"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"

Welcome to Mocktale. I built this because, frankly, waiting for backend APIs to be ready is like waiting for the Senate to approve a budget—painful, slow, and completely unnecessary when you have my patience to build your own stuff.

This isn't just a mock server. It's a precision-engineered, high-performance ecosystem for simulating your entire backend architecture. It’s the Mark LXXXV of developer tools. You're welcome.

We're running a dual-core setup here. Elegant, efficient, and powerful.

• The Face (UI): A React application built with Vite. It's snappy, it's responsive, it looks good. Because if it doesn't look cool, what's the point?
• The Brain (Service): A Node.js Express server backed by SQLite. It handles the logic, stores your mocks, and serves the UI. It’s the JARVIS to your Iron Man.

What can it do? A better question is, what can't it do? (Okay, it can't make coffee... yet.)

• Dynamic API Mocking: Define endpoints, methods, and responses. It’s like rewriting reality, but for HTTP requests.
• Smart Matching: We don't just match paths. We match headers. We match JSON bodies (Exact or Schema-based). If the request isn't perfect, Mocktale won't give it the time of day.
• Project Management: Organize your APIs into projects. Keep your chaos contained.
• Swagger Integration: Because documentation is for the people who come after us, and we want them to be impressed.
• Static Serving: The service serves the UI. One port to rule them all. localhost:3000. Memorize it.

I didn't just leave you with a pile of parts. I built the assembly line.

I wrote scripts for both Windows and Linux because I'm benevolent like that. These scripts build the UI, move the assets, install dependencies, and even build a Docker image tagged with your git branch.

For the Windows Crowd (PowerShell):

.\build.ps1

Tip: You can specify -ContainerTool podman if you're trying to be different.

For the Linux/Mac Rebels (Bash):

chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

If you like doing things the hard way—like hammering the first suit in a cave—be my guest:

1. Build the UI: cd ui && npm install && npm run build
2. Move the Assets: Copy ui/dist to service/static.
3. Start the Service: cd service && npm install && node index.js

Containerization. It’s the future. I’ve already set up a multi-stage Dockerfile that builds the whole package into a single, deployable unit.

Build it:

docker build -t mocktale:latest .

Run it:

docker run -p 3000:3000 mocktale:latest

Boom. You're live.

Use it. Break it. Fix it. Make it better. That's what we do.

And if you find a bug? It’s not a bug. It’s an undocumented feature testing your ability to adapt.