[rest] How to test REST API using Chrome's extension "Advanced Rest Client"

The discoverability is dismal, but it's quite clever how Advanced Rest Client handles basic authentication. The shortcut abraham mentioned didn't work for me, but a little poking around revealed how it does it.

The first thing you need to do is add the Authorization header: menus

Then, a nifty little thing pops up when you focus the value input (note the "construct" box in the lower right): construct the auth value

Clicking it will bring up a box. It even does OAuth, if you want! convenient inputs

Tada! If you leave the value field blank when you click "construct," it will add the Basic part to it (I assume it will also add the necessary OAuth stuff, too, but I didn't try that, as my current needs were for basic authentication), so you don't need to do anything. fills in the field as needed