Today, what began as Abhinav's side project has evolved into a fully-fledged API development platform. However, many people tend to use Postman in a basic way, merely as a REST API client. As for me, I have been working with Postman since December 2018 and have witnessed the team's growth from less than 100 to over 600 people, while the number of users has skyrocketed from 5 million to 20 million 🚀.
As I interacted with people—be it our clients, my tech-savvy friends, attendees at meetups, or even random dudes sipping coffee and discussing Postman in cafes—I found that eight out of ten were simply using Postman as just another API client. This realization prompted me to tweet a thread highlighting some of the cool features of Postman, which quickly gained significant traction. As a result, I decided to log it into my blog.
Beyond Basics: Enhancing Your Postman Experience with 10 Features 💪
Do you use Postman just as a REST API client? Believe me, you're missing out on a lot!
It's an API platform that simplifies each phase of the API lifecycle and streamlines collaboration so you can create better APIs—faster.
I'm here to share 10 features that you might not know about!
[1] Support for multiple protocols✨
In the initial days, Postman just understands HTTP but Postman users now enjoy the interoperability of using an API platform that also understands WebSockets, Socket.IO, GraphQL, and gRPC. The links below explain them in detail:
[2] Capture cookies and requests 📡
Out of all the features in Postman, this one holds a special place in my heart as I had the opportunity to build it from scratch. With this feature, you can inspect the actual HTTP and HTTPS request traffic of your application. Postman's built-in proxy and Interceptor offer a simple yet effective way to capture network traffic, including requests, responses, and cookies.
Postman Interceptor helps you extend browser workflows, you can sync your browser cookies and requests directly into Postman. You can learn more here.
The Postman app's proxy allows you to inspect HTTP communication going to and from a phone. You can learn more here.
[3] Simulate API endpoints with a mock server 💻
Believe me, this feature will enable your frontend colleagues to proceed with building their features without having to wait for you to provide them with the functional API. With Postman, you can make requests that return mock data defined within the tool if you don't have a production-ready API or if you prefer not to run your requests against real data just yet.
Learn more: Design and Mock APIs with Postman
[4] Publish your APIs 📝
Are you tired of endlessly searching for the right APIs to work with? Look no further than Postman's API Network - a vast collection of APIs, workspaces, and collections, contributed by developers from all around the globe. With Postman, generating documentation for your API or collection is a breeze, and you can easily make it available to anyone with a web browser. Plus, you can browse, explore, and share APIs with ease, making the development process faster and smoother than ever before. Discover the power of Postman at postman.com/explore and streamline your API workflow today!
[5] Extend your API workflows beyond Postman 🛠️
Elevate your API-first practices to new heights with Postman's seamless integration into your software development pipeline. By easily integrating with essential tools and services such as source code repositories, CI/CD systems, API Gateways, and APMs, you can streamline your API workflows and bring your development process to the next level.
Source code repositories: Integrate with services like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps. Learn more about integrating with repositories in this blog post.
CI/CD: Postman supports integrations with CI/CD tools like CircleCI, TravisCI, Bitbucket pipelines, etc. Read the docs
API Gateways: Stay on top of your API deployments in Postman by connecting to an API gateway like AWS API Gateway and Apigee X.
APM: Postman supports multiple integrations to help you monitor your APIs seamlessly. Integrate with the tools like New Relic, Datadog, etc.
Explore available integrations to power up your API workflows and streamline your development process like never before. As a member of the Integrations team, I am dedicated to helping our users unlock new possibilities with Postman and achieve more in less time. If you don't find what you're looking for in our list, kindly request it here!
[6] Use version control🍴
Postman's version control features allow you to collaborate asynchronously. You can fork a collection or environment, make updates to the fork, create a pull request, and merge your changes into the parent element. Check out this blog to learn more.
[7] Code generator library 🧑💻
Unlock the full potential of your API collections with Postman's powerful code generator module. With just a few clicks, you can generate client code for your collections in a wide range of popular programming languages, including Java, Python, JavaScript, and more.
What's even better? The code generator module is an open-source project, meaning you can easily contribute to the project and add support for new languages or frameworks. Contribute here👇
[8] Token scanner 🔒
Protecting your API endpoints and authentication tokens is crucial in today's security landscape. With Postman's powerful scanning tools, you can easily scan your public workspaces, collections, environments, and documentation to identify any potential vulnerabilities and ensure that your tokens are properly secured. You can learn about it here.
[9] Use an external Git repository 🔁
Postman offers Git workflows to keep your API development in sync with your code changes. With Git integration, you can connect your Postman API with popular version control systems like GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, GitLab Self-Managed, or Azure DevOps. This allows you to sync your API specifications and collections with your repo, enabling you to manage and track changes to your API with ease. Joyce has written a detailed blog on this, which you can check out for more information.
[10] Import from anywhere ⬇️
Did you know that you can easily import all your APIs from your code repositories or API Gateways with just a few clicks? It's true! Postman makes it simple to import collections and API specifications directly into the platform from a file, link, code repository, or API Gateway. Want to learn more about how to do this? Check out the documentation.
Master Postman Like a Pro 🔥
The API ecosystem is rapidly evolving, and Postman is a game-changer for developers who want to create better APIs faster. In this blog, I discussed some of the handpicked features of Postman, such as code generators, integrations, version control, and much more. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find many other useful features on Postman's public workspace or official blog.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced Postman user, there's always something new to learn. And if you're ready to take your Postman skills to the next level, explore the Postman Learning Center, where you'll find everything from beginner tutorials to advanced courses. So, what are you waiting for? Start mastering Postman like a pro today and unleash the power of API-first development.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite Postman features are, and let's work towards the API-first world! Catch me on Twitter (@vinit_shahdeo) to keep the conversation going.
Spread the word by retweeting this thread to help your friends discover the cool features of Postman.
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