Using Postman for Testing API Endpoints: A Practical Guide for Functional API Testing

APIs are integral to modern software, facilitating communication and data exchange between applications, and the reliability, speed, and security of APIs are crucial in development. Postman is highlighted as an effective tool for API testing, offering features that streamline the testing process, such as workspace organization, request building, and response viewing. It supports running collections of requests, data-driven testing, and incorporates advanced functionalities such as pre-request and post-request scripts, cookie management, and authorization helpers. Postman allows integration with CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing, thereby enhancing development cycles, reducing costs, and improving software quality. The guide also introduces StackHawk, a Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) solution, which complements Postman's functional testing by focusing on API security, offering automated discovery and security assessments to ensure comprehensive API protection.