Postman Fundamentals
By Nate Taylor
Course info
Course info
Description
When working with an API there's always so much to remember, such as any special API keys, different URLs for different environments, as well as the shape that each request should take. In Postman Fundamentals, you'll learn how Postman can help simplify working with an API. It allows you to use variables so that the same request works whether it's in the testing or staging environment. You'll also learn how you can created automated API tests so that you ensure your API doesn't break between releases. You'll even see how Postman simplifies writing documentation for your API, so that your users can have an up-to-date explanation of what your API is doing. By the end of this course, you'll know the ins and outs of Postman, and be equipped to maximize your interactions with APIs.
About the author
Nate's first program was written in QBasic on an 8086 clone his dad built. Since then he's written applications in C++, .NET, and Node.js.
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Section Introduction Transcripts
Course Overview
Hi everyone. My name is Nate Taylor, and welcome to my course, Postman Fundamentals. I am a lead software developer at Aviture in Omaha, Nebraska. Postman is a tool used by over 3 million developers around the world to document, test, and interact with APIs. This course shows you the ins and outs of Postman and takes you from making simple requests all the way to mocking out an API. Some of the major topics that we'll cover include making API requests using different environments, automated testing an API, scripting API workflows, and documenting an API. By the end of this course you'll be ready to maximize your interactions with any API in your life. I hope you'll join me on this journey to learn how Postman can simplify working with an API, with the Postman Fundamentals course, at Pluralsight.
Testing Requests
In the previous module, you learned a lot of the basics of the Postman UI. This module will get you familiar with how you can use Postman to test your APIs. Postman makes it easy to create regression tests that you can run before you deploy your API. Additionally, the tools and techniques that you will learn in this module will be combined with the module on collections to provide you with a very powerful way to programmatically interact with your API.
Collections
Up until now, everything you've done in Postman has been a one-off, one API request in isolation, and if you were to close the tab, the request disappeared. This module's going to show you how you can save requests into collections, as well as the various ways you can then use collections within Postman.
Mock Server
So far throughout the course you've been consuming Globomantics' API for their library. However, sometimes when working on a team, the people consuming the API need data that the API is not yet ready to provide. In this module, you'll learn how Postman removes roadblocks. Postman's mock server allows the front end to keep moving even when the API isn't ready.
Documentation
Up until now, the course has been focused on your interactions with the API, whether that's been basic requests and responses, or scripting, or even mocking out API calls. This module takes a slight turn. It still highlights how Postman makes your interactions with an API easier, but it shifts the focus solely from your interactions and expands to include the consumers of your API. You'll learn how to use the documentation tools that Postman provides in this module.
Team Tools
Throughout the course, the goal has been to show you how Postman can improve your interactions with APIs. All the tools and techniques that you've seen are available to you today just by downloading the application. This module will briefly cover some of the features and benefits of having a paid version of Postman.