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Effortless API Deployment: A Deep Dive into Insomnia, Deck, and GitHub Actions for APIOps

Effortless API Deployment: A Deep Dive into Insomnia, Deck, and GitHub Actions for APIOps

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Authored by
Zelar
Date Released
28 January, 2026
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Introduction:

In the dynamic realm of digital transformation, optimizing technology investments is paramount. APIOps, blending DevOps and GitOps principles with API and microservice life cycles, presents a revolutionary approach. APIOps simplifies API and microservice management by integrating solid principles of automation, collaboration, and version control throughout the lifecycle. Let’s explore how APIOps transforms API management and fuels digital evolution.

What is APIOps?

APIOps streamlines the process of designing, implementing, and deploying APIs and microservices by applying the following key principles:

  1. Automation: Employs automated tools to ensure consistency and quality at every stage of the lifecycle.
  2. Collaboration: Facilitates seamless collaboration between developers, architects, and DevOps teams, fostering agility and innovation.
  3. Version Control: Implements version control practices, such as GitOps, to track changes and maintain a clear history of modifications.
  4. Quality Assurance: Enables early detection of deviations from standards, allowing for swift resolution and enhanced service quality.

Through these principles, APIOps promotes a culture of efficiency, reliability, and continuous improvement in API and microservice management. Let’s delve deeper into how organizations can leverage APIOps to streamline their API management processes and drive digital transformation.

Pre-requisites:

  • Insomnia.
  • Inso cli.
  • deck cli.
  • Kong Gateway setup.

Install Insomnia:

Insomnia is a free desktop app for API work, simplifying interaction, debugging, and testing. It offers a user-friendly interface with authentication helpers, code generation, and debugging tools. Insomnia supports API mocking and provides storage options like local, cloud sync, and Git repositories.

To install it on Ubuntu, follow these steps:

# Update packages
sudo apt update

# Install Insomnia:
sudo apt install insomnia

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Inso cli installation:

To install the Inso command-line tool (CLI) on your Ubuntu system, follow these steps:

# Update package and install wget downloader.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget

# Download the Inso CLI binary.
wget https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/releases/download/lib%408.4.5/inso-linux-8.4.5.tar.xz

# Extract the downloaded file.
tar -xf inso-linux-8.4.5.tar.xz -C /tmp

# Copy the extracted file to a directory in your system's PATH.
sudo cp /tmp/inso /usr/local/bin/

# Verify and Check the version of Inso.
inso --version

Deck cli Installation:

Deck CLI is a tool by Kong for managing Kong Gateway configurations via the command line. It helps configure services, routes, and plugins, facilitating setup, deployment, and automation of Kong Gateway. Deck simplifies managing API infrastructure with its intuitive command-line interface.

To install the Deck command-line tool (CLI) on your Linux system, follow these steps:

# Download the Deck CLI.
curl -sL https://github.com/kong/deck/releases/download/v1.29.2/deck_1.29.2_linux_amd64.tar.gz -o deck.tar.gz

# Extract the downloaded file.
tar -xf deck.tar.gz -C /tmp

# Copy the extracted file to a directory in your system's PATH.
sudo cp /tmp/deck /usr/local/bin/

# Check the version of Deck you've installed.
deck version

Adding API Specification to Insomnia and Creating Test Cases:

Let’s add sample Pet-store API Document(OpenApi Specification):

  • Open Insomnia and create a new document or collection.
  • Import your API specification file, such as petstore-spec.yaml, into Insomnia.

pestore-spec.yaml:

