Postman is a powerful tool for both manual API testing and automating API workflows, making it essential for developers to test, debug, and document APIs efficiently. Here's a combined overview of both API testing and automation in Postman:
Public APIs for Reference : https://freeapi.app/
- Install Postman as a desktop or web app.
- Create an account to save and manage your API requests easily.
- Select the request type (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
- Enter the API endpoint (URL), parameters, headers, and authentication details.
- Click Send to get a response and view status codes (e.g., 200, 404) and response data (JSON, XML, etc.).
- Write JavaScript tests to validate API responses, status codes, or check specific data fields.
- Example: Ensure a status code is 200 or a JSON field exists.
- Organize related API requests into Collections, which can be reused and shared easily.
- Use Environment Variables to store values like API keys, URLs, and tokens to switch between different environments (dev, test, prod) seamlessly.
- Run multiple API requests and tests in a Collection automatically.
- View detailed test results like passed/failed tests, response times, and errors.
- Automate testing with CSV/JSON files by running the same request with multiple sets of input data.
- Use Newman, Postman’s command-line tool, to run collections via the terminal.
- Integrate Postman tests into your CI/CD pipelines to automate testing with each code deployment.
- Schedule Monitors to automate tests at specific intervals, ensuring APIs continue to perform well over time.
- Use Pre-request scripts to automate tasks before requests (e.g., setting headers, generating tokens).
- Use Post-request scripts to automate tasks after requests, like chaining requests by passing data between them.
- Postman integrates with tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and others to automate tests as part of your CI/CD process.
- Set up Mock Servers to simulate APIs for testing workflows when the actual API isn’t ready.
- 🕒 Save Time: Automate repetitive API testing tasks.
- 🐞 Catch Bugs Early: Run tests continuously with each code deployment.
- 📈 Ensure API Stability: Use monitors for ongoing API health checks.
- 🤝 Team Collaboration: Share collections and documentation with your team easily.
Postman’s powerful API testing and automation capabilities streamline both development and testing workflows, ensuring efficient, reliable, and scalable API operations.