November 2018 Summaries

Postman has reintroduced its platform on the web to enhance user access and collaboration, moving away from the deprecated Chrome app, which ceased receiving updates in November 2017. The native Postman apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux now offer a range of advanced features, including Interceptor for cookie synchronization, GraphQL support, API design tools with versioning, and role-based access control for secure collaboration. Additional functionalities include forking and merging for parallel development, in-app Bootcamp lessons, and compatibility with OpenAPI 3.0 specifications. Users can also take advantage of workspaces for project organization, custom HTTP methods, enhanced find and replace capabilities, and a data recovery feature to restore deleted collections. The updated native apps also feature auto-updates, extended collection capabilities, and improved UI and UX, while allowing restricted headers like Origin and User-Agent. Transitioning to the native apps is streamlined, with data automatically synced upon installation, although manual data export is available if sync is disabled.

Postman 6.5 introduces custom HTTP methods, offering users enhanced flexibility and control over API development by allowing them to create, add, and save their own methods, supplementing the existing default list. This update caters to user requests for increased customization, enabling developers to integrate Postman more seamlessly into their workflows, especially when working with services that require unsupported HTTP verbs. The new feature supports users who previously relied on cURL due to Postman's limitations and allows for a more personalized experience by enabling the removal of default methods that are not in use. Users need to ensure they are on version 6.5.0 or higher to access these new capabilities, which reflect Postman's commitment to incorporating community feedback into its app.

Postman has introduced a new find and replace feature in its app, addressing numerous customer requests for such functionality. This feature is particularly useful for tasks like removing deprecated elements from documentation or renaming functions across projects, which previously required manual edits. Users can access this feature by clicking the "Find" icon or using specific keyboard shortcuts on Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms, allowing them to efficiently perform bulk replace operations on collections, environment and global variables, and requests and examples within open tabs. Available in Postman 6.5, this addition is designed to save users significant time and effort, prompting them to employ it judiciously.

Postman templates are pre-built example collections available within the Postman app that serve as a resource for developers looking to solve common issues or find starting points for their projects. These templates can be published by users who want to share their collections, making them accessible to over 5 million developers using Postman. For instance, the "Dishwasher Duty" collection is shown as an example of how a collection can be shared and documented as a template. Developers can access these templates by clicking the New button in the Postman app and navigating to the Templates tab, where they can choose and customize a template like the popular "Link Checker" collection, which checks the functionality of website links. The community-driven sharing of templates enhances their utility, encouraging developers to either contribute their own collections or benefit from the shared knowledge of others.