Postman API Testing | Features | Benefits | How to Use?
API or Application Programming Interface is defined as a set of rules or protocols which help various software components to interact with each other.
Postman Api testing has gained a lot of attention due to its intensive features.
API caters developers with access to numerous services and practical features which in turn reduces the development time.
API testing can be defined as testing numerous APIs and checking if the output is well structured, reliable, returns the correct response and also checks the time taken to retrieve and authorize the data by API.
Postman is a simple user-friendly application used for testing APIs.
It sends a request to the webserver and gets the response back.
The user only needs to fill up the headers and cookies that API expects and send a request which in turn gets the response.
Postman advantages are many and it depends on the tester to utilize it.
So, Portman API testing is a JavaScript code that runs post sending a request which in turn receives a response from the server.
Also Check – 13 Best API testing tools
What is a Postman testing Tool
Postman Testing tool is an impressive tool useful to test web services.
A lot of poeple use postman tool for api testing for better results.
This tool facilitates you to send and receive a request from a service.
To receive a response from the service, framework building is not necessary while using this tool.
Know what is API testing before starting the tool.
Requests are substantially created as per the API specifications.
Several response parameters are prosecuted like the headers, status code and the response body which helps in getting API endpoints.
Postman creators have also added a feature called Jetpacks, which consists of a Javascript testing library and also some automation tools.
This tool is extremely valuable for developers and functional testers as it enhances the testing features of the application.
Postman API Testing Video Tutorial
Features of Postman
Let’s walk you through some of the features of Postman which makes it so beneficial:
User-Friendly
Having a user-friendly interface enables one to send a simple request by only entering it, filling in the necessary headers, selecting the HTTP method and pressing the ‘send’ button.
If you are new to writing scripts, Postman even provides you with code snippets.
These code snippets consist of examples of validations for response code, response time, etc.
Automation
Automated tests can be easily set up using the Postman API testing tool.
You can automate your test cases in Postman in javascript with impressive features like write test suites, build request that consists of dynamic parameters, pass on data in between the request, etc.
In this way tests and requests can be aggregated into a single automated test sequence.
Cost Effective
Apart from the many benefits which this tool provides us, this tool is also very cost effective.
You can use the Postman in their free plan, which consists of limited features but most helpful.
The paid version of Postman with high end features are also very affordable and cost effective.
This feature makes this tool light on our pockets.
Why use Postman for API testing
Postman provides you with a lot of features which makes it the perfect choice for usage.
To ensure that the API is working as expected, Postman allows you to create a collection of integration tests.
The right environment configuration is automatically inserted into your test and also different environments specific information can be stored in Postman.
You can also store previous tests data into global variables. These variables can be precisely used as environmental variables.
Postman’s command-line interface, Newman makes it accessible to run a set of tests right from the command line.
It is easy to move and share tests into different environments and tests using Postman.
This can be done by encapsulating collections in an “environmental configuration” or a “test” file.
API testing using postman for beginners
Top 10 Benefits of Benefits of API Testing Using Postman tool
Store information in an organized way:
For subsequent API calls, you can use the stored response as part of a request header.
You can use this when API requires data that is received from another API.
Effective integration with systems
Postman’s command-line tool makes it easy to integrate with build systems, such as Jenkins.
Comfortable business logic implementation
On the Business logic layer, Postman testing improves the application test coverage.
On-the-fly testing
Postman makes sure that there aren’t any bugs or typos by incrementally running the written code.
Useful scripts
You have the leverage to manipulate the received data in different ways as the test and test assertions are written in JavaScript.
Tons of resources
Postman also provides you with tons of code snippets with examples if you are new to writing test scripts.
Easy move to code repositories
You can use traditional file sharing to export a test collection and move it from the environment to the environment.
Easy Creation of test suites
To ensure your API is working as expected you can easily create a collection of integration tests in Postman.
Capable of running tests in different environments
Postman inserts the correct environment configuration into your test automatically and allows you to store specific information about different environments.
Data storage for Multiple tests
Postman permits you to store data from the previous test into global variables which can exactly be used as environmental variables for subsequent API calls
How to use postman for API testing
Download and Install Postman:
Postman can be downloaded from their official site which is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOW
Create New Request in Postman:
- Click on the NEW option on the left side of the header.
- Click on REQUEST
- Enter a Request name
- Enter a Collection name, then click on +Create Collection “..” and press save.
- The collection tab will show your collection folder. Click on “My Collection” then click on “My API”.
- Enter the website name/request in the address bar and press “SEND”.Press SaveAs if you want to save it as a new request or press Save if you want to overwrite “My API”.
GET Request in Postman
To fetch the information from the server, the GET request is used.
All the information is present inside the URL in a GET request.
RESPONSE in Postman
After pressing “Send” in the above snapshot, you will be able to see the response in the body section below.
POST Request using Postman
Data/parameter is sent in the body of the request using a POST request.
A data is returned to us in response to that by the API which validates that the user has been created.
This response can be the ID of the new user created along with the time it was created or a success message.
These are a few of the steps which you can follow as a beginner to use Postman for API testing.
Conclusion
As seen above, for API testing, Postman can be used as a powerful tool.
If used properly Postman can be considered as the best tool to make your development workflow and team more productive.
It would save you a lot of time and effort on testing API specification.
In this post, you have learned about the different benefits and features of Postman.
Also, you have gotten an insight on a step by step process on how to use Postman for API testing.
Once you master your Postman skills, with enough effort you’ll undoubtedly be able to increase the quality of any of your projects.
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