Postman Test Localhost Api | Importing Requests

How to Test API on Localhost Using Postman: An In-Depth Guide for Advanced Programmers

As an advanced programmer, you’ve likely faced the critical task of testing APIs in your development environment. One powerful tool that can significantly improve your workflow is Postman. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into how to test an API on localhost using Postman. By the end, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.

But first, let’s quickly address why testing APIs locally is essential in today’s programming landscape. With RESTful APIs enabling developers to build scalable and maintainable web services, it’s crucial to ensure your APIs function as expected in a controlled environment. In this guide, we will cover:

1. The benefits of using Postman2. Setting up Postman3. Creating a Postman collection4. Testing different API methods5. Automating API tests using scripts6. Exporting and sharing test results

Let’s jump right in!

1. The Benefits of Using Postman

Postman is a versatile and user-friendly platform that makes it easy to develop, test, and collaborate on API projects. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using Postman for testing your API:

– Easy-to-use interface: Postman provides an intuitive GUI that helps you quickly create and manage API requests, responses, and test scripts.– Multi-platform compatibility: Postman supports macOS, Windows, and Linux, making it a powerful cross-platform solution.– Modular organization: Postman lets you create collections, which are groups of related API requests that help you stay organized.– Built-in testing functionality: Postman boasts a robust testing framework that allows you to write custom test scripts using JavaScript.– Collaboration features: Postman enables you to share collections, environments, and workspaces with your team members.

Now that you know the benefits of using Postman, let’s get it up and running.

2. Setting Up Postman

To set up Postman on your machine, follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the [Postman website](https://www.postman.com/downloads/) and download the appropriate version for your operating system.2. Install the application by following the on-screen instructions.3. Launch Postman and create an account or sign in if you already have one. Having an account will enable you to sync your work across devices and collaborate with others.

You’re now ready to start testing your API on localhost using Postman!

3. Creating a Postman Collection

Organizing your API requests into collections makes it easier to navigate through different endpoints and methods. To create a collection:

1. Click on the “New” button in the top left corner of Postman.2. Select “Collection” from the dropdown menu.3. Name your collection and provide a brief description.4. Click “Create”.

Now that you have a collection, it’s time to add some API requests!

4. Testing Different API Methods

To test various API methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, you’ll need to add individual requests to your collection.

1. Right-click on your new collection and select “Add Request.”2. Provide a name and description for your request, then click “Save to {Collection Name}”.3. Open the new request in the Postman interface.4. Set your desired method (GET, POST, PUT, etc.) using the dropdown menu next to the URL input field.5. In the URL input field, enter the endpoint you want to test, e.g., `http://localhost:{Your_Port}/{Endpoint}`.6. Configure any necessary headers or body content as required by the API.7. Click “Send” to execute the request, and examine the response in the lower panel.

Repeat this process for each method and endpoint you want to test.

5. Automating API Tests using Scripts

Postman’s powerful scripting functionality lets you automate testing procedures, ensuring the reliability of your API. To write a test script:

1. Open the request for which you want to create a test.2. Navigate to the “Tests” tab located next to the “Body” and “Headers” tabs.3. Write your test script using JavaScript and Postman’s built-in `pm.test()` function. For example:

“`javascriptpm.test(“Status code is 200”, function() {pm.response.to.have.status(200);});“`

This simple script checks if the response status code is 200, indicating success.

4. Click “Send” to execute the request and run your test script. Your script’s results will appear under the “Test Results” tab in the response section.

Experiment with more advanced test scripts, leveraging Postman’s extensive [testing documentation](https://learning.postman.com/docs/writing-scripts/test-scripts/) and API.

6. Exporting and Sharing Test Results

Once you’ve completed your tests, it’s essential to share your results with your team. Postman makes exporting and sharing test results a breeze:

1. After running tests, click on the “Test Results” tab in the response section.2. Click on the “Export” button located at the bottom of the panel.3. Choose your preferred export format (JSON, XML, or CSV) and save the file.4. Share the exported test results file with your team members through your preferred collaboration tool.

At this point, you’ll be well-versed in how to test an API on localhost using Postman. From setting up Postman to creating collections, testing methods, automating test scripts, and exporting results, you possess all the knowledge to improve your API testing workflow.

Remember the importance of refining and iterating on your test scripts as your API evolves. With Postman as a cornerstone of your development toolkit, you’ll be well-prepared to excel in designing, developing, and debugging robust and reliable web services for years to come.

Conclusion

Apidog is a feature-rich alternative to Postman that offers developers a more comprehensive API testing experience. Its advanced capabilities include creating custom test cases, generating reports, and performing load testing, which provides developers with more flexibility and power in their testing workflows. With its advanced features, Apidog provides developers with a more comprehensive and powerful testing solution than Postman.

