A DummyJSON alternative where writes are real

DummyJSON is a free hosted fake REST API with a broad set of realistic sample data — products, carts, users, posts, comments, recipes, todos and more — plus search, pagination, field selection and a login endpoint that returns a JWT. It is one of the richest free datasets for building a demo UI.

At a glance

DummyJSON compared with this playground, checked 2026-09.
	DummyJSON	Fun API Playground
Writes persist	No — simulated responses	Yes, for your sandbox
Sample data	Large and realistic, many resource types	39 themed domains, smaller per domain
Auth	Login returning a JWT	JWT with roles, OAuth 2.0, PKCE, API keys
Error behaviour	Basic	Status codes caused by domain rules
Concurrency control	Not modelled	ETag / If-Match with 412
Best for	Data to render in a demo UI	Testing how a client handles an API's rules

Where it stops

Its add, update and delete endpoints simulate the result and do not store it, so a later GET does not see the change — the right decision for a shared public dataset, and the point where it stops being useful for testing workflows that span several requests. Error behaviour is limited to what the dataset needs.

What is different here

Here writes persist for the life of your sandbox, so a create can be verified, a conflict can happen and requests can be chained. Around that: role-based authorization with a real 403, ETag concurrency, idempotency keys, rate limits, webhooks, async jobs, and every status code in the catalog reachable from a documented endpoint.

What DummyJSON does better

Large, realistic datasets — product catalogues with images, users with addresses — ideal for UI demos.
Search, pagination, sorting and field selection across many resources.
Familiar resource names that drop straight into tutorial apps.

What this playground does better

Writes persist per caller, so multi-step workflows can be tested end to end.
Failure modes with causes: 409, 412, 422, 429, 402, 410.
Auth with roles and real 403s, plus OAuth 2.0 flows.
OpenAPI 3.1 and Postman exports for every API.

Which to use

DummyJSON is the better choice when you need plenty of realistic data to render. This is the better choice when you need a POST to stick and an API that says no for a reason.

Checked against DummyJSON as of 2026-09.

Other comparisons

JSONPlaceholder — JSONPlaceholder fakes its writes. If you need a POST that a later GET can find, that is the difference.
httpbin — httpbin shows you the request. This shows you an API. They answer different questions.
reqres.in — reqres is a clean, tiny user API with fake auth. The gap is everything past the happy path.
json-server — json-server turns a JSON file into a REST API in seconds. It does not push back — and that is the difference.
WireMock — WireMock reproduces the API you already know, exactly. This one gives you an API you do not control.
Mockoon — Mockoon is for designing your own mock API. This one is an API already designed, with rules you have to discover.
Beeceptor — Beeceptor gives you a hosted endpoint to inspect and mock. This gives you finished APIs that behave like real ones.
Postman mock servers — A Postman mock server replays the examples saved in a collection. This one runs an API with state and rules.
PokeAPI — PokeAPI is the real Pokémon database, read-only. This Pokémon API is invented data you can write to and break.
SWAPI — SWAPI serves Star Wars data, read-only. This Star Wars API is invented practice data you can change.
the free mock API landscape — Six free options, what each is genuinely for, and how to tell which one your problem needs.

All 39 mock REST APIs · Getting started guide · About this playground

Last updated 15 October 2026