What Is Postman software?

In simpler words, we can say that postman is a computer application that is generally used for API testing. The work of the postman is to send an API request to the webserver and gets the response, whatever it may be.

Steps to download and install the POSTMAN software

Now you have gained enough knowledge on what is a postman and what are its features. Now you need to understand how to download and use the postman software. Below given steps will help you in this task.

1. To download the Postman first visit the website Postman.com. There choose your required platform like Mac, Windows, etc., and then click on the download button. 
2. After that click on the Run command. A message “your download is in progress” should be displayed on your Apps page. As the download gets finished give the run command.
3. The installation process for Postman begins. You need to wait for some time to finish the installation of the software. 
4. A new signup window will open. There you need to Signup for an account on Postman. 
5. There are many workspace tools. You need to choose your preferred one. After you do this click on save my preferences.
6. Your process of download and signup is now completed. You will notice a Startup screen now. 

These were the steps to download and install the Postman software in your system.

Why Postman:

Postman is an easy-going GUI for sending HTTP requests and seeing responses. You can that it is founded on an extensive set of strong instruments, which are very simple to use. postman can help you operate several functions ranging from: 

• Establishing requests into collections and folders.
• Transferred shared values across requests with environmental variables.  
• Arranging tests with the founded Node.js based routine.
• Automate utilizing postman’s own CLI Newman.

Why top use postman software?

There are many reasons to use postman software. Some of the major reasons are being highlighted here.

• Accessibility: The top reason to use postman software is that it is very accessible. To use it the user just needs to log in to his or her accounts and can easily access the files from anywhere or any computer on which the application is installed. 
• Collections: This software allows the user to create the collections for different Postman API calls. Subfolders and multiple requests can be created in each collection. 
• Collaboration: In postman software, all the collections and environments can be imported. This makes file sharing an easy process. To share the collections users can also make use of direct links. 
• Environments: The postman software has multiple environments. It prevents the repetition of the tests. This allows users to use the same collection for different environments. 
• Creating of tests: To successfully verify the HTTP response test checkpoints can be incorporated into all Postman API calls. This also helps in ensuring the test coverage. 
• Automation testing: With the use of collection runner or Newman features allows to run of the test in various iterations. This helps save time for repetitive tests.
• Debugging: The postman console is helpful to check what data is received. It makes it easy for debugging the tests. 

Continuous integration: Development practices can easily be maintained as the software has the ability of continuous integration.

Most Common HTTP Method:

1. GET: You can use the GET technique to recover information or data from the given server utilizing URL. Requests by utilizing GET would only recover data and must have no other upshot on the data. Check the Below steps to make a GET API Request:
   • Firstly create your HTTP request to GET.
   • Input the link in the request URL field section.
   • Then click on the send button.
   • You will be able to view a 200 OK message. 
   • You need to have 10 user results in the body. This will indicate that your test has run successfully.

1. POST: A post request is utilized to send information to the server, for instance, consumer information, file upload, etc using HTML forms.  Check Below Steps to make a POST API Request:
   • Open a new tab for creating a new request.
   • In the new tab, you need to set your HTTP request to the POST.
   • Then you can switch to the body tab.
   • Copy and paste any one of the user requests from any previous GET request. Make sure that you copy the code correctly with all the braces and brackets. 
   • Once done click on the send button. You should see a Status: 201 Created displayed on the window. All the post data will be shown in the body. 
2. PUT: it can be utilized to send information to a server to generate a resource. Swap all the recent depictions of the target reserve with the uploaded content. 
3. PATCH: patch can be utilized to upgrade partial resources. For example, when you require to upgrade one field of the resource, putting a complete resource depiction must be complicated and use more bandwidth. 
4. HEAD: This is almost similar to GET but in the absence of a response body. The Head is responsible for transferring the status line and the header section only. 
5. DELETE: This procedure deletes the quantified resources. 
6. OPTION: this method defines the communication options for the biggest resource. 

After doing all this you can now check for an anticipated response, along with checking for the right status code, you can also check for response time, it must be suitable as per the requirements of the business. You should always perform negative tests to authenticate that the API won’t respond if the information interferes. 

 You can do all these complicated functions of API testing easily and with simplicity by utilizing postman software. The software along with all its easy-going features is a big deal for developers nowadays, since having thorough technical know-how to allow and facilitate your API management is critical. By utilizing postman software, you can make difficult work so quick and handy, all you have to do is to install the app and start making things simpler. 

By using postman software pre-request scripts are the kinds of scripts that can be performed before the request, to make sure that the atmosphere is set as per the requirements so that the further testing is completed correctly. This test contains the script which can be performed when the request is in process, it can help you in authenticating the position of response and other points. 

The feature import permits you to import the current collection whereas, the runner enables you to perform automation tests. 

By using postman software, automating API testing can be divided into four rudimentary levels, starting with manual testing of the API, after that understanding of the API’s response attained, founded on the previous two levels, now you can write test suites and at last you can perform these tests suites from dissimilar endpoints. 