Therefore, if you’re looking for a tool that offers greater flexibility, power, and collaboration capabilities, Apidog is undoubtedly worth considering as a replacement for Postman.

Testing an API with the Local Test Environment

Use the Local Test Environment to test APIs on your local machine, without the need to connect to an API Connect management server. The Local Test Environment is a lightweight API Manager running on your local machine. It allows you to rapidly test APIs locally.

API Connect provides the following methods for testing an API on your local machine:

• Invoke the API from the API Designer UI application running in Online mode as described in Testing an API.
• Call the API in the Local Test Environment with a cURL command, as described in the following sections.

How to Test API Using Postman?

Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on testing your API with Postman.

StepSign up for a Postman Account

The first step is to create an account on Postman. You can create an account by downloading the Postman on Windows/MacOS or using the Postman online.

StepCreate a New Request

Once you have installed Postman, you can create a new request by clicking the “New” button in the top left corner of the Postman window. Select ” HTTP Request” to create a new request.

StepEnter Request Methods, Parameters

Next, you need to enter the details of the API request you want to test. It includes the URL, HTTP methods, and any parameters or headers the API requires. You can also add a request body if required. Creating a GET request for Postman API testing as an example.

StepSend the Request

Once you have entered the request details, click the “Send” button in Postman to send the request to test the API. Postman will display the response in the interface, including the response status, headers, and body.

StepCreate a Postman Collection

One of the key features of Postman is the Collection Runner, which allows developers to execute multiple requests in a single run. With the Collection Runner, you can specify variables, set up test suites, and generate reports to track the results of your API testing.

If you want to test multiple API requests, you can create a collection to group them. To create a collection, click the “New” button and select “Collection”. Give the collection a name and description to help you remember.

StepAdd Requests to the Collection

Once you have created a collection, you can add requests by clicking the “Add Request” button. Enter the request details as before, and click the “Save” button to save the request to the collection.

StepUse the Postman Collection Runner

Postman’s Collection Runner feature allows you to simultaneously run multiple requests in a collection. To use the Collection Runner, click on the “Runner” button in the top right corner of the Postman window. Select the collection you want to run, and click the “Start Run” button.

StepAnalyze the Test Results

Once the Collection Runner has finished running the requests, Postman will display the test results in the interface. You can see which requests passed and failed and view detailed information about each request.

Postman has recently limited their Collection Runner functionality, which has caused frustration for many users who rely on it for API testing. As a result, developers are now seeking alternatives to Postman that offer similar or better features. One such alternative is Apidog, which offers a range of advanced features not available in Postman. In this article, we will explore the advantages of Apidog over Postman and how it can improve your API testing experience.

Apidog: The Best Postman API Testing Alternative

Apidog is a free API testing tool that provides developers with advanced features to ensure their APIs’ functionality, reliability, and security. With Apidog, you can create custom test scenarios without limitation, and generate detailed reports. These advanced features allow developers to thoroughly test their APIs and identify potential issues before they reach production.

Apidog also offers a collaborative environment, making it easier for teams to work together on API testing projects. Multiple team members can work on the same project simultaneously, and changes are automatically synced in real-time, reducing the risk of errors and improving team efficiency.

Postman API Testing Tool

Postman is a comprehensive API testing tool that simplifies creating, testing, and documenting APIs. It provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to design and test APIs and automate their testing processes easily. Postman also supports collaboration among team members by allowing them to share and version control their API tests and collections.

Why Use Postman for API Testing?

API testing is crucial for ensuring reliability and preserving consumer trust. It’s early issue detection and automation conserve resources, allowing teams to focus on innovation. Integration with CI/CD pipelines enables rapid iteration and frequent releases with reduced bug risks.

Postman is a popular tool for API testing that allows developers to create and execute HTTP requests and test API responses. Postman makes API testing more efficient and effective with features such as request builders, response visualizations, and test automation.

