POSTMAN API Testing - Step by Step for Beginners

In web services, POST requests are used to send data to the API server to create or update a resource. The data sent to the server is stored in the request body of the HTTP request

It's worth noting that a POST request is non-idempotent
It mutates data on the backend server (by creating or updating a resource), as opposed to a GET request which does not change any data

Similar to POST, PUT requests are used to send data to the API to update or create a resource

The difference is that PUT requests are idempotent. That is, calling the same PUT request multiple times will always produce the same result

In contrast, calling a POST request repeatedly make have side effects of creating the same resource multiple times

Generally, when a PUT request creates a resource the server will respond with a 201 (Created), and if the request modifies existing resource the server will return a 200 (OK) or 204 (No Content)

A PATCH request is one of the lesser-known HTTP methods
The difference with PATCH is that you only apply partial modifications to the resource

The difference between PATCH and PUT, is that a PATCH request is non-idempotent (like a POST request)

To expand on partial modification, say you're API has a /users/{{userid}} endpoint, and a user has a username

With a PATCH request, you may only need to send the updated username in the request body - as opposed to POST and PUT which require the full user entity

As the name applies, DELETE APIs delete the resources (identified by the Request-URI)

DELETE operations are idempotent. If you DELETE a resource, it’s removed from the collection of resources

Some may argue that it makes the DELETE method non-idempotent It’s a matter of discussion and personal opinion

1. What is COLLECTION
2. How to create Collection
3. How to create folders inside collection
4. How to arrange requests inside collection

Collection is a group of API requests

Raghav Pal

Can create variables at the following levels (scope)

• Global

• Collection

• Environment

• Data

• Local

Priority

1. Local

2. Data

3. Env

4. Collection

5. Global

Set Variables with script

Global: pm.globals.set("name", "Edison");

Collection: pm.collectionVariables.set("name", "Newton");

Environment: pm.environment.set("name", "Rutherford");

Local: pm.variables.set("name", "Ramanujan");

Postman contains a powerful runtime based on Node.js that allows you to add dynamic behavior to requests and collections

You can add JavaScript code to execute during 2 events in the flow:

1. Before a request is sent to the server, as a pre-request script under the Pre-request Script tab.

2. After a response is received, as a test script under the Tests tab.

Postman will prompt you with suggestions as you enter text. Select one to autocomplete your

code

You can add pre-request and test scripts to a collection, a folder, a request within a collection, or a request not saved to a collection

Debugging scripts can be written under either the Pre-request Script tab or the Tests tab, with helpful messages logged in the Postman Console

The Postman Console logs the following information:

● The primary request that was sent, including all underlying request headers, variable values, and redirects

● The proxy configuration and certificates used for the request

● Network information such as IP addresses, ciphers, and protocols used

● Log statements and asynchronous requests from test or pre-request scripts

● The raw response sent by the server before it's processed by Postman

more stories by Raghav - https://automationstepbystep.com/stories/

Today we will learn:

1. How to debug with Postman Console
2. How to open Postman Console window
3. Information shown on Postman Console window
4. Clear logs
5. console.log()
    console.info()
    console.warn()
    console.error()
6. App Debug Logs : Developer - DevTools

Pre-requisite - previous session - How to run from command line

Today we will learn:
1. How to setup Postman job in Jenkins
2. How to run Postman from Jenkins

Today we will learn:

1. What are MONITORS
2. How to create Monitors
3. How to send email notifications with results
4. How to edit/pause/stop Monitors

Monitors - help to run collections periodically to check the performance and response of api

Notes:
Each Postman user gets 1,000 monitoring calls for free per month. 
Each Postman Pro and Enterprise team gets 10,000 free monthly requests

Today we will learn:

1. What is API Documentation
2. How to create API Documentation
3. How to publish (private and public) Documentations
4. How to unpublish

What is API Documentation
a Postman feature that lets you share API documentation in a beautifully formatted web page. 

Useful TIPS
----------------
1. When you select an environment. The variables e.g. {‌{url}} will be replaced by their values from the selected env in documentation.

2. If you have any confidential data (passwords etc) remove them before publishing the documenation

Today we will learn:

1. How to get Collection URL
2. How to run Collection remotely (from anywhere) using collection url

Step 1 : Get your collection url

Step 2 : Get Newman and run with command
            newman run "url"

Today we will learn:

1. How to add SOAP request in Postman
2. Run and Validate

Step 1 : Get Soap request url or WSDL url add to request url

Step 2 : Set method as POST

Step 3 : Set body as raw and set text/xml

Step 4 : Provide request data in body

Step 5 : Run and validate

In this lecture, we will learn:

1. What is Mock API

2. Why we need Mock APIs

3. How to create Mock APIs in Postman

Today we will learn:

1. About POSTMAN UI
2. Different sections of the interface
3. Header, Sidebar, Builder

Today we will learn:

1. How to create an API request
2. How to run the request
3. How to analyze response

Today we will learn:

1. What is COLLECTION
2. How to create Collection
3. How to create folders inside collection
4. How to arrange requests inside collection

Today we will learn:
1. What are variables in POSTMAN
2. Why use variables
2. How to create variables
3. How to refer variables
Useful TIPS

WHAT
variables - elements(data store) that can take different values

WHY
to reuse values at multiple places
avoid repetition
to avoid re-work when value changes

Today we will learn:

1. How to get variables through scripts
2. How to set variables through scripts

pm.variables.get();
pm.variables.set();

pm.globals.get();
pm.globals.set();

pm.environment.get();
pm.environment.set();

Today we will learn:

1. What is Environment
2. How to create Environment
3. How to use Environment
4. How to delete Environment

Env is a set of key-value pairs

Reference - https://reqres.in/

Today we will learn:

1. How to create quick scripts using Snippets

Snippets = script templates

Today we will learn:

1. What are Tests in POSTMAN
2. How to create tests at REQUEST level
3. How to create tests at FOLDER level
4. How to create tests at COLLECTION level

Postman tests are javascript code that is executed after receiving the response
________________________________________________________________

Today we will learn:

1. How to get data from csv file
2. How to get data from json file
3. How to Run data-driven API Requests
4. How to Run data-driven Tests

Useful TIPS

Data variables can be used wherever environment variables can be used except in pre-request and test scripts

References :
https://reqres.in/
https://codebeautify.org/jsonviewer

Basics of Authorization

A simple example and demo

Note - if you provide authorization at collection or folder level, In the request authorization, Select - "Inherit auth from parent"

When you add Authorization, some headers get added in the request, You can check by going to Headers tab and view hidden Headers