Do you want to ensure that your API is functioning as expected? Postman is a powerful tool that can help you proceed with API testing by sending GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests, receiving responses, and validating the results. Postman imposes limitations with only 5 free flows for users and a restricted collection of runners.

Postman API Testing Tool

Postman is a comprehensive API testing tool that simplifies creating, testing, and documenting APIs. It provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to design and test APIs and automate their testing processes easily. Postman also supports collaboration among team members by allowing them to share and version control their API tests and collections.

Why Use Postman for API Testing?

API testing is crucial for ensuring reliability and preserving consumer trust. It's early issue detection and automation conserve resources, allowing teams to focus on innovation. Integration with CI/CD pipelines enables rapid iteration and frequent releases with reduced bug risks.

Postman is a popular tool for API testing that allows developers to create and execute HTTP requests and test API responses. Postman makes API testing more efficient and effective with features such as request builders, response visualizations, and test automation.

How to Test API Using Postman?

Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on testing your API with Postman.

Step 1. Sign up for a Postman Account

The first step is to create an account on Postman. You can create an account by downloading the Postman on Windows/MacOS or using the Postman online.

Step 2. Create a New Request

Once you have installed Postman, you can create a new request by clicking the "New" button in the top left corner of the Postman window. Select " HTTP Request" to create a new request.

Step 3. Enter Request Methods, Parameters

Next, you need to enter the details of the API request you want to test. It includes the URL, HTTP methods, and any parameters or headers the API requires. You can also add a request body if required. Creating a GET request for Postman API testing as an example.

Step 4. Send the Request

Once you have entered the request details, click the "Send" button in Postman to send the request to test the API. Postman will display the response in the interface, including the response status, headers, and body.

Step 5. Create a Postman Collection

One of the key features of Postman is the Collection Runner, which allows developers to execute multiple requests in a single run. With the Collection Runner, you can specify variables, set up test suites, and generate reports to track the results of your API testing.

If you want to test multiple API requests, you can create a collection to group them. To create a collection, click the "New" button and select "Collection". Give the collection a name and description to help you remember.

Step 6. Add Requests to the Collection

Once you have created a collection, you can add requests by clicking the "Add Request" button. Enter the request details as before, and click the "Save" button to save the request to the collection.

Step 7. Use the Postman Collection Runner

Postman's Collection Runner feature allows you to simultaneously run multiple requests in a collection. To use the Collection Runner, click on the "Runner" button in the top right corner of the Postman window. Select the collection you want to run, and click the "Start Run" button.

Step 8. Analyze the Test Results

Once the Collection Runner has finished running the requests, Postman will display the test results in the interface. You can see which requests passed and failed and view detailed information about each request.

Top Practices for API Testing Using Postman

If you want to test your APIs more effectively, you need know the best practices below.

Organize Collections and Environments

Use Postman's Collections and Environments features to organize your API requests and variables. Collections allow you to group related requests, and Environments let you manage different sets of variables for different environments (e.g., development, staging, production).

Use Variables

Make use of variables to store data that may change across different environments or test cases. This promotes reusability and makes it easier to maintain your tests.

An Ultimate Tutorial of Postman Environment Variables

When using Postman’s environment, it is necessary to use something called an environment variable. So what are Postman’s environment variables? How do you use it? This article will take a closer look at Postman’s environment variables and fully explain how to use them.

Apidog LearningDavid Demir

Write Test Scripts

Postman provides a built-in test runner that allows you to write tests using JavaScript. Write tests to validate response data, status codes, headers, and more. This ensures that your API behaves as expected.

Use Data Files

If you need to send large or complex data payloads in your requests, use Postman's data file feature. This keeps your requests clean and readable.

Document API Requests

Use Postman's built-in documentation feature to generate clear and accurate API documentation. This helps developers understand the API better and promotes consistency.

Version Control

Manage your Postman Collections, Environments, and other assets using version control systems like Git. This allows for collaboration and tracking changes over time.

Practice API Security Testing

Use Postman to test for common API security vulnerabilities like injection attacks, broken authentication, and sensitive data exposure.

Perform Load Testing

While Postman is primarily for functional testing, you can use tools like Postman's Load Testing or integrations with third-party load testing tools to assess API performance under load.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your API testing with Postman is efficient, organized, and comprehensive.

However, Postman has recently limited their Collection Runner functionality, which has caused frustration for many users who rely on it for API testing. As a result, developers are now seeking alternatives to Postman that offer similar or better features. One such alternative is Apidog, which offers a range of advanced features not available in Postman. In this article, we will explore the advantages of Apidog over Postman and how it can improve your API testing experience.

Apidog: The Best Postman API Testing Alternative

Apidog is a free API testing tool that provides developers with advanced features to ensure their APIs' functionality, reliability, and security. With Apidog, you can create custom test scenarios without limitation, and generate detailed reports. These advanced features allow developers to thoroughly test their APIs and identify potential issues before they reach production.

Apidog also offers a collaborative environment, making it easier for teams to work together on API testing projects. Multiple team members can work on the same project simultaneously, and changes are automatically synced in real-time, reducing the risk of errors and improving team efficiency.

A Step-by-step Guide to Test API With Apidog

Test scenarios are used to run multiple APIs together in an orderly manner to test a complete business process.

Step 1. Sign Up for an Apidog Account

Go to the Apidog website and sign up for a free account or connect to your Google and Github.

Step 2. Create  and Configure Your API

Click on the "+" button or"New API" and enter your API URL.

Step 3. Create a New Test Scenario

Click "Testing" in the left menu bar, click the + button in the upper left corner, select the directory to which it belongs and set the priority to complete the creation.

Step 4. Add a Testing Step Or Import from the APIs

After entering the test scenario, click "Add Step" and add an API.

Step 5. Run Your Test and View Your Test Results

Click on the "Run" button to run your test. Apidog will send requests to your API and run your test script to check for errors. After your test has finished, click on the "Results" tab to view your test results.

Apart from the steps discussed above, Apidog provides additional features to enhance API testing, including test data management and CI/CD integration.

1. Test data management: Apidog's feature enables you to manage test data effectively and configure data sets for various test cases. It allows you to simulate different scenarios and ensure your API can handle various use cases. You can create different data sets for each test case, ensuring that your API functions correctly for all possible use cases.

2. CI/CD integration: Apidog can be easily integrated with widely used CI/CD tools such as Jenkins and GitLab. It allows you to automate your testing process and ensure that your API is thoroughly tested before deployment to production. You can ensure any issues are caught before they reach production by automatically running your test cases every time a new code change is pushed to your API.

Comparison Between Postman and Apidog

Postman and Apidog are popular API testing tools used for testing and monitoring APIs. While these two tools share several similar features and functionalities, they also have significant key differences.

Conclusion

Apidog is a  feature-rich alternative to Postman that offers developers a more comprehensive API testing experience. Its advanced capabilities include creating custom test cases, generating reports, and performing load testing, which provides developers with more flexibility and power in their testing workflows. With its advanced features, Apidog provides developers with a more comprehensive and powerful testing solution than Postman.

Therefore, if you're looking for a tool that offers greater flexibility, power, and collaboration capabilities, Apidog is undoubtedly worth considering as a replacement for Postman.