Troubleshooting the Local Test Environment

You can consult the log file for each Local Test Environment microservice or database by using the following command:


docker logs container-name


where container-name is one of the following:

• 
apic-lte-juhu

  : the authentication gateway
• 
apic-lte-apim

  : the API Management service
• 
apic-lte-lur

  : the Local User Registry
• 
apic-lte-db

  : the Postgres database of the API Management service
• 
apic-lte-datapower-api-gateway

  : the DataPower API Gateway
• 
apic-lte-datapower-gateway

  : the DataPower Gateway (v5 compatible)

You can access the gateway logs in either of the following ways:

• Use the gateway administration web UI:
  1. Open the page
     
https://localhost:web_ui_port

     in a browser; for details of the required port value, see Local Test Environment port values.
  2. Select the apiconnect domain and the WebGUI interface, and log in with user name admin and password admin.
  3. Click View Logs.
• Open the page
• Use the gateway administration CLI:
  1. Open an SSH connection by using the following
     command:

     For details of the required port value, see Local Test Environment port values. The user name is admin and the password is admin.

     
ssh -p gateway-ssh-port localhost


  2. Enter the command switch domain apiconnect.
  3. To view the gateway log, enter the command show log.
  4. To view the log for the communication between the gateway and the API management system, enter the command show logging gwd-log.
• Open an SSH connection by using the following command:

How to test API load in Postman?

To test API load in Postman on a localhost environment, you can follow these steps:

1. Install Postman: If you haven’t already, download and install the Postman app from their official website (https://www.postman.com/downloads/).

2. Create a new request: Open Postman and click on the “+” button or “Create a request” to start a new API request.

3. Configure the request: Choose the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) according to your API requirements, and enter your API endpoint URL (for localhost, it usually starts with “http://localhost:port_number/…”).

4. Add headers and body: If required by your API, add headers (e.g., Content-Type, Authorization) and request body (JSON or other formats).

5. Send the request: Click the “Send” button to test your API. You should see the response on the right side of the Postman window, including the status code, response time, and response body.

6. Monitor the performance: To stress-test your API, you can use Postman’s built-in “Collection Runner” feature to send multiple requests concurrently. Click on “Collections” at the top-left corner of Postman, then click on “Create a collection.” Add your configured request to the collection.

7. Configure Collection Runner: Click on the arrow next to your collection’s name, and then click on “Run.” In the Collection Runner window, configure the following settings:– Iterations: The number of times the entire collection will run.– Delay: The time interval in milliseconds between each request execution.– Concurrency: The number of requests that will be executed simultaneously.

8. Run the test: Click on the “Run” button at the bottom of the Collection Runner window, and monitor the performance results (response times, error rates, etc.) in the summary report.

By following these steps, you can perform a basic load test on your API in a localhost environment using Postman. However, for more advanced and thorough load testing, consider using specialized tools like JMeter or Gatling.

What are the essential steps for setting up and testing an API on localhost using Postman?

To set up and test an API on localhost using Postman, follow these essential steps:

1. Install Postman: Download and install the Postman application on your computer from the official website (https://www.postman.com/downloads/).

2. Set up API on localhost: Ensure that your API is running on your local server, such as in a Node.js, Django, or Flask environment. Make sure to take note of the API’s entry point (e.g., http://localhost:3000) and its available routes (like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).

3. Launch Postman: Open the Postman application.

4. Create a new request: Click the “+” button or “New” button and choose “Request” to create a new request.

5. Configure request method and URL:– In the drop-down menu next to the URL bar, select the appropriate HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) for the API you want to test.– Enter the API URL in the URL bar with the correct route (e.g., http://localhost:3000/users).

6. Configure request headers (if needed): If your API requires specific headers or authentication tokens, click the “Headers” tab below the URL bar and input the required key-value pairs.

7. Configure request body (for POST/PUT requests): If you are testing a POST or PUT request that requires a payload, click the “Body” tab below the URL bar, choose the appropriate format (like raw JSON), and input the data in the text box.

8. Send request: Click the “Send” button to execute the API request.

9. Review response: Analyze the response returned by the API in the “Response” section below the request configuration. Check for status codes, response times, and response content to ensure that the API is functioning correctly.

10. Save and organize requests: You can save successful requests to a “Collection” by clicking the “Save” button next to “Send”. This allows you to organize your test cases and easily access them in the future.

Remember to follow these steps whenever you are working with an API on localhost using Postman.

How can one effectively debug and troubleshoot API issues during testing on localhost with Postman?

To effectively debug and troubleshoot API issues during testing on localhost with Postman, follow these steps:

1. Ensure server is running: Make sure your local development server is up and running, and listening to the correct port.

2. Check endpoint URL: Verify that you’re using the correct endpoint URL in Postman. The URL should include the protocol (`http` or `https`), hostname (usually `localhost` or `127.0.0.1`), port number, and the API route.

3. Use appropriate HTTP methods: Ensure you’re using the appropriate HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) for the API call you are testing.

4. Validate request headers: Some APIs require specific request headers to be set, such as authentication tokens or content type. Double-check that you have included all required headers and their values are correct.

5. Verify request payload: If you’re sending data to the server (e.g. with a POST or PUT request), ensure your request payload is formatted correctly according to the API documentation (e.g., JSON or XML).