swagger: '2.0'
info:
  description: 'This is a sample server Petstore server.  You can find out more about Swagger at [http://swagger.io](http://swagger.io) or on [irc.freenode.net, #swagger](http://swagger.io/irc/).  For this sample, you can use the api key `special-key` to test the authorization filters.'
  version: 1.0.0
  title: Swagger Petstore
  termsOfService: 'http://swagger.io/terms/'
  contact:
    email: apiteam@swagger.io
  license:
    name: Apache 2.0
    url: 'http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html'
host: petstore.swagger.io
basePath: /v2
tags:
  - name: pet
    description: Everything about your Pets
    externalDocs:
      description: Find out more
      url: 'http://swagger.io'
  - name: store
    description: Access to Petstore orders
  - name: user
    description: Operations about user
    externalDocs:
      description: Find out more about our store
      url: 'http://swagger.io'
schemes:
  - https
  - http
paths:
  /pet:
    post:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Add a new pet to the store
      description: 'bvgyghyc'
      operationId: addPet
      consumes:
        - application/json
        - application/xml
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: Pet object that needs to be added to the store
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Pet'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '405':
          description: Invalid input
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
    put:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Update an existing pet
      description: 'nvhgc'
      operationId: updatePet
      consumes:
        - application/json
        - application/xml
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: Pet object that needs to be added to the store
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Pet'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '400':
          description: Invalid ID supplied
        '404':
          description: Pet not found
        '405':
          description: Validation exception
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
  /pet/findByStatus:
    get:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Finds Pets by status
      description: Multiple status values can be provided with comma separated strings
      operationId: findPetsByStatus
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: status
          in: query
          description: Status values that need to be considered for filter
          required: true
          type: array
          items:
            type: string
            enum:
              - available
              - pending
              - sold
            default: available
          collectionFormat: multi
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            type: array
            items:
              $ref: '#/definitions/Pet'
        '400':
          description: Invalid status value
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
  /pet/findByTags:
    get:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Finds Pets by tags
      description: 'Multiple tags can be provided with comma separated strings. Use tag1, tag2, tag3 for testing.'
      operationId: findPetsByTags
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: tags
          in: query
          description: Tags to filter by
          required: true
          type: array
          items:
            type: string
          collectionFormat: multi
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            type: array
            items:
              $ref: '#/definitions/Pet'
        '400':
          description: Invalid tag value
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
      deprecated: true
  '/pet/{petId}':
    get:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Find pet by ID
      description: Returns a single pet
      operationId: getPetById
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: petId
          in: path
          description: ID of pet to return
          required: true
          type: integer
          format: int64
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Pet'
        '400':
          description: Invalid ID supplied
        '404':
          description: Pet not found
      security:
        - api_key: []
    post:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Updates a pet in the store with form data
      description: 'nbvgfuy'
      operationId: updatePetWithForm
      consumes:
        - application/x-www-form-urlencoded
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: petId
          in: path
          description: ID of pet that needs to be updated
          required: true
          type: integer
          format: int64
        - name: name
          in: formData
          description: Updated name of the pet
          required: false
          type: string
        - name: status
          in: formData
          description: Updated status of the pet
          required: false
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '405':
          description: Invalid input
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
    delete:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Deletes a pet
      description: 'bncyfcxy'
      operationId: deletePet
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: api_key
          in: header
          required: false
          type: string
        - name: petId
          in: path
          description: Pet id to delete
          required: true
          type: integer
          format: int64
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '400':
          description: Invalid ID supplied
        '404':
          description: Pet not found
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
  '/pet/{petId}/uploadImage':
    post:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: uploads an image
      description: 'bvcytcy'
      operationId: uploadFile
      consumes:
        - multipart/form-data
      produces:
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: petId
          in: path
          description: ID of pet to update
          required: true
          type: integer
          format: int64
        - name: additionalMetadata
          in: formData
          description: Additional data to pass to server
          required: false
          type: string
        - name: file
          in: formData
          description: file to upload
          required: false
          type: file
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/ApiResponse'
      security:
        - petstore_auth:
            - 'write:pets'
            - 'read:pets'
  /store/inventory:
    get:
      tags:
        - store
      summary: Returns pet inventories by status
      description: Returns a map of status codes to quantities
      operationId: getInventory
      produces:
        - application/json
      parameters: []
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            type: object
            additionalProperties:
              type: integer
              format: int32
      security:
        - api_key: []
  /store/order:
    post:
      tags:
        - store
      summary: Place an order for a pet
      description: 'bcycgh'
      operationId: placeOrder
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: order placed for purchasing the pet
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Order'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Order'
        '400':
          description: Invalid Order
  '/store/order/{orderId}':
    get:
      tags:
        - store
      summary: Find purchase order by ID
      description: For valid response try integer IDs with value >= 1 and <= 10. Other values will generated exceptions
      operationId: getOrderById
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: orderId
          in: path
