies have changed” with links to /terms and /privacy and a button to accept the latest. An already issued key is not revoked.

Paid users (and the full-product demo) accept the license, personal-data processing and email consent in the IDE (Settings → License). Document text stays on the website. Free does not show or collect these consents in the extension.

How do Month and Year differ from Lifetime on updates?

Month and Year: while the key is valid you get features of the current IDE (including new ones that belong to the plan). Year is the same feature set as Month, discounted for 12 months. Builds come from the browser store — after publication (Chrome Web Store / Firefox Add-ons review can take time). The Lifetime archive is not included in these plans.

Lifetime: one-time payment; fixes of the current line are free; majors are optional and paid when that plan exists. New versions are available in the archive immediately — no waiting for browser store publication. Support fixes breakages and can resend a patched zip of the line.

How do teams work? Is there a Postman-like shared cloud?

There is no realtime shared workspace. Teams exchange collections via export/import, collection / folder / request patches (↗ / ↙; not a git diff), IDE snapshots and manual cloud backup to your email. You can save a patch into a local repo directory and commit / push. That is intentionally local, without a mandatory “team” subscription.

Can I pay without YooMoney? What about refunds?

Checkout is YooMoney (Russian cards and wallet). International cards and PayPal are not on the landing page. If payment fails, email support — we can suggest a workaround or invoice manually when possible.

Refunds: email support@polyapiide.ru if the key was not used or the product cannot run. See the license agreement.

How do I delete my data and stop using the key?

In Chrome, remove the extension — local collections go with it (export first if you need them). Cloud backup can be disabled in settings; ask support@polyapiide.ru from the license email to delete server copies.

Keys are not transferable: they are bound to email.

Do you support SOAP, gRPC, WebSocket and GraphQL, or only REST?

All of those protocols live in one window: pick the type when you create a workspace. gRPC uses JSON transcoding / a gateway, not a native protobuf channel. WebSocket has its own Connect / messages panel.

If I turn on AI, will you and the provider see my secrets?

The prompt to the provider contains what you explicitly send in Ask / Explain (often method, URL, a response snippet). Do not paste live tokens into chat: the provider will see them.

History on our server is stored after scrubbing: logins, passwords, tokens, API keys, Bearer/JWT and typical personal data (email, phones, cards) are replaced with [redacted], then the text is truncated to 255 characters. File bytes are not stored. Scrubbing is heuristic and will not catch everything — still do not put live secrets in chat. Delete history in IDE settings.

The call to the AI provider (your key in Integrations) leaves your machine; we do not proxy it through your production API. AI proxy is configured separately from the proxy to your backend.

What happens to my license if the company shuts down?

The agreement states: if operations cease, everyone who paid for Month, Year or Lifetime receives a Lifetime archive (a zip of the IDE build) so the client can run locally without our server. Notice goes to the purchase email, with at least 30 days’ warning where possible.

Cloud backup, key checks and AI history may disappear when the service stops — keep a local snapshot and (for Lifetime) your zip. Free and demo users do not automatically receive an archive.

How do poly / pm scripts and HTTP settings layers work?

Pre-request and after-response run locally. The canonical object is poly; pm is a compatibility alias of the same object (paste Postman scripts as-is). The editor has local autocomplete. Docs: /en/docs/scripts.

The Settings tab layers IDE → space → request. An enabled request layer overrides the others; unchecking a layer skips it. That drives redirects (-L, --max-redirs) and the cookie jar in Send and in copied cURL.

Is “Sync cookies from site” risky?

It reads chrome.cookies only after an explicit click and only for the current request URL hostname. The optional cookies permission is requested then; there is no auto-sync. Session cookies will enter the IDE, later requests, curl and backups if you keep them. Do not sync production sessions unless you want them stored in the client.