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Postman API Testing Tips

How To Use Postman On Mac

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Getting Started with Postman on Mac

Postman is a powerful tool for API testing, and its user-friendly interface makes it accessible for beginners and experts alike. This guide will walk you through the essential steps of using Postman on your Mac, illustrating concepts with practical examples and sample code.

Download and Installation

  1. Visit the Postman website: Head to https://www.postman.com/ and click on the “Download” button.
  2. Choose the Mac installer: Select the macOS installer (.dmg file).
  3. Run the installer: Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions.

Creating Your First Request

Let’s start by sending a simple GET request to retrieve data from a public API:

  1. Open Postman: Launch the Postman application.
  2. Create a new request: Click on the “New” button, and select “Request.”
  3. Enter the API endpoint: In the “Enter request URL” field, type the following URL: https://reqres.in/api/users
  4. Select the HTTP method: Choose “GET” from the dropdown menu next to the URL.
  5. Send the request: Click on the “Send” button (blue arrow icon).

You should now see the response from the API in the “Body” tab. It will display a JSON object containing information about users.

Understanding Headers and Authorization

Headers are used to provide additional information in your request, such as authentication credentials.

  1. Adding a header: In the request window, click on the “Headers” tab.
  2. Enter the header key and value: Click “Add” and enter “Content-Type” as the key and “application/json” as the value.

For APIs requiring authorization, follow these steps:

  1. Select authorization type: Click on the “Authorization” tab and choose the appropriate type (e.g., “Basic Auth,” “Bearer Token,” etc.)
  2. Provide credentials: Fill in the required fields, such as username, password, or token.

Working with Different HTTP Methods

Postman supports all standard HTTP methods:

GET: Used to retrieve data from an API. POST: Used to create new data. PUT: Used to update existing data. DELETE: Used to remove data. PATCH: Used to partially update data.

Example: Creating a New User (POST Request)

  1. Change the method to “POST”: In the request window, select “POST” from the method dropdown.
  2. Add request body: Click on the “Body” tab and choose “raw.” Select “JSON (application/json)” as the format.
  3. Enter the JSON payload: Enter the following JSON code:
{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "job": "Software Engineer"
}
  1. Send the request: Click “Send.”

The response will display a JSON object containing information about the newly created user.

Using Environment Variables

Environment variables allow you to store and reuse values across multiple requests, making your tests more organized and flexible.

  1. Create a new environment: Click on the “Environments” button and select “New Environment.”
  2. Set variables: Enter a name for your environment (e.g., “Test”) and add the following variables:
    • Name: base_url
    • Value: https://reqres.in/api
  3. Select the environment: Choose the “Test” environment from the dropdown menu located next to the request URL field.
  4. Use the variables in your requests: Replace the hard-coded URL with the variable {{base_url}}/users in the request URL field.

Running Tests and Assertions

Postman provides a powerful testing framework to validate API behavior and ensure consistent responses.

  1. Create a test: Click on the “Tests” tab and add a new test.
  2. Write assertions: Use the built-in pm object to write assertions on the response data, headers, or status code. For example:
pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
  pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});


pm.test("Response body contains name", function () {
  pm.response.to.have.jsonBody("name");
});
  1. Run the test: Click “Send.” The test results will display in the “Test Results” tab.

Managing Collections

Collections in Postman help you organize and group related requests, making it easier to manage your tests and share them with others.

  1. Create a new collection: Click on the “Collections” button and select “New Collection”.
  2. Add requests to the collection: Drag and drop individual requests into the collection.
  3. Run the collection: Click on the “Run” button within the collection to execute all requests sequentially.

Conclusion

This guide has covered the fundamentals of using Postman on your Mac. By mastering these concepts, you can leverage Postman’s powerful features to effectively test APIs, automate workflows, and improve your software development process. As you gain more experience, explore advanced features like mock servers, data variables, and integrations with other tools to enhance your API testing capabilities.

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