The Drop: Design, Sync, and Manage APIs without the Switching Tax
In today’s Drop, we are introducing Spec Hub and types in collections. Together, these two features bring solutions to:
- Juggling disconnected tools
- Version control confusion
- Manually syncing specs
- Inconsistent data types
- Balancing security and efficiency
Say goodbye to disjointed workflows with Spec Hub
Working with API specifications today means juggling multiple disconnected tools and manual processes. You design in one platform, export to Postman for testing, and frantically try to keep everything in sync when changes happen. This disjointed workflow creates version confusion, sync errors, and countless hours lost to overhead tasks. All these disconnects and manual processes rob you of what you truly enjoy—building and innovating.
When a specification changes (which happens constantly during development), the ripple effects cascade through your workflow as you manually update collections, documentation, and mock servers. For teams, this multiplies the problem exponentially as everyone struggles to keep up with which version is current. So, instead of shipping new features and devising new solutions, you find yourself drowning in overhead tasks that drain your creativity and enthusiasm. Managing API specs shouldn’t be this messy.
Spec Hub in Postman transforms this fragmented experience into a seamless workflow where you can design, test, and document APIs in one place. The developer-friendly editor supports both OpenAPI 3.0 and AsyncAPI 2.0 in JSON or YAML formats, complete with Spectral linting, validation, and autocomplete to catch issues early. The visual outline, code snippets, and live documentation previews make API design intuitive rather than tedious. Teams can organize specs across projects with consistent versions that everyone can access, eliminating the “which version is current?” question entirely.
Comment below with your worst version control horror story
When you create a specification, collections are generated automatically . When you update the spec, sync the changes with a single click , which automatically propagates to documentation, tests, and mocks.
The synchronization between specifications and collections means your testing and documentation always accurately reflect your design intent—no more confusion, no more manual exports, and no more version drift. By eliminating import-export cycles and version confusion, Spec Hub returns your focus to what matters—creating innovative APIs—while maintaining consistency across your entire development ecosystem.
Create error-free API experiences with type validation
When building Postman Collections for an API, you might find yourself struggling with defining and enforcing consistent data types, formats, and requirements across parameters, headers, and body data. The lack of type safety can lead to unexpected errors and poor developer experiences when consumers try to use the API. Without this structure, API consumers rely on trial and error, ping producers for clarification, and dig through inconsistent documentation—leading to bad requests, miscommunication, and friction in the integration process. Yet, attempts to improve clarity through documentation or meetings create high-touch, manual workflows that drain time and slow down both API producers and consumers. So what’s the solution?
Types in collections enable you to define the structure for both requests and responses, such as type-related information for parameters and JSON bodies, as well as possible values directly within your collections. Before you send a request, Postman performs schema validation, checking it against these defined properties and identifying possible issues. These type definitions also enable intelligent request-building features like auto-completion and dropdown selections, making it easier for both your team and API consumers to understand and use your API correctly. Types bring enforcement directly to the collections you and your API consumers already use. This ultimately reduces ambiguity, bringing clarity to test flows and getting you to 200 OK faster. And the best part is that this functionality is built into collections, which means it’s available on all Postman plans for free.
Build with types in both specs and collections
Traditional API design approaches assume everyone follows the same workflow—starting with a formal specification. But the reality is that many developers start building in collections, and tooling doesn’t always leave room for the way teams actually prefer to work. Without type support in collections, these collection-first teams miss out on the benefits of type safety, validation, and clear documentation.
Postman embraces both workflows. Whether you start with a formal specification in Spec Hub or build directly in a collection, you have the same safety and consistency checks when you use collection types. Anyone with access to your collection can view property details, receive notifications about required fields, and get validation feedback before sending requests. Types ensure that teams can work the way they want to while still maintaining API design excellence, helping you build reliable APIs with confidence.
Balance security with efficiency and dev experience
The trade-off between security control and tool effectiveness often forces compromises that create risk. Security requirements often force development teams to abandon their preferred tools for locked-down, enterprise-approved alternatives that sacrifice usability.
If you spend your day designing APIs and working in collections, dealing with security and compliance is hopefully not your day job. That’s why Postman is consistently strengthening its security, now with Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) encryption. Organizations maintain complete control over their encryption keys while developers keep the workflow they love—finally aligning security needs with developer experience.
How will you transform your workflow?
With tools like Spec Hub bringing design and development together, types in collections maintaining consistency no matter your starting point, and BYOK harmonizing security with developer experience, you can connect every aspect of your API landscape.
As we wrap up this edition of The Drop, we want to remind you that POST/CON 25, our annual user conference, is happening June 3 & 4 in Los Angeles! This is where the entire API community comes together to share ideas, learn from experts, and get hands-on with the latest Postman features. If building better APIs and streamlining your development process matters to you, you’ll find your people at POST/CON 25. Check out the agenda (including workshops) and register today!
Keep it 200,
The Postman Team