          description: ID of pet that needs to be fetched
          required: true
          type: integer
          maximum: 10
          minimum: 1
          format: int64
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/Order'
        '400':
          description: Invalid ID supplied
        '404':
          description: Order not found
    delete:
      tags:
        - store
      summary: Delete purchase order by ID
      description: For valid response try integer IDs with positive integer value. Negative or non-integer values will generate API errors
      operationId: deleteOrder
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: orderId
          in: path
          description: ID of the order that needs to be deleted
          required: true
          type: integer
          minimum: 1
          format: int64
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '400':
          description: Invalid ID supplied
        '404':
          description: Order not found
  /user:
    post:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Create user
      description: This can only be done by the logged in user.
      operationId: createUser
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: Created user object
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/User'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
  /user/createWithArray:
    post:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Creates list of users with given input array
      description: 'jcyrsuryj'
      operationId: createUsersWithArrayInput
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: List of user object
          required: true
          schema:
            type: array
            items:
              $ref: '#/definitions/User'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
  /user/createWithList:
    post:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Creates list of users with given input array
      description: 'hgctrduy'
      operationId: createUsersWithListInput
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: List of user object
          required: true
          schema:
            type: array
            items:
              $ref: '#/definitions/User'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
  /user/login:
    get:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Logs user into the system
      description: 'bcurxyjh'
      operationId: loginUser
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: username
          in: query
          description: The user name for login
          required: true
          type: string
        - name: password
          in: query
          description: The password for login in clear text
          required: true
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            type: string
          headers:
            X-Rate-Limit:
              type: integer
              format: int32
              description: calls per hour allowed by the user
            X-Expires-After:
              type: string
              format: date-time
              description: date in UTC when token expires
        '400':
          description: Invalid username/password supplied
  /user/logout:
    get:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Logs out current logged in user session
      description: 'bncyuxyjhc'
      operationId: logoutUser
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters: []
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
  '/user/{username}':
    get:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Get user by user name
      description: 'bctfxykcj'
      operationId: getUserByName
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: username
          in: path
          description: 'The name that needs to be fetched. Use user1 for testing. '
          required: true
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/User'
        '400':
          description: Invalid username supplied
        '404':
          description: User not found
    put:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Updated user
      description: This can only be done by the logged in user.
      operationId: updateUser
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: username
          in: path
          description: name that need to be updated
          required: true
          type: string
        - in: body
          name: body
          description: Updated user object
          required: true
          schema:
            $ref: '#/definitions/User'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '400':
          description: Invalid user supplied
        '404':
          description: User not found
    delete:
      tags:
        - user
      summary: Delete user
      description: This can only be done by the logged in user.
      operationId: deleteUser
      produces:
        - application/xml
        - application/json
      parameters:
        - name: username
          in: path
          description: The name that needs to be deleted
          required: true
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: successful operation
        '400':
          description: Invalid username supplied
        '404':
          description: User not found
securityDefinitions:
  petstore_auth:
    type: oauth2
    authorizationUrl: 'https://petstore.swagger.io/oauth/authorize'
    flow: implicit
    scopes:
      'write:pets': modify pets in your account
      'read:pets': read your pets
  api_key:
    type: apiKey
    name: api_key
    in: header
definitions:
  Order:
    type: object
    properties:
      id:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      petId:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      quantity:
        type: integer
        format: int32
      shipDate:
        type: string
        format: date-time
      status:
        type: string
        description: Order Status
        enum:
          - placed
          - approved
          - delivered
      complete:
        type: boolean
        default: false
    xml:
      name: Order
  User:
    type: object
    properties:
      id:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      username:
        type: string
      firstName:
        type: string
      lastName:
        type: string
      email:
        type: string
      password:
        type: string
      phone:
        type: string
      userStatus:
        type: integer
        format: int32
        description: User Status
    xml:
      name: User
  Category:
    type: object
    properties:
      id:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      name:
        type: string
    xml:
      name: Category
  Tag:
    type: object
    properties:
      id:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      name:
        type: string
    xml:
      name: Tag
  Pet:
    type: object
    required:
      - name
      - photoUrls
    properties:
      id:
        type: integer
        format: int64
      category:
        $ref: '#/definitions/Category'
      name:
        type: string
        example: doggie
      photoUrls:
        type: array
        xml:
          name: photoUrl
          wrapped: true
        items:
          type: string
      tags:
        type: array
        xml:
          name: tag
          wrapped: true
        items:
          $ref: '#/definitions/Tag'
      status:
        type: string
        description: pet status in the store
        enum:
          - available
          - pending
          - sold
    xml:
      name: Pet
  ApiResponse:
    type: object
    properties:
      code:
        type: integer
        format: int32
      type:
        type: string
      message:
        type: string
externalDocs:
  description: Find out more about Swagger
  url: 'http://swagger.io
  • Once imported, Generate collection. Click on Generate Request collection as shown below.

