Comparison

A hosted json-server alternative

json-server is excellent, and we borrowed its query parameters on purpose — if you already know _sort, _limit, and price_gte, you already know MockMyData.

The difference is where it runs. json-server lives on your machine behind localhost:3000, with a terminal tab open and a db.json you edit by hand. MockMyData gives you a real HTTPS URL on your own subdomain — one your phone build, your CI job, and your teammates can all hit without a tunnel.

The query parameters are the same

This is deliberate. Anything you've typed against json-server works here unchanged, including both the v0 and v1 spellings.

?category=tools               # filter
?price_gte=25&price_lte=130   # range
?name_like=drill              # contains
?_sort=-price                 # sort, highest first
?_page=2&_limit=20            # paginate
?q=drill                      # full-text

Paginated responses carry X-Total-Count, same as json-server, so your existing pager code keeps working. Full parameter reference →

Side by side

Neither tool wins every row. The honest split is that json-server is better when you want zero dependencies, and MockMyData is better when the mock has to be reachable from somewhere other than your laptop.

Feature	json-server	MockMyData
Filter, sort, paginate from the URL		Same parameter names
Full CRUD — GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE
Runs with no signup		Free account required
Works offline		It's a hosted service
Free		Free tier, paid Pro
Custom routes and middleware	Write your own JS
Public HTTPS URL	Needs a tunnel like ngrok	Own subdomain, instantly
No local process to keep running	Node + a terminal window
Reachable from a phone build or CI	Same network, or tunnel it
Shareable with teammates	Everyone runs their own copy	One URL, same data
API key auth		Per project
Latency injection	One global --delay flag	Per endpoint
Custom status codes	Via custom middleware	Per endpoint, with a body
Edit data in a browser UI	Edit db.json by hand

Stay with json-server if

You work offline, or on a plane, or behind a strict firewall
You want zero accounts and zero third parties in your stack
You need custom routes or middleware you write yourself
The mock only ever has to answer your own laptop
You'd rather not depend on someone else's uptime

Switch to MockMyData if

You're building React Native and the simulator can't see localhost
A CI job needs the same fixtures your laptop has
Your designer or QA needs to hit the same data you do
You're tired of keeping a terminal tab alive all day
You want per-endpoint delays and error responses without writing middleware

Common questions

Do I have to rewrite my fetch calls?

No. Change the base URL and add your API key header. The query strings, the response shape, and X-Total-Count all behave the same.

Can I import my db.json?

Paste the array for a collection into an endpoint's response data. One endpoint per top-level key.

What happens when the real backend is ready?

You swap the base URL and delete nothing else. That's the point of matching real API conventions rather than inventing our own.

Is there a free tier?

Yes — one project, 100 requests a day, no card. Pro raises the limits and adds longer response delays and larger payloads.

Try it with the parameters you already know

Free account, no card. Your first endpoint is live in under a minute.

Create free account