Master Postman: From Installation to Advanced API Testing Features

Installation

Postman no longer supports a browser version; download the Windows client from the official website, run the installer, and log in or skip registration to start using the application.

Interface Navigation

The main UI elements are explained with screenshots, showing where to create new requests, set parameters, and view responses.

Sending the First Request

Open a new request tab, select GET method, enter a URL such as http://www.weather.com.cn/data/sk/101010100.html, and click Send to view the JSON response.

Basic Functions

Common request types

Response data parsing

Collection management

Batch request execution

Logging

Assertions

Variables

Pre‑request scripts

Request chaining

Common return value extraction

Convenient Functions

Quickly fill query parameters and headers

Rapidly add new requests

Inherit collection authentication

Batch assertions

Search and replace

Advanced Functions

Parameterize requests from files

Generate test reports

Send requests from code

Generate API documentation

Mock services

Monitoring

Workspaces

Version control and branching

Database connections

APIs

Collection Management

Create a new collection, add folders for modules, and add requests as test cases. The collection runner can execute all selected requests and display assertion statistics, run summary, and export results.

Batch Execution

Select a collection, click Run, configure the runner, and execute all requests together for regression testing.

Logging

Use the Postman console (view‑show Postman console) to view JavaScript logs, filter by level, and inspect raw network data.

Assertions

Write JavaScript tests in the Tests tab. Built‑in snippets help assert status codes, headers, body content, JSON values, and response time. Example:

pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

Variables

Define global, environment, and collection variables. Use {{variable}} in request fields or pm.environment.get('variable') in scripts.

Pre‑request Scripts

Execute JavaScript before a request to generate random data, encrypt passwords, or set variables.

Request Chaining

Extract values from a response, store them in a variable, and use the variable in a subsequent request.

Common Return Value Extraction

Parse nested JSON using pm.response.json() and access values via dot notation or array indexes.

For full details, refer to the original guide with accompanying screenshots.