Skip to content
Postman API Testing Tips

How To Use Postman As Alternative To Curl

API Testing Blog

Postman: A Powerful Alternative to Curl for API Testing

Curl is a command-line tool renowned for its versatility in interacting with web services. However, when it comes to testing APIs, Postman offers a user-friendly and feature-rich interface that surpasses curl in several aspects.

1. Intuitive Interface for API Interactions

Postman provides a visual workspace where you can effortlessly craft, send, and analyze API requests. Its intuitive interface simplifies the entire process, making API testing accessible to both beginners and experienced developers.

Example:

Let’s say you want to send a GET request to retrieve data from a weather API:

Curl:

Terminal window
curl "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=London&appid=YOUR_API_KEY"

Postman:

  1. Create a new Request: In Postman, click on the “New” button and select “Request.”
  2. Set Method and URL: Choose “GET” as the request method and paste the API endpoint URL: https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=London&appid=YOUR_API_KEY
  3. Add Authorization: If your API requires an API key, add it under the “Authorization” tab.
  4. Send Request: Click on the “Send” button.

Postman will display the response in a well-formatted output, including headers, status code, and body content.

2. Building and Organizing API Collections

Postman enables you to organize your API requests into collections, making it easy to manage and execute multiple tests in a sequence.

Example:

To create a collection for testing a “users” API:

  1. Create a Collection: Click on the ”+” icon in the left sidebar and choose “Create Collection.” Name it “Users API.”
  2. Add Requests: Create individual requests within the collection for different endpoints like /users, /users/{id}, /users/create, etc.
  3. Execute Tests: You can execute these requests individually or as a group. Postman provides features to run these requests in a specific order, ensuring a comprehensive test coverage.

3. Environment Variables for Flexible Testing

Postman supports environment variables that allow you to define dynamic values like API keys, base URLs, or other config parameters. This makes it easy to switch between different environments, such as development, testing, and production, without manually modifying each request.

Example:

To use an environment variable for the API key in the weather API request:

  1. Create an Environment: In the left sidebar, click on “Environments.” Create a new environment called “Weather API.”
  2. Add Variables: Add a variable named API_KEY and set its value to your actual API key.
  3. Use in Request: In the weather API request, replace the placeholder YOUR_API_KEY with {{API_KEY}}.

Postman automatically replaces the variable with its associated value before sending the request.

4. Comprehensive Response Validation

Postman allows you to go beyond simply sending requests and receiving responses. You can set up assertions to validate the response data against predetermined criteria.

Example:

To assert that the weather API response returns a status code 200:

  1. Add Tests: In the “Tests” tab of the weather API request, paste the following code:
pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

Postman will execute this test after each request and report the results, making it easier to identify potential issues in the API behavior.

5. Powerful Debugging Capabilities

Postman provides a powerful debugger that helps you troubleshoot API issues by inspecting request headers, response content, and execution flow. You can analyze individual request steps, examine network activity, and even debug JavaScript code within tests.

6. Collaboration and Team Sharing

Postman fosters collaboration by allowing you to easily share collections, environments, and even entire workspaces with your team members. This facilitates knowledge sharing, standardizes testing practices, and improves overall team efficiency.

Conclusion

Postman offers a robust alternative to curl for API testing. Its intuitive interface, powerful features, and collaborative capabilities make it an indispensable tool for developers and testers seeking to streamline and enhance their API testing processes. While curl is useful for basic interactions, Postman’s comprehensive functionality, especially in areas like automation, environment management, and debugging, provides a superior and more efficient approach to API testing.

API Testing Blog