MockServer publishes IDE extensions so you can start, stop, and open the MockServer Dashboard without leaving your editor. Two extensions are available:

IDE Extension Registry
VS Code (and Theia / Gitpod / Cursor) mockserver.mockserver VS Code Marketplace  &  Open VSX
IntelliJ IDEA (and all JetBrains IDEs) com.mock-server.mockserver JetBrains Marketplace

Both extensions require Docker Desktop to be running when using the "Start MockServer" command. No Java or separate server installation is required — the extension pulls and starts the official mockserver/mockserver:7.1.0 Docker image automatically.

 

VS Code Extension

The MockServer extension for Visual Studio Code provides commands to manage MockServer Docker containers and JSON snippets to quickly author expectations in any .json file.

Installation

Install directly from within VS Code:

  1. Open the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
  2. Search for MockServer
  3. Click Install

Alternatively, install from the command line:

code --install-extension mockserver.mockserver

For Eclipse Theia, Gitpod, Cursor, and other Open VSX compatible editors, install from open-vsx.org.

Prerequisites

  • VS Code 1.80+
  • Docker Desktop installed and running

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and type MockServer:

Command What it does
MockServer: Start (Docker) Pulls and starts mockserver/mockserver:7.1.0 on port 1080
MockServer: Stop Stops the running MockServer container
MockServer: Open Dashboard Opens the MockServer Dashboard at http://localhost:1080/mockserver/dashboard in your browser

JSON Snippets

In any .json file, type one of the following prefixes and press Tab to expand a full expectation template:

Prefix Inserts
mockserver-expectation A request matcher with an HTTP response action
mockserver-forward A request matcher with a forward proxy action
mockserver-verify A request verification template

Quick Start

  1. Run MockServer: Start (Docker) from the Command Palette
  2. Create expectations by POSTing JSON to http://localhost:1080/mockserver/expectation, or use the JSON snippets to build them in a file
  3. Run MockServer: Open Dashboard to inspect recorded requests and active expectations
  4. Run MockServer: Stop when finished
 

IntelliJ / JetBrains Plugin

The MockServer plugin for IntelliJ IDEA (and all JetBrains IDEs) adds a Tools > MockServer menu and a persistent tool window in the bottom panel.

Installation

  1. Open Settings > Plugins > Marketplace (Ctrl+Alt+S then Plugins)
  2. Search for MockServer
  3. Click Install and restart the IDE

Prerequisites

  • IntelliJ IDEA 2023.3+ (build 233+) or any JetBrains IDE on IntelliJ Platform 2023.3+
  • Docker (for the "Start MockServer" action)

Features

Action Where What it does
Open MockServer Dashboard Tools > MockServer menu and tool window Opens http://localhost:1080/mockserver/dashboard in the default browser
Start MockServer (Docker) Tools > MockServer menu and tool window Runs docker run -d --rm -p 1080:1080 mockserver/mockserver:7.1.0

The MockServer tool window appears in the bottom panel and provides button access to the same actions — useful without opening the Tools menu.

For more information see MockServer Dashboard and Running MockServer.