Our May 31st webinar on advanced API testing workflows saw record attendance as we discussed best practices and automation techniques for testing in Postman.
In total, we received and answered over 160 questions during the live session.
Let’s talk about the top 10
# 10
“What are the advantages of using webhooks? I’ve heard they aren’t a scalable way to do things.”
From Brady
Actually, webhooks can be quite scalable depending on the architecture. Many big companies run quite a lot of webhooks, such as Discord, etc. The primary advantage is being event-driven and being able to launch processes and other things via events instead of polling or manually running them.
# 9
“Do you need to have proper JavaScript knowledge to do Postman testing/automations or is manipulation of snippets generally enough?”
From Serhan
Although having a basic understanding of JavaScript is helpful, you don’t need to know much of JavaScript to write tests. The manipulation of test snippets should be enough to get you started with a lot of basic validation and testing. Script writing will help you build more dynamic tests.
# 8
“A major concern at my place of work is the storing of XML and JSON files in a 3rd party product, in this case Postman. What safeguards does Postman have to keep your customers data safe?”
From Daniel
Great question! We are SOC 2 and SOC 3 compliant, PCI DSS compliant, rigidly follow GDPR and CCPA regulations, as well as CSA STAR Level 1.
We have some FAQ at this link: Compliance | Postman Trust Center
# 7
“For the different types of API testing, do you recommend separating requests into different collections to make it clear what the intention of the tests are?”
From Ryan
Yes! Depending on how your workflow is setup, we recommend that you create collections for different kinds of tests. This is especially true for when they are unrelated (e.g Contract and Integration tests being in separate collections.)
# 6
“Is there a general rule or recommendation for what should be a collection variable vs environment variable?”
From Rebecca
What you need to consider here is the scope of that variable and what needs to have access to it. A collection variable is scoped to your collection. Only requests and folders within your collection can access it. However, environment variables are scoped to your workspace and can be used across multiple collections. They are higher than collection variables in terms of hierarchy. Another use case for environment variable will be to declare the same set of variables for different environments(e.g development, production, and staging). Your baseURL for example will be distinct for different API environments. You can learn more here - Store and reuse values using variables | Postman Learning Center
# 5
“Why do we need to write test scripts?”
From Toluwani
Great question! Writing test scripts, while optional, helps you ensure the quality of your API. They give you confidence that your API performs as expected under a variety of conditions. They help automate repetitive tasks and identify issues earlier in the development lifecycle. Test scripts can also serve as a form of documentation. Scripting in Postman | Postman Learning Center
# 4
“Is it possible to run the same test in parallel multiple times?”
From Anonymous
Yes! In addition to sending asynchronous requests, you can also chain requests and loop over them repeatedly based on conditions that you define. Here is a blog that describes this: 3 Ways to Build Workflows in Postman | Postman Blog
# 3
“If I had to pay for this webinar, I would be getting my monies worth! Is it possible to host Postman collections in a cloud based repository? For example GitHub?”
From Daniel
Great Question, yes! You can sync your APIs and Collections to GitHub with version control enabled.
You can programmatically export your Postman collections as JSON and upload them anywhere else you’d like to manage them. Find out more here: Integrate Postman with GitHub | Postman Learning Center
# 2
“Which is preferred Postman CLI or Newman?”
From Yashwanth
Good question! We see this asked a lot. While both do much of the same thing, Newman is open source and Postman CLI is a closed source project built and maintained by Postman. Postman CLI is built into Postman a bit better and Newman has some functionality that isn’t quite yet supported by our CLI. But you can learn more about the differences here: Postman CLI vs. Newman: Choose the Right Tool for You | Postman Blog
# 1
“This has been great! I’m very interested in learning more about Postman. Where is the best place to find entry level resources?”
From Nicole
Lots of places!
I’d suggest getting started with the Learning Center: Get started in Postman | Postman Learning Center
Our YouTube channel has a ton of excellent content including past livestreams and more of these webinars:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM-7VG-sgbtCJYpjQfmLCcJZ6Yd74oytQ
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM-7VG-sgbtCAb1WEnlpmbyc2Xld70A9n
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM-7VG-sgbtAZs194_VaRc2tRMCrk2PUv
The 30 days of Postman workspace is also a great resource to getting started and covers a breadth of topics (Also earns a badge!): Postman
A big thank you again to everyone who attended and participated in our advanced API testing webinar. The energy and enthusiasm was evident, and we cannot wait to bring you more content in the future. If you have any follow-up questions or need further clarification on any points, please feel free to reach out.
And of course, don’t forget to mark your calendars for our upcoming webinars. We’re just getting started and have many more exciting discussions lined up!
Until then, keep testing, keep questioning, and most importantly, keep learning!