6. Examine response: Inspect the response returned by the server, including the status code, headers, and body. This can provide insight into any issues that might have occurred during the request.

7. Enable logging: Developers may have configured their API to log errors and other diagnostic information. Check the logs to see if there’s any additional information that might help you identify the issue.

8. Leverage Postman Console: Use Postman Console (View > Show Postman Console) to view and analyze the details of your request and response, including headers, status codes, and any errors.

9. Test incrementally: Break down complex requests into smaller parts and test them individually. This can help you pinpoint exactly where the issue lies.

10. Consult API documentation: Always refer to the API documentation for any requirements or constraints related to API endpoints, request parameters, and authentication.

By following these steps, you can effectively debug and troubleshoot issues while testing APIs on localhost using Postman.

When testing APIs on localhost using Postman, it’s crucial to follow these tips and best practices to ensure efficient and accurate testing:

1. Organize your requests: Use collections and folders to group related API requests. This helps you maintain a clear structure and makes it easier for other team members to understand the project.

2. Use environment variables: Set up different environments (e.g., development, testing, production) with relevant variables for each environment. This allows you to switch between environments easily and reduces the chance of making errors by hardcoding values.

3. Utilize request templates: Create reusable request templates for common API operations. This saves time and ensures consistency across your tests.

4. Validate API responses: Check API response status codes, response times, and response data. Comparing these to expected values helps identify any discrepancies and potential issues in the API.

5. Implement automated testing: Use Postman’s built-in test scripts to automate API testing. This ensures that tests are executed consistently and reduces manual testing efforts.

6. Document your API: Maintain clear and concise documentation for your API. This includes information about the API endpoints, expected input parameters, and sample responses. Proper documentation aids in understanding and troubleshooting, especially when working with others.

7. Monitor API performance: Set up monitors in Postman to regularly test your API and track its performance over time. This helps identify potential performance bottlenecks or issues before they affect users.

8. Share your work: Use Postman’s collaboration features to share your API collections and environments with your team members. This encourages teamwork and fosters a shared understanding of the API.

By adhering to these best practices, you can ensure efficient and accurate API testing on localhost using Postman, leading to more reliable and robust APIs in your projects.

}
However, no matter what port I am choosing, I always get “Error: connect ECONNREFUSED”
I already disabled SSL certificate verification and unticked using system proxy. Is there a way for me to just POST to my localhost

Thank you for replying.
no, I have not made any webserver configuration locally. May I know what is the range of the common port territory too?
So basically I have to do a local webserver configuration and uses common port?

Hey, I’m trying to send post request to my localhost:4000 server & I already have my node server running on 4000.
But I’m continuously getting the following error:
Error: Client network socket disconnected before secure TLS connection was established

Do post what troubleshooting you have done till now, it helps others to provide better help.
Also, instead of using an existing thread, try creating a new thread in appropriate section. (Unless your problem is exactly the same, which in this case it doesn’t look to be the case)

From what I see you are trying to access localhost over TLS (https) and most likely you do not have the certificates setup on your server. Try accessing your server over http, and things should work fine: http://localhost:4000

Assuming this is a plain vanilla test node server, highly likely https isn’t setup.

GSD

How To Use Postman To Test an API During Development

Posted by Soham Kamani on October 17, 2023

REST APIs have become the new standard in providing a public and secure interface for your service. Though REST has become ubiquitous, it’s not always easy to test. Postman, an API development environment, makes it easier to test and manage HTTP REST APIs. Postman gives us multiple features to import, test and share APIs, which will help you and your team be more productive in the long run.

ButterCMS is a service that helps you add a blog or CMS to your website, and provides its own REST API endpoints that allow you to interact with your pages and content fields using any HTTP client of your choice. In this post, I’ll demonstrate how to leverage Postman to test the ButterCMS developer APIs.

Comparison Between Postman and Apidog

Postman and Apidog are popular API testing tools used for testing and monitoring APIs. While these two tools share several similar features and functionalities, they also have significant key differences.

