ReqRes vs Mocky: a Mocky alternative

Mocky was a simple, free way to get a URL that returns a response you designed: pick a status code, headers and body, and share the link. If you have come here because your Mocky links stopped working, this page explains what changed and how to replace them with ReqRes.

TL;DR

• As of 28 September 2026, mocky.io no longer serves mocks. Its domains present an invalid TLS certificate and return the hosting provider's "404 Not Found" page. We have not found an official announcement.
• The Mocky project's last code change was in 2021, and its README never guaranteed availability.
• ReqRes is a hosted API you can use the same way: free, no signup for the demo API, with custom responses, delays, stored data and request logs.

What Mocky was

Mocky (open source, Apache 2.0) let you design one fixed HTTP response and get a unique URL that served it:

• Custom status code, headers, body and content type
• Delays with the ?mocky-delay= parameter
• CORS and JSONP support
• Optional expiry, and a secret token to edit or delete a mock
• No accounts, no stored data between calls, no conditional responses

It was ideal for a quick, fixed response in a demo or a bug report. The source code is still on GitHub and can be self-hosted, though its self-hosting guide was never finished.

What ReqRes is

• A free demo API at https://reqres.in/api/users, with no signup and ?delay= for slow responses
• Custom endpoints (Dev plan, $12/month): define the path, method, status code, headers and body you want returned
• Collections that store data, so a POST today is still there tomorrow
• App-user auth, request logs and failure scenarios (three free: 429, 422 and malformed JSON)

Key differences

Replacing a Mocky URL

If you only need a realistic JSON response (a user list, a login, a 404), the ReqRes demo API may already have it, with no signup:

curl https://reqres.in/api/users?page=2          # list
curl https://reqres.in/api/users/23              # 404 Not Found
curl "https://reqres.in/api/users?delay=3"       # slow response for loading states

If you need your own response, create a project at app.reqres.in on the Dev plan ($12/month), add a custom endpoint with the status code, headers and body from your old mock, and swap the URL in your code. If you only need to store and return JSON, a free project with a collection does that without the paid plan.

If you need a failure, use a ready-made scenario:

curl -i https://reqres.in/agent/v1/scenarios/rate-limited   # 429 with Retry-After

When a static mock is not enough

Mocky returned the same response every time. That is fine for a screenshot, but real apps create, update and delete data. With a ReqRes collection, the response reflects what was actually written:

const headers = {
  'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  'x-api-key': 'YOUR_MANAGE_KEY', // pro_* key for writes, keep it server-side
};

await fetch('https://reqres.in/api/collections/notes/records', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({ data: { text: 'Remember the milk' } }),
});

const { data } = await fetch('https://reqres.in/api/collections/notes/records', { headers })
  .then((r) => r.json());

Common questions

Is mocky.io down?

When we checked on 28 September 2026, www.mocky.io, designer.mocky.io and run.mocky.io all failed with an invalid certificate and a hosting provider's 404 page, and other developers reported it unavailable from March 2026. We have not seen a statement from the maintainer. We will update this page if that changes.

What is the closest free alternative to Mocky?

For a quick, no-signup response, the ReqRes demo API. For JSON you control, a free ReqRes project with a collection. For your own custom status codes and headers, ReqRes custom endpoints on the Dev plan. Other hosted options include Beeceptor, and Mockoon if you are happy to run a mock server locally.

Can I self-host Mocky?

The code is open source (Apache 2.0) and includes a Docker Compose setup, but its self-hosting documentation was marked as a work in progress and the project has not had a code change since 2021.

Next step

• Call the free demo API - no signup
• Create a free project - stored data, auth and logs
• ReqRes vs Beeceptor and ReqRes vs Mockoon