Frequently asked questions

General

To learn more about APIs and API mocking in general, you can read our API and API mocking guides.
Unlike many other mocking tools, Mockoon is a desktop application using a local Node.js server to avoid latency and the hassle of deploying through a remote service. You can read our getting started tutorial for an overview of how Mockoon works.
No, you don't need to sign up or create an account to use Mockoon. However, if you want to use our Cloud services, you will need to create an account.
Yes, Mockoon supports most of the OpenAPI specifications (v2 and v3) both for import and export. You can learn more on Mockoon's OpenAPI documentation page.
Mockoon free AND open source (MIT license). We also have a Cloud version that offers team collaboration, online deployment, and a web application.

Mockoon Cloud

Yes, we have Cloud plans that offers additional features like AI-powered API mocks generation, data synchronization and real-time collaboration, cloud deployments, enterprise-grade support, and more!
Yes, a web application is available with our Cloud plans.
Yes, you can get enterprise-grade support with our Cloud plans. We can also provide priority support separately. Contact us for more information.

Desktop application

No, Mockoon Desktop can be run in most environments by regular non-privileged users.
Mockoon creates a local mock server running on Node.js and does not require internet access. The server is then made available on all local network adapters (localhost, 127.0.0.1, 192.168.x.x, etc.) on the port you define. If the machine on which Mockoon is running has open ports on the local network, other users will be able to access it.
No, you don't need an internet connection to use Mockoon. Everything runs locally.
However, an internet connection is required to use our cloud services and web application.

Self hosting

Yes, Mockoon has an official CLI that allows you to run all your mock APIs in any headless or automated environment: servers, CI, GitHub Actions, Docker containers, etc. A Docker image is available on Mockoon's Docker Hub as well as a GitHub Action.
You can read our self-hosting tutorial for more information.
Yes, Mockoon has an official NPM package that allows you to run all your mock API servers in cloud functions and serverless environments: AWS Lambda, GCP Functions, Firebase Functions, etc.

Privacy

Mockoon application data and settings are stored in your operating system user data folder:

  • Windows: c:/Users/xxx/AppData/Roaming/mockoon/storage
  • Linux: ~/.config/mockoon/storage
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/mockoon/storage

If you use the Windows portable version, your data will be stored next to the executable in a ./mockoon-data/storage folder. The ./mockoon-data folder also contains all the files necessary to run the application.

Mockoon's storage folder contains a settings.json file with your application settings and preferences and multiple environment files containing your API mocks data.

Learn more about Mockoon's data storage

When using our Cloud services, your data is stored in our secure cloud infrastructure. None of your data is shared with third parties nor used for any purpose other than providing the service.

No. We do not use your mock API data or content for AI training and won't ever use it for that purpose. We have a strict privacy policy and we are committed to protecting your data and content. When using our Cloud AI features, only your prompts and the generated content will be kept for a limited time in case an issue occurs and we need to investigate.

No, Mockoon desktop, web, CLI or Docker image do not collect any usage data or telemetry. There is no need to opt-out of any data collection.

Note: Until May 2026, the desktop and web applications were collecting anonymous telemetry data to help us improve the product. This data collection was opt-out and could be disabled in the application settings. The data collection officially stopped on May 6, 2026 and all collected data was deleted. The telemetry settings are still visible in the application settings up to v9.6.0 but they are now non-functional.