Postman is an API Platform for developers to design, build, test and iterate their APIs. It started as self-project as a chrome extension now It is most used API platform among developers.
you can use it in a website or you can download it in your PC.either way most of the features are available for free
What can you do with postman?
Postman is a powerful tool that can be used for various tasks related to API development and testing. Some of the things that you can do with Postman are:
- API Testing: Postman allows you to send HTTP requests to a web server and receive responses. You can use Postman to test the functionality of your APIs by sending different types of requests (such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and verifying the responses.
- API Documentation: Postman provides tools to document APIs. You can create and share API documentation with other developers using Postman’s documentation features.
- API Monitoring: Postman allows you to monitor your APIs for performance, uptime, and other metrics. You can set up monitors that send requests to your APIs at regular intervals and alert you if there are any issues.
- API Mocking: Postman provides a feature called “Mock servers” that allows you to simulate an API’s behavior. You can create mock APIs that return predefined responses and test your application against them.
- API Development: Postman provides a set of tools for API development, such as creating collections of API requests and sharing them with other developers, and generating code snippets for different programming languages.
Overall, Postman is a versatile tool that can be used by developers, testers, and API consumers to simplify their API development and testing processes.
How to send a request?
step 1: create a new collection
step 2: add a new request to the collection
step 3: enter the API URL in the new request bar and select the suitable request method (get,post,patch,or delete)
step 4: add authorization to the the header tab
NOTE : while sending POST request write body in JSON or any other format in the body tab
✔check you response from the server at bottom of the screen (include response status ,headers,cookies..)
common FAQ
1.what is a collection and folders in postman?
collection is a group of similar requests under one hood where it can inherit the Authorization from the parent collection. If the collection has too many requests we can categorize them by creating folders and sub-folders.
2.what is Pre-request script and test?
In postman both Pre-request script and test should be written in Js only. Where Pre-request script runs Javascript before sending a request and it can set variable values,parameters,headers and body data. Test is generally used for debugging process when something goes wrong with your API project.
3.How can I get the code snippet for the request I send in postman?
One of the best feature of the postman is it can generate the code for the request we sent in almost any mainstream language. To get the code snippet click on </> symbol on right-side tool bar and select the desired language.
4.What is Environments in Postman?
Environment is a place where we can store set of key-values together. which we can later use them on requests by just specifying the key name surrounded by double braces .so, it can replace the key with value before sending the request to the server.