Feature	Apidog	Postman
Customizable Test Cases	Allows users to create custom test cases tailored to specific API requirements. Users can create complex test scenarios (including edge cases and error handling) to ensure thorough API testing.	Does not support the use of customizable test cases.
Load Testing Capabilities	Supports high-traffic simulation, allowing users to monitor API performance under stress and identify potential and optimize bottlenecks for maximum throughput.	Does not offer performance testing capability.
Open-Source	Supports open-source scripting languages like Python and JavaScript, making API testing customized and automated coding easier for developers.	Only supports Postman’s proprietary scripting language, which limits customization.
Intuitive User Interface	Apidog has a more user-friendly and intuitive user interface, which makes it easier for users to create and manage collections and test cases.	Postman’s user interface can be more complex to navigate.
Collaborative Features	Allows users to share collections and collaborate with team members in real-time while tracking and managing test results, making it easy for teams to work together.	Has limited collaboration features.
Unlimited Test Runs	Allows for unlimited test runs of collections, making it more suitable for larger teams.	The collection runner has limited test runs that are restricted to the free plan. This can impose limits on larger teams.
Pricing	Apidog is free.	Postman offers free and paid plans that provide advanced features.
Robust Test Automation	Provides robust testing automation features (including assertions, scripts, and data-driven testing), allowing users to create complex test scenarios and automate API testing workflows effortlessly.	Provides limited test automation features that can be overly complex for executing straightforward tests.

Creating our first request

Now that you have Postman installed, let’s start by making a request to the

/v2/posts

endpoint, whose official documentation you can find here. This API has the following properties:

• A
  
GET

  method
• The url :
  
https://api.buttercms.com/v2/posts/

• The auth_token query parameter, whose value would be your personal API key. For the purpose of this post, we’ll use the API key
  
abc123


You can enter these details into the Postman application:

1. Select the
   
GET

   method
2. Add the URL
   
https://api.buttercms.com/v2/posts/

   (without the query params)
3. Click on “Params” to add URL query params
4. Enter the key-value pair for the
   
auth_token

   query param. It will then appear in the URL input.
5. Click on “Send” the run the HTTP request

Once the request executes successfully, you should see the result appear in the window below, along with additional information like the status code returned and the request time:

What are some best practices for designing and developing API endpoints?

API endpoints are essential to the health and performance of any application. The following best practices can help you design, develop, and maintain endpoints that are reliable, scalable, user-friendly, and secure.

Create a predictable and intuitive API endpoint structure

It’s important to use a clear and intuitive naming convention and structure when defining your API’s endpoints. When possible, the same conventions should apply to every API in your digital portfolio. This consistency will help create a predictable user experience for your API’s consumers, making it easier for them to integrate with your API.

Implement secure authentication mechanisms

API endpoints are the doorways to an application’s data, which makes them appealing attack targets. API authentication involves verifying the identity of a client that is making an API request, and it plays a crucial role in strengthening an API’s security posture. It’s therefore important to leverage well-established authentication mechanisms—such as OAuth, OpenID Connect, or JWT—especially if your endpoints provide access to sensitive data.

Validate and sanitize input data

Input validation is the process of confirming that any data that’s sent to the API follows the expected format and constraints, while sanitization helps ensure that input data does not include harmful characters. These processes should be performed at the method level in order to prevent any malicious code from entering the workflow, where it might alter permissions or database records.

Clearly document every API endpoint

API documentation plays an important role in the overall success of an API. Private API documentation facilitates cross-team collaboration and reduces code duplication, while public API documentation helps potential consumers understand and experiment with an API. It’s therefore crucial for API producers to thoroughly document every API endpoint, including its methods, parameters, and accepted data types. They should also describe—in plain language—what each endpoint is intended to do.

Continually test and monitor your API endpoints

API testing helps ensure that an API’s endpoints work as expected—even as the API evolves. Unit tests confirm that a single endpoint returns the correct response to a given request, while end-to-end tests validate complex workflows that may involve multiple endpoints. API test automation can help teams automatically surface issues throughout the development process, while API monitoring leverages the same logic to keep tabs on an API’s endpoints once they are in production.

Collections

So far, we’ve learned how to use Postman to test a single HTTP endpoint. In reality though, the ButterCMS API consists of a wide range of API endpoints. We could use the steps discussed previously to test the APIs individually, but that would lead to a lot of repeated effort. Postman collections can help us group these APIs together, and share them with others to make our workflow much faster. Let’s start by creating a new collection, and saving the above API endpoint into it.

Create a new collection by clicking on the “New” button on the top left and selecting “Collection”:

Now, you can save your existing request into the collection:

Click on the “Save” button. Enter the details and collection into which the request should be saved. You should now see the API saved under the collection you just created:

You can save multiple common APIs under the same collection.

Adding variables

Now that all the APIs have been added to the collection, we can extract out a few data points that could potentially change often. One glaring data point is the auth token. Although the auth token is fixed for us, it changes for every user or account. If we want to share this collection with our colleagues, we would have to replace the auth token on every endpoint. Postman helps us get around this by using variables in our collection.

Variables allow us to have a single source of truth for common information. To use the auth token as a variable, edit the “ButterCMS API” collection you just created:

Click on “Edit” to open the edit window.

Go to the “Variables” tab and add in the auth token as a variable, with the name “auth_token”.

