Paginated Data Seeder

cat ./tldr.txt

A paginated API response mocker wraps result arrays in the metadata shells clients depend on — offset style with page, per_page, total, and total_pages, or cursor style with before/after cursors and has_next_page — so pagination controls and infinite scroll can be tested at their edges.

./when-to-use-this

• → Your load-more button never stops because the last page has never been tested.
• → You need to confirm the UI handles a final page that is shorter than per_page.
• → You are switching from offset to cursor pagination and want to prototype the client against the new shape first.

./frequently-asked

When should I use cursor pagination instead of offset?

Use cursors when the underlying list changes while users page through it. Offset pagination re-runs the query each time, so newly inserted rows shift results and users see duplicates or skipped items. Cursors anchor to a specific record, which keeps infinite scroll stable on active datasets.

What is the Link header in the offset templates for?

It is the RFC 8288 way to express pagination in headers rather than the body, using rel="next", rel="prev", rel="first", and rel="last". GitHub and other large APIs use it so clients can follow pagination without parsing the payload. The templates include it so you can test clients that read either location.

How do I test the empty state?

Edit the data array to be empty and set total to 0. That combination — a well-formed envelope wrapping nothing — is the case that most often renders a blank screen instead of a proper empty state, and it is worth having a shareable URL for.