What is Postman ?
Postman is a software application that acts as a platform for developers to work with APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). It simplifies the entire lifecycle of APIs, from designing and building them to testing and documenting them.
Why Use Postman ?
- Simplified API Interaction → Postman provides a user-friendly interface for sending HTTP requests (like GET, POST) to APIs and viewing the responses.
- Efficient API testing → Send various requests & analyze responses to identify bugs.
- Streamlined workflow → Design, build, test, document & collaborate on APIs in one place.
- Collaboration features → Share requests, environments & documentation for teamwork.
- Versatile → Supports mock servers, code generation & authentication methods.
What is an API ?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is like a bridge between different software programs. It helps them talk to each other and share information. Think of it as a menu in a restaurant — it tells you what dishes you can order and how to ask for them. Similarly, an API tells one program how to request data or perform tasks from another program.
How to install Postman ?
You can either install postman in your local or use the website. It’s recommended to use the postman software locally, if you are doing testing more frequently.
Postman website → https://www.postman.com
Download postman → Download Postman | Get Started for Free
After you downloaded the postman, you can create or sign in to your account or you can skip that part and go to the app. I’m gonna simply sign in to my account.
Then you will move into your app.
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Getting Started with Postman
In the left side on your postman, you can see a Create Collection button. You can either use that or the + icon to create a collection.
Collections → Postman Collections are a group of saved requests. Every request you send in Postman appears under the History tab of the sidebar.
Create you first collection and give it a name. We’re going to save all our requests in this collection (I usually create one collection per one project that I do testing for then folders to group them inside a collection).
Then create subfolders for group your APIs (Auth, Stripe, Rest, …). Click on 3 dots in your collection tab and Add folder.
Now we’re going to create our first request. For that you can simple click on the Add a request under your folder or click on the 3 dots on your folder. Then click on Add request.
You can give your request a name and change the request method.
These are the basics of creating your API request.