Now, change the name of the

auth_token

query param to

{{auth_token}}

:

Now your request should run like it did before. If you add more APIs to this collection, you can use the “{{auth_token}}” variable instead of actually entering your auth token each time. If your auth token changes, all you have to do is change the value of the variable in the edit menu.

Exporting your collection

Once you add requests to your collection, you’ll need a way to share it with fellow developers. We can export any collection on Postman as a JSON file by using the collections “Export” option:

This file can then be imported from any other Postman application, complete with all the variables and settings.

In fact, the Butter developer APIs have a Postman collection as well:

Importing requests

Creating our first request was fairly straightforward, but we can make the process even easier. It’s time consuming to enter all the request data when we want to test multiple APIs. Fortunately, Postman lets us import them directly from certain formats (one of those formats being the curl command). The Butter API documentation contains curl commands for each API endpoint. We can copy this command as is, and import it directly into Postman:

1. Click on “Import” on the top left corner
2. Select the “Paste Raw Text” option, and paste in the curl command text as is into the text field.
3. Click on “Import”

Now, you should see the request filled in, just like we did manually in the previous section. Importing requests in this way can help you get up and running in a jiffy, provided you have the curl commands readily available.

A Step-by-step Guide to Test API With Apidog

Test scenarios are used to run multiple APIs together in an orderly manner to test a complete business process.

StepSign Up for an Apidog Account

Go to the Apidog website and sign up for a free account or connect to your Google and Github.

StepCreate and Configure Your API

Click on the “+” button or”New API” and enter your API URL.

StepCreate a New Test Scenario

Click “Testing” in the left menu bar, click the button in the upper left corner, select the directory to which it belongs and set the priority to complete the creation.

StepAdd a Testing Step Or Import from the APIs

After entering the test scenario, click “Add Step” and add an API.

StepRun Your Test and View Your Test Results

Click on the “Run” button to run your test. Apidog will send requests to your API and run your test script to check for errors. After your test has finished, click on the “Results” tab to view your test results.

Apart from the steps discussed above, Apidog provides additional features to enhance API testing, including test data management and CI/CD integration.

1. Test data management: Apidog’s feature enables you to manage test data effectively and configure data sets for various test cases. It allows you to simulate different scenarios and ensure your API can handle various use cases. You can create different data sets for each test case, ensuring that your API functions correctly for all possible use cases.

2. CI/CD integration: Apidog can be easily integrated with widely used CI/CD tools such as Jenkins and GitLab. It allows you to automate your testing process and ensure that your API is thoroughly tested before deployment to production. You can ensure any issues are caught before they reach production by automatically running your test cases every time a new code change is pushed to your API.

Exporting requests as code

After testing and experimenting with your API in Postman, the next step would naturally be to use it in your application. Butter already has client implementations for its API in Ruby, Python, Javascript, PHP, Go, and C#. But, if you want to call its API’s using a custom HTTP client in the language of your choice, or in a language not included in the Butter API documentation, Postman has you covered. We can export our HTTP request into many different formats and implementations:

1. Click on “Code” to see the popup menu
2. Select the format from the dropdown (which defaults to curl)

For example, here’s the “Go” implementation, which actually has the complete program to execute the HTTP request:

Collections

So far, we’ve learned how to use Postman to test a single HTTP endpoint. In reality though, the ButterCMS API consists of a wide range of API endpoints. We could use the steps discussed previously to test the APIs individually, but that would lead to a lot of repeated effort. Postman collections can help us group these APIs together, and share them with others to make our workflow much faster. Let’s start by creating a new collection, and saving the above API endpoint into it.

Create a new collection by clicking on the “New” button on the top left and selecting “Collection”:

Now, you can save your existing request into the collection:

Click on the “Save” button. Enter the details and collection into which the request should be saved. You should now see the API saved under the collection you just created:

You can save multiple common APIs under the same collection.

Adding variables

Now that all the APIs have been added to the collection, we can extract out a few data points that could potentially change often. One glaring data point is the auth token. Although the auth token is fixed for us, it changes for every user or account. If we want to share this collection with our colleagues, we would have to replace the auth token on every endpoint. Postman helps us get around this by using variables in our collection.

Variables allow us to have a single source of truth for common information. To use the auth token as a variable, edit the “ButterCMS API” collection you just created:

Click on “Edit” to open the edit window.

Go to the “Variables” tab and add in the auth token as a variable, with the name “auth_token”.

Now, change the name of the

auth_token

query param to

{{auth_token}}

:

Now your request should run like it did before. If you add more APIs to this collection, you can use the “{{auth_token}}” variable instead of actually entering your auth token each time. If your auth token changes, all you have to do is change the value of the variable in the edit menu.