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  • Update environment file by adding basic_url as shown below. Then click on close.

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  • Ensure to include various test scenarios covering different endpoints and use cases. Click on Test > click on New Test Suite and Create test suite named New Suite .
  • click on New Test and Create tests in suite as shown below.

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  • Validate the API requests and responses within Insomnia to confirm they align with the specification.

Exporting Insomnia Configuration — v4 file:

After setting up your API specification and test cases in Insomnia, export the configuration:

  • Click on Export under spec drop-down as shown.

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  • Select Requests to Export (check all requests), Then click on Export for apply export requests.

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  • Select the desired format (JSON or YAML) for exporting: Click on drop down and select JSON/YAML .
  • Click on Done button and Select Yes .
  • Save the exported file, which contains your Insomnia configuration and test suites: Rename your file and Click on Export button.

Press enter or click to view image in full size

Deploying to Kong Using Deck CLI:

Utilize Deck CLI to deploy your API configuration to Kong Gateway.

  • Ensure Deck CLI is installed and configured with your Kong environment.
  • Use deck dump to generate a Kong configuration file based on the current state of your Kong setup.
# Verify connectivity with Kong
deck ping --tls-skip-verify --kong-addr $ADMIN_URL --headers Kong-Admin-Token:$ADMIN_PASSWORD

# Export Kong configuration to a file
deck dump --tls-skip-verify --kong-addr $ADMIN_URL --headers Kong-Admin-Token:$ADMIN_PASSWORD
  • Merge the exported Insomnia configuration file with the existing Kong configuration.
  • Use deck sync to apply the merged configuration to your Kong environment.
# sync inso config with kong config
deck sync --tls-skip-verify --kong-addr http://localhost:8001 --headers Kong-Admin-Token:password -s kong.yaml -s inso-kong.yaml
  • Convert the API specification file to a Kong configuration file using the Inso CLI, execute the following commands.
# check spec lint
inso lint spec --src Insomnia_petstore.yaml "PetStore"

# run test suites
inso run test --src Insomnia_petstore.yaml "New Suite" --env "Swagger env"

# Generate config
inso generate config "PetStore" --src "Insomnia_petstore.yaml" -k 3 --type declarative -o inso-kong.yaml

Setting up Continuous Deployment with GitHub Actions:

To automate the deployment of your Kong configuration file, we’ll use GitHub Actions. GitHub Actions allow you to automate tasks directly from your GitHub repository. We’ll create a workflow that triggers whenever changes are pushed to the master branch. Follow these steps to set it up:

  • Navigate to your GitHub repository where you have your APIOps project.
  • Click on the Actions tab.
  • Click on Set up a workflow yourself or New workflow.
  • Replace the contents of the YAML file with the following:
name: APIOps
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - master
jobs:
  ApiOps:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    name: APIOps  
    steps:
    - name: Checkout
      uses: actions/checkout@v2
    - name: Inso CLI installation
      run: |
        sudo apt update
        sudo apt install wget
        wget https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/releases/download/lib%408.4.5/inso-linux-8.4.5.tar.xz
        tar -xf inso-linux-8.4.5.tar.xz
        echo "---------------------------"
        ./inso --version
        echo "---------------------------"
    - name: decK CLI installation
      run: |
        curl -sL https://github.com/kong/deck/releases/download/v1.29.2/deck_1.29.2_linux_amd64.tar.gz -o deck.tar.gz
        tar -xf deck.tar.gz -C /tmp
        sudo cp /tmp/deck /usr/local/bin/
        echo "---------------------------"
        deck version
        echo "---------------------------"
      
    - name: Deploy kong config file
      run: |
        ./inso lint spec --src Insomnia_employees.yaml "Employees"
        ./inso run test --src Insomnia_employees.yaml "Employees-test" --env "OpenAPI env"
        ./inso generate config "Employees" --src "Insomnia_employees.yaml" -k 3 --type declarative -o inso-kong.yaml
        # ./inso lint spec --src Insomnia_httpbin.yaml "httpbin"
        # ./inso run test --src Insomnia_httpbin.yaml "New Suite" --env "OpenAPI env httpbin.org"
        # ./inso generate config "httpbin" --src "Insomnia_httpbin.yaml" -k 3 --type declarative -o inso-kong.yaml
        deck dump --tls-skip-verify --kong-addr $ADMIN_URL --headers Kong-Admin-Token:$ADMIN_PASSWORD
        deck sync --tls-skip-verify --kong-addr $ADMIN_URL --headers Kong-Admin-Token:$ADMIN_PASSWORD -s kong.yaml -s inso-kong.yaml
      env:
        ADMIN_URL: ${{ vars.admin_url }}
        ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${{ vars.admin_password }}
  • Save the file with a name like apiops-workflow.yaml in the .github/workflows directory of your repository.
  • Create GitHub Actions secrets named ADMIN_URL and ADMIN_PASSWORD. Use your Kong admin URL and password (or token if RBAC is enabled) as their values.

With this setup, every time you push changes to your master branch, GitHub Actions will automatically run the workflow defined in this YAML file. It will install the necessary tools, generate the Kong configuration file using Inso CLI, and deploy it using decK CLI.

Conclusion:

In this guide to APIOps with Insomnia, Deck, and GitHub Actions, we’ve uncovered a streamlined approach to API deployment. By integrating automation, collaboration, and version control, organizations can efficiently manage their API lifecycle.

Insomnia provides a user-friendly platform for designing, documenting, and testing APIs, while the Inso CLI simplifies the export process for integration into deployment pipelines.

Deck CLI facilitates the management of Kong Gateway configurations, enabling automated deployments and updates. By leveraging GitHub Actions, deployments become automated, ensuring consistency across environments.

In summary, the combination of Insomnia, Deck, and GitHub Actions offers a powerful solution for organizations seeking to streamline APIOps processes and drive digital transformation. Embracing these tools empowers teams to deliver high-quality APIs with efficiency and reliability.

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