Mastering API Fundamentals: A Hands-On Workshop with POSTMAN 101
Tags: postmanstudent, api, nibmgallecampus, beginners
Published: 2023-12-17 08:35:23

In the vibrant halls of NIBM Galle campus in Sri Lanka, Postman Student Expert, Supun Sathsara(@supunsathsara), kicked off an exciting workshop on APIs. With a friendly smile, he dove straight into the basics, unraveling the mystery behind APIs. As he shared insights about the significance of APIs in the digital age, a wave of understanding swept across the room, setting the perfect tone for the upcoming hands-on experience with POSTMAN.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/mczofe5n2zxzhcud0url.jpg)
In the practical session, we dove into the API world, creating a new collection like digital artists with a blank canvas. With URL entries, the screen came alive, and under the expert guidance of API Student Pros, the once mysterious process became as clear as day. It was a sweet journey of discovery, turning complexity into simplicity with POSTMAN magic.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3hyn4xmt7hk9cskt7g24.JPG)

In the image, a simple yet powerful message emerges: we can effortlessly retrieve code in any programming language from a website.Picture it as having a master key to decode the language of any website, making coding accessible and straightforward, regardless of your preferred language. It's a visual nod to the workshop's hands-on approach, highlighting the ease with which we can unlock the coding potential of any site.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6siob20bdyjo7kmz7ws9.JPG)
As our journey continued, we stumbled upon three cool paths: \joke, \quote, and \book. We picked \joke because it's all about having fun with the Jokes API. Now, here's the cool part—we learned that each of these paths can do a bunch of things like getting info, adding new stuff, updating, and even deleting.

So, for example, if you want info, you use GET. If you want to add your own info, you go for POST. Need to update something? Throw in a PUT. And if you want to say goodbye to some data, hit DELETE. It's like a set of magic commands for making the API do what you want. Simple, right? These paths are like secret doorways to make things happen in the API world, turning it into a hands-on playground of possibilities.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/afpn9j96j8xrg8awn82e.JPG)
Excited to put our newfound knowledge into action, we started making requests to the Joke API using the \joke path. We kicked things off by using 'https://api101.up.railway.app/' as our starting point, which we call the base URL. Then came the fun part—we did GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests. It's like telling the API to either get, add, update, or delete information.

Now, let me break it down for you: when we asked for info (that's the GET request), added something new (POST request), updated things (PUT request), or said goodbye to data (DELETE request), we had to tell the API how we wanted to do it. That's where the body comes in. It's like giving specific instructions.

And guess what? I'll even show you the way the API likes to receive these instructions. It's like giving it a little map so it knows what you want to do. Plus, if you have a source (where the info is coming from), you can toss that in too, but it's totally optional. So, it's not just about making requests; it's about speaking the API's language and telling it exactly what you need. Cool, right?
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/i1289i7pyi8mtra14tkr.JPG)
As our API adventure concludes, we've not just learned about the nuts and bolts but embraced the art of speaking API's language. From the thrill of crafting requests to the joy of seeing them in action, our journey has been nothing short of exhilarating. So, here's to newfound knowledge, to the simplicity behind the complexity, and to the endless possibilities that APIs unfold. As we bid adieu to this workshop, let's carry forward this understanding, turning every interaction into a chance to speak the language of the digital realm. Happy coding, and may your API journeys be as exciting as this one!