Exporting your collection

Once you add requests to your collection, you’ll need a way to share it with fellow developers. We can export any collection on Postman as a JSON file by using the collections “Export” option:

This file can then be imported from any other Postman application, complete with all the variables and settings.

In fact, the Butter developer APIs have a Postman collection as well:

Preparing an API for testing in the Local Test Environment

To prepare an API for testing in the Local Test Environment, you must publish it to the Sandbox Catalog in the Local Test Environment. If you want to test an API that you already published, proceed to Testing an API in the Local Test Environment., otherwise, complete the following steps:

1. Launch the API Designer user interface.
2. Open the required local directory; this is the directory in which your API and Product definition files will be stored.
3. Connect to the Local Test Environment. If
   you haven’t previously connected to the Local Test Environment, click Add
   Another Cloud, then complete the following steps:
   1. In the HOST URL field, enter https://localhost:2000, then click Next..
   2. In the Username field, enter shavon, in the Password field enter 7iron-hide, then click Sign in.

   If you have previously connected to the Local Test Environment, click the existing tile to log in immediately.

   The API Designer welcome page opens.

4. Click Develop APIs and Products, then click the API that you want to test. For details on how to configure an API definition, see Developing your APIs and applications.
5. Move the activation slider control to the on position:When the publish operation completes, your API is ready for testing.Note: Whenever you make any changes to an API, you must republish it before retesting.

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What is an API endpoint?

An API endpoint is a URL that acts as the point of contact between an API client and an API server. API clients send requests to API endpoints in order to access the API’s functionality and data.

A typical REST API has many endpoints that correspond to its available resources. For instance, an API that powers a social media application would likely include endpoints for users, posts, and comments. Requests to API endpoints must include a method, which indicates the operation to be performed, as well as the necessary headers, parameters, authentication credentials, and body data.

Here, we’ll explore how API endpoints work, before reviewing some best practices for designing and developing them. We’ll also review the differences between a REST endpoint and a GraphQL endpoint—and discuss how the Postman API Platform can help teams produce and consume API endpoints with ease.

Local Test Environment commands

The following table summarizes the Local Test Environment commands; use the


helpcommand to get full usage details for any command.


Command	Description
Display help information for any command.
Download the Local Test Environment Docker images.
Start the Local Test Environment Docker images. Use the The default value is Tip: By default, the
Display status information for the Local Test Environment components, and endpoint and authentication details.
Stop the Local Test Environment Docker images.
Display Local Test Environment version information.

How to test REST API locally?

To test REST API locally on your localhost environment, follow these steps:

1. Install a local server: Firstly, ensure that you have a local server installed on your system (e.g., Apache, Nginx, or Node.js). This will provide the necessary infrastructure to run and test your APIs.

2. Create your API: Develop your API using your preferred programming language and frameworks. Make sure that your API is designed following REST principles, ensuring that it uses proper HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) and appropriate request/response formats (e.g., JSON or XML).

3. Run your API: Start your local server and deploy your API on it. This will typically involve copying or moving the API files to the server’s ‘www’ or ‘public_html’ directory, and then starting the server application.

4. Test your API using tools: There are several tools available for testing REST APIs, such as Postman, Insomnia, or even browser extensions like RESTClient. These tools allow you to send HTTP requests to your API endpoints and evaluate the responses.

a. Configure the tool: Set up the tool with your API’s base URL (e.g., http://localhost:port_number/) and select the appropriate HTTP method for the endpoint you’re testing.

b. Set parameters and headers: If required, provide query parameters, path parameters, or request body data. Additionally, set any necessary headers, such as authentication tokens or content type.

c. Send the request: Click the ‘Send’ button (or equivalent) to initiate the request to your API.

d. Analyze the response: Once the response is received, inspect the status code, headers, and body to ensure that the API behaves as expected.

5. Debug and iterate: If you encounter any issues or unexpected behavior, debug your API code and update as necessary. Repeat the testing process until you’re satisfied with the API’s functionality.

By following these steps, you can effectively test your REST API on your localhost environment and ensure that it’s functioning correctly before deploying it to a live server.

Importing requests

Creating our first request was fairly straightforward, but we can make the process even easier. It’s time consuming to enter all the request data when we want to test multiple APIs. Fortunately, Postman lets us import them directly from certain formats (one of those formats being the curl command). The Butter API documentation contains curl commands for each API endpoint. We can copy this command as is, and import it directly into Postman:

1. Click on “Import” on the top left corner
2. Select the “Paste Raw Text” option, and paste in the curl command text as is into the text field.
3. Click on “Import”

Now, you should see the request filled in, just like we did manually in the previous section. Importing requests in this way can help you get up and running in a jiffy, provided you have the curl commands readily available.