Fundamentally, test suits can be written or created as per the requirements of strictures and other needed details and by using postman, these tests suits are performed repeatedly, from so many endpoints. The scripts of these tests are written in java scripts and can be performed right before the request is sent after the response is attained to the sent request.  Various scraps are available for you to perform the test. 

Finally, in the last level, you have to send the request manually. Now this time once you get the response to the request, the postman will automatically start the test written. You can see the test result in the result tab. 

You can see it as a sample of automating a test in postman, you can use postman software for this purpose with extra suites and numerous requests along with parameters and needed approval, by using postman you can easily perform complicated tests.

The usefulness of Postman Software

There are so many features in postman that make it more useful and simpler to work with, it has been used by millions of users. While using its easy and user-welcoming interface, one can easily send a request, all you must do is fill in required information or data, choose the HTTP procedure and press the ‘’send’’ button. 

Another extensively used feature of the postman is Automation, this feature makes you build up tests and writes test suites. 

Although it’s free of cost, postman gives you a paid version with pro features such as multiple users access, SSO verification, etc. permitting its users to build up the needed environment, write the specification, and at last monitor each step, and these are the valuable things that make postman perfect testing instrument.

Test an API Functionality

It turns out to be a great tool when trying to divide RESTful APIs created by others or test the ones that you have made by yourself. It provides you with a smooth user interface with which to create HTML requests, without being in the hassle of writing so many codes just to test an API’s functionality. 

For instance, if someone wants to create a GET request against a fan-made API for any video game let’s say hearthstone to find cards with ‘’archer’’ in their name. if anybody wants to test a GET request against this way without operating with the postman.

Then you need to first write the codes somewhat like Flask, then you would probably have to write a completely new route and function to make a request, after that you have to specify with more codes, that you want the response to look like, and at last you would have to print out the response to the console and give some other route of actually inspecting the response. 

You would perhaps require to write all this to create an operating application by using this API, all this kind of work to simply test an API’s functionality is unnecessarily tedious and time-wasting as well when you have a postman to serve the purpose.

Test Suits – Create Them with Simplicity

If you want to ensure that your API is operating as you expect, postman allows you to produce collections of integration tests. For any one of these tests, that can be executed in a specified order, an HTTP request is performed, and the declarations written in javascript are utilized to authenticate the honesty of the code. You may have the liberty to manipulate the information that you got with the postman application; the politeness of the assertion is written in JavaScript.

Postman to Use Automate API Test

Postman is an operator-friendly testing instrument that permits you to send API requests in a few steps. To start with, on your landing page, you can see various buttons that are created for simple navigation. 

By ticking on the new button, one can make a new request or collection. When you are on a fresh screen, HTTP requests like POST, DELETE, GET, etc are registered and can be chosen as per requirement. After that, you need to request a URL, where you are anticipated to enter the endpoint URL  and at the last line you can see a send button, by ticking it you can send a request to the envisioned URL and get the response. 

These are all the basic things of how to utilize The Postman, but postman software has so many other features as well that can be used to ensure better testing. Succeeding the send button, the save button permits you to save the recent request to drop any modifications. 

Another feature of the postman is Params, where all the parameters are entered in the format of key-value. 

You need the authorization when you are dealing with URLs that are not freely open and for that purpose carrier, token or username, and password are utilized. Depending on the condition, a header with content type as JSON can be established. Another feature body permits you to establish modified details perhaps for the POST request.

Storage of Data:

You might have a kind of API that needs some specific data or information received from the other API. The postman tool permits you to store this type of data from previous tests into global variables, and these can be utilized in an alike way as environment variables. You may save the response or a part of it and you may utilize it for the following API calls.

Improved Integration:

The postman software for testing purposes has a very unique interface that eventually permits you to easily execute a collection of tests right from the facility line. We know that Newman, which is a postman’s very unique command and facility line interface, allows you to run these tests on a system that does not have a GUI.

Furthermore, Newman provides you the ability to execute a collection of these tests right from an inside number of build tools. 

Postman can execute PUT, DELETE, PATCH, and numerous other request procedures as well. it also can utilize help with developing API. 

API testing using postman can do so many other things besides testing API. In the first instance, it appears to you as an interface for sending requests and seeing responses. But when you go through it deeply, you get to know that postman is founded on an extensive set of strong tools that can be very simple to use. 

The postman tool also permits you to organize your API requests into a collection of folders that share mutual values around requests with environment variables, script tests with the built-in mode. And automate them, Newman. You will be hearing more about Newman, the command-line collection runner for Newman. 

The API testing using postman software is an instrument of a complete API development platform with numerous built-in tools that give support to each stage of the API lifespan.

Postman software permits you to design, debug, mock, automate testing, monitor, document, and publish APIs – everything from one place. You can access postman by native applications for macOS, Windows, and Linux.