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MockBase vs json-server
json-server is the fastest possible way to get fake CRUD data locally — MockBase is the fastest way to get a URL other people and machines can reach.
json-server is a free, open-source npm package: point it at a single JSON file and it serves a full fake REST API — with real GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE routes generated automatically from that file's structure — in well under a minute, with zero configuration.
| Feature | MockBase | json-server |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted endpoint, nothing to install | Live HTTPS endpoint in one click | Local by default; hosting is on you |
| Usable without creating an account | 1 mock, 4 routes, no account needed | No account, ever |
| Conditional matching (header, query, body) | 5 operators, priority ordering, path params | Serves the JSON file's data plus basic CRUD only |
| Dynamic response templating | Sandboxed Jinja2 — request data, UUIDs, timestamps | No response templating |
| Automatic stateful CRUD | One toggle — full GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE lifecycle | Real CRUD, persisted to the JSON file on disk |
| Random failure injection | Configurable rate + status code, per route | No latency or failure simulation |
| OpenAPI import & export | Import a spec into routes, export routes back to a spec | No spec import |
| Record & replay a real API | Proxies unmatched requests, captures them as routes | No proxy/capture feature |
| Live, remote request inspector | WebSocket stream: method, path, headers, body, latency, IP | No built-in request inspector |
What json-server is good at
- Genuinely the fastest path from "nothing" to a working fake REST API with real CRUD behavior, for local use
- Completely free, no account, no cloud dependency of any kind
- Writes actually persist back to the JSON file on disk while the server runs, which is a simple, real form of statefulness
Where it differs from MockBase
- It's local by default — reachable only from the machine running it, unless you separately set up and maintain your own tunnel or hosting. A hosted variant ("my-json-server") exists but serves a fixed, public GitHub-backed file with real limits, not a private, writable, shareable mock.
- There's no conditional matching on headers or query params, no response templating, and no chaos/latency injection — it serves the file's data plus basic CRUD, and that's the whole feature set by design.
- No live request inspector, no OpenAPI import, no way to simulate a specific error rate or a slow, flaky endpoint.
Pricing
Free and open-source, always. Running it costs nothing beyond your own machine or hosting, if you choose to deploy it somewhere yourself.
Choose MockBase if
- You need the mock reachable by a teammate, a mobile device, or CI — not just your own terminal
- You need conditional responses, chaos injection, templating, or a live inspector
- You want OpenAPI import instead of hand-shaping a JSON file into the right structure
Choose json-server if
- You're prototyping entirely on one machine and a shareable URL was never needed
- A plain JSON file's worth of fake CRUD data is genuinely all the scenario requires
Pricing, limits, and features for json-server were checked against its own pricing and documentation pages at the time of writing and may have changed since — see its current pricing page for the latest numbers. MockBase is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by json-server.