The Postman App

Postman is a GUI that aids in the development of APIs by making it easy to test requests and their responses in an organized way. Everything you can do in Postman you can also do through the command line, but Postman makes the process quicker and easier by providing a clean interface and powerful set of tools.

Download/Installation

You can download the App for free at Get Postman. Choose the package for your operating system, and then unzip it to install.

Setting up our Example Backend

We have created a simple backend that you can interact with to get comfortable with making HTTP requests. This backend uses a SQLite database to store users. Each user has only a username (String) and a password (String). For now, we only have the GET and POST requests set up.

Follow these steps to get the example backend set up:

1. Download the example backend directory here.

2. Unzip the file.

3. Navigate into the directory through your command line (use

   
cd example_backend

   from whichever directory you unzipped it into).

4. Make sure you have Node installed. To check, you can run

   
npm -v

   on your command line. If you see a version number, you have Node. If the npm command is not found, you should follow these steps to install Node.

5. Run

   
npm install

   from inside the example_backend directory to install all of the project’s dependencies.

   If you run into any

   
npm

   or
   
gyp

   errors, try running the following commands to update and re-install any
   
npm

   packages.
   
npm install -g npm-check-updates npm-check-updates -u npm install


6. To start the server, run

   
node server.js

   from inside the example_backend directory. Now, this simple server should be running at
   
http://localhost:4000

   .

Next, we’ll see how to interact with this server using Postman.

Making GET Requests with Postman

With the example backend running at

localhost:4000

, open the Postman App. You should see an interface that looks like this:

At the top of the window, you can see a dropdown that lets you choose what kind of HTTP operation to perform. By default, it is set to GET. If you expand the dropdown, you will see all of the possible HTTP methods you can use to interact with this system:

To see all of the users that are currently in the database, make a GET request to

localhost:4000/users

. To do this, you should:

1. Make sure the dropdown is set to GET.
2. Enter the URL
   
localhost:4000/users

   in the textbox that says “Enter request URL”.

When the you have entered this information, press the Send button:

The body of the response will appear in the panel at the bottom of the window. You should see two users stored, each with a unique

id

:


{ "users": [ { "id": 1, "username": "1lameuser", "password": "secret_password" }, { "id": 2, "username": "cool_user_87", "password": "notPassword!" } ] }


This tells us that there are currently two users stored in the database. One has a

username

with the value

“1lameuser”

and a

password

with the value

“secret_password”

, and the other has a

username

with the value

“cool_user_87”

and a

password

with the value

“notPassword!”

.

We can also GET a specific user by specifying an

id

in the URL of the GET request. To get the user

“1lameuser”

, for example, we can send this GET request:

localhost:4000/users/1

. The response to this request should be:


{ "user": { "id": 1, "username": "1lameuser", "password": "secret_password" } }


These GET requests only retrieved resources from the server. No information was changed. Next, we’ll look at how to use Postman to send requests to add users to the system.

Making POST Requests with Postman

We can use POST requests to add users to the database. Let’s practice with sending some POST requests.

1. Change the type of request from GET to POST using Postman’s dropdown selector.

2. Add the request URL (

   
localhost:4000/users

   ) in the appropriate textbox.

3. In order to create a new resource in this database, we need to supply a

   
user

   object to create in the body of the POST request. Select the “Body” tab and check the “raw” radio button to specify input.

4. The type of input should be a JSON object, so select the dropdown that says “Text” and change it to “JSON (application/json)”:

5. In the text input field underneath the radio buttons, type in whatever

   
user

   object you want to add. For a valid POST request for this server, you should include JSON in the request body that has this format:


{"user": {"username":

, "password":

}}




Here is an example of what the interface will look like before you send the request:

1. Press the Send button to send the POST request.

Look at the output. What is contained in the response body? Is this what you would expect? For the above example, the output in the response body looks like:


{ "user": { "id": 3, "username": "wholeNewUser", "password": "IllNeverTell" } }


This response means that a user with

username


“wholeNewUser”

,

password


“IllNeverTell”

, and

id

3 was added to the

users

resource.

More Practice with Requests

Let’s try sending some more requests.

1. Add a user to the system with your first name (as a String) as the username and your last name (as a String) as the password. Use POST to do this, with a
   
user

   object in the body as a JSON.
2. Look at all of the users contained in the
   
users

   resource now. Use a GET request to do this.
3. Retrieve the user with
   
id

   4 only. Use a GET request with a specified
   
id

   to do this.

Great work! You now can use Postman to make requests and see the corresponding responses. This will be very helpful in testing and understanding the APIs you build.