Postman Cheat Sheet

Here’s a cheat sheet for using Postman, a popular API testing and development tool:

Request Basics

  • Create a New Request:
    • Click on the “New” button and select “Request.”
  • Set Request Type:
    • Choose the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) from the dropdown.
  • Enter Request URL:
    • Enter the API endpoint URL in the address bar.
  • Add Headers:
    • Click on the “Headers” tab to add key-value pairs for request headers.
  • Set Request Body (for POST and PUT):
    • Click on the “Body” tab to add parameters or raw data.

Authentication

  • Basic Authentication:
    • In the “Authorization” tab, select “Basic Auth” and provide username/password.
  • Bearer Token Authentication:
    • In the “Authorization” tab, select “Bearer Token” and provide the token.
  • API Key Authentication:
    • In the “Headers” tab, add a key-value pair for the API key.

Parameters

  • URL Parameters:
    • Add parameters directly to the URL or use the “Params” tab.
  • Query Parameters:
    • Add parameters in the “Params” tab for GET requests.

Request Body

  • Form Data:
    • In the “Body” tab, select “form-data” to send key-value pairs.
  • x-www-form-urlencoded:
    • Choose this option in the “Body” tab to send URL-encoded data.
  • Raw Data:
    • Select “raw” in the “Body” tab to send data in raw format (JSON, XML, etc.).

Response

  • View Response:
    • After sending the request, view the response in the “Body” tab.
  • Formatting Response:
    • Use the “Pretty” button to format JSON/XML responses.
  • Status Code and Headers:
    • Check the status code and headers in the “Headers” tab.

Collections

  • Create a Collection:
    • Click on the “New” button and select “Collection.”
  • Add Requests to Collection:
    • Drag requests into a collection or use the “Add to” button.
  • Run Collections:
    • Click on the “Runner” button to execute multiple requests in a collection.

Testing

  • Write Tests:
    • In the “Tests” tab, write JavaScript tests using the Postman test scripting syntax.
  • Test Automation:
    • Integrate with Postman Monitors or Newman for automated testing.

Variables and Environments

  • Use Variables:
    • Set variables to reuse values across requests.
  • Manage Environments:
    • Create environments for different sets of variables.
  • Switch Environments:
    • Change the environment in the top-right corner.

Newman (Command-Line Tool)

Install Newman:

npm install -g newman

Run a Collection:

newman run collection_name.json

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Send Request:
    • Press Ctrl + Enter to send the request.
  • Toggle Sidebar:
    • Press Ctrl + Alt + S to show/hide the sidebar.
  • Save Request:
    • Press Ctrl + S to save the request.
  • Toggle Console:
    • Press Ctrl + to toggle the console.

This cheat sheet covers basic Postman functionalities. Explore Postman’s documentation for more advanced features and capabilities: Postman Documentation.