Postman - API development platform

Postman is the world’s leading API development platform, empowering over 25 million developers to build, test, and collaborate on APIs more efficiently.

From simple REST calls to complex API workflows, Postman provides everything needed to accelerate API development across the entire lifecycle.

What makes Postman indispensable:

• Complete API lifecycle - Design, test, document, and monitor APIs in one platform
• Intuitive interface - User-friendly GUI eliminates the need for command-line tools
• Team collaboration - Share collections, environments, and documentation seamlessly
• Powerful automation - Run comprehensive test suites and integrate with CI/CD pipelines

Core capabilities:

• API request building and testing
• Automated testing and validation
• API documentation generation
• Mock server creation
• Environment and variable management
• Team workspace collaboration
• Performance monitoring
• GraphQL and REST support

Advanced features:

• Collection runner - Execute test suites with multiple iterations
• Pre/post-request scripts - JavaScript automation for complex workflows
• Mock servers - Simulate API responses during development
• API monitoring - Track performance and uptime continuously

Perfect for:

• Backend developers building and testing APIs
• Frontend developers integrating with services
• QA engineers automating API testing
• DevOps teams implementing API monitoring
• Product teams documenting API specifications

With powerful features for individuals and robust collaboration tools for teams, Postman has become essential infrastructure for modern API development.

Key Features

• Request builder - Intuitive interface for crafting HTTP requests • Collection organization - Group and organize related API calls • Environment management - Switch between development, staging, and production • Automated testing - Write JavaScript tests with built-in assertion library • Documentation generation - Auto-generate beautiful API documentation • Mock servers - Create realistic API simulations for development • Team workspaces - Collaborate on API projects with version control • Newman CLI - Run Postman collections from command line

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Comprehensive API development platform • Excellent user interface and experience • Strong team collaboration features • Extensive automation capabilities • Active community and learning resources • Generous free tier for individuals

Cons

• Can become resource-intensive with large collections • Advanced features require paid plans • Learning curve for complex scripting • Occasional sync issues in team environments • Limited GraphQL schema management

Get Started with Postman

Ready to streamline your API development? Visit Postman to download the desktop app or start with the web version.

How It Compares

Postman dominates the API development space with its comprehensive feature set and user-friendly interface, far exceeding basic tools like curl or HTTPie. While Insomnia offers a cleaner interface for simple requests and Thunder Client provides VS Code integration, Postman’s ecosystem approach sets it apart. Unlike specialized tools like SoapUI for SOAP APIs or Paw’s Mac-focused design, Postman excels across all API types and platforms. Its team collaboration features surpass alternatives like RapidAPI or Hoppscotch, while the automated testing capabilities rival dedicated tools. Though newer entrants focus on specific niches, Postman’s combination of individual productivity and enterprise collaboration makes it the de facto standard for API development workflows.