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Postman API Testing Tips

What Do You Use Postman For

API Testing Blog

What is Postman and Why Should You Use It?

Postman is a powerful platform for building, testing, documenting, and sharing APIs. It’s a must-have tool for anyone working with APIs, whether you’re a developer, tester, or product manager.

Here are some ways you can use Postman to simplify your API workflow:

1. Sending API Requests

Postman lets you send various types of HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to any API endpoint. You can include headers, parameters, and body data in your request.

Example:

Let’s say you want to make a GET request to the https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts endpoint to fetch a list of posts.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Open Postman and create a new request.
  2. In the address bar, enter the URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts
  3. Select GET as the HTTP method.
  4. Click Send.

Sample Code:

GET https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts

You’ll then see the response in the body of the request, including a list of JSON objects representing the posts.

2. Testing APIs

Postman makes it easy to test your APIs by sending requests and verifying the responses. You can write automated tests using the built-in testing framework with assertions and pre-request scripts.

Example:

Let’s test the https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1 endpoint to verify that the response status code is 200 and that the post title is “sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit”.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Create a new request in Postman and set the URL to https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1.
  2. Go to the “Tests” tab and write the following code:
pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
  pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});


pm.test("Post title is correct", function () {
  pm.expect(pm.response.json().title).to.be.equal("sunt aut facere repellat provident occaecati excepturi optio reprehenderit");
});
  1. Click “Send”. Postman will run the tests and display the results in the “Tests” tab.

3. API Documentation

Postman offers a streamlined way to document your APIs using the built-in documentation features. You can add descriptions, code examples, and even mock responses to your requests.

Example:

For the https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts endpoint, you can add a description explaining the purpose of this endpoint and the expected response format.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Create a new request in Postman and set the URL to https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts.
  2. Go to the “Docs” tab.
  3. Add a descriptive title, a description explaining the purpose of the endpoint, and the expected format of the JSON response.

4. Sharing API Work

Postman allows you to collaborate with your team by sharing collections of requests, environments, and tests. This helps standardize testing workflows and enables faster communication.

Example:

You can create a collection of requests related to a specific API and share it with your team. This allows everyone to access a consistent set of tests and improve collaboration on API development and testing.

5. Mock APIs and Prototyping

Postman offers mocking capabilities that help you create simulated APIs for testing and prototyping. This feature allows you to test your application’s behavior without needing a real API to be available.

Example:

If you’re building a frontend application that needs to interact with an API, you can use Postman to mock the API’s behavior. This allows you to complete your frontend development without having to wait for the backend API to be fully developed.

6. Automating API Testing

Postman allows you to automate API testing with its Runner feature. You can schedule tests to run regularly, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistent quality.

Example:

You can create a collection of tests for your API and schedule it to run automatically every night. This will help you identify any integration problems or regressions early on.

These are just some of the many ways you can use Postman for API testing and development. Postman’s comprehensive features make it a valuable tool for anyone involved in the API lifecycle. Start exploring its capabilities today to streamline your workflows and ensure higher quality APIs.

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