What is Postman? and how to get started
Tags: beginners, api, postman, howto
Published: 2022-08-09 02:18:41


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Imagine sending a letter to a friend. You put the letter in the mailbox - end of story, right? But how exactly does the letter get sent from you to your friend? And how does your friend's letter get sent to *you*?

If you guessed that the letter gets delivered by a mail carrier, you are correct.

Similar to a mail carrier, **Postman** is a popular API client that makes it easy for developers to not only share APIs, but create, test, and document APIs as well. This is done by allowing users to create and save both simple and complex HTTP requests, as well as read the responses. This results in more efficient and less tedious work for developers. 

#Getting Started

 

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To start, first download [**Postman.**](https://www.postman.com/) 


![Postman main page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/onlg2f53ona7ou9m332w.png) 

 

 

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You'll then be directed to the download page. Although there is a web version of **Postman,** I highly recommend downloading and using the desktop app as it allows you access to all features. 


![Postman download page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6ex5iacvzto5x2ium6b1.png)


#Application Overview
Once **Postman** is installed, you will see something similar to this page (depending on the version): 

![Application overview page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/02n7jmi3zf7ofz1tlrnq.png)

Take note of the following components labeled in the image above.

1. The navigation bar at the top of **Postman** allows you to switch workspaces and includes the **New** button.

1. The sidebar allows you to filter historical requests that you've made. It also lets you create new collections for your requests.

1. The main section of the application will be where you see the requests that you make. The app typically starts up on the **Launchpad** screen. The **New tab** ➕ icon allows you to start a new request.


#Customization
By selecting the various dividers and closing tabs, you can simplify your workflow. Click the **New tab** button in the main section of the page and then follow the instructions below to create a more streamlined view.

1. Close the **Launchpad** tab.

1. Open a new request tab by clicking the **New tab** button.

1. Drag the sidebar divider to the left to collapse the sidebar.

1. Drag the **Response** section of the new request tab up to hide the **Params** section.

Your page should look something like this when you're done:


![Customization page](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/x91qc8fzcsvfsfz06zsj.png)

#Making Your First Request
To make a request with **Postman**, type a URL like https://dev.to into the location bar that's next to the drop-down menu with the word **GET** in it, as shown below. Then, click **Send**.

![GET request](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yl975ycl7b3nxiqfn5dq.png)

The response section will change to include a number of tabs, including the **Body** tab. In it, you'll see both HTML and CSS!

By default, **Postman** will suggest that you save your requests in case you end up using them often. You don't have to save your request in this instance. 

You can also click the **Preview** button that is within the **Body** section. Although it may not look exactly the same, you will probably recognize some elements from the **Dev.to** website. 

#Conclusion

At its most basic, **Postman** is a software application that allows you to make web requests without the use of a browser. However, after exploring more of its features you will quickly notice that **Postman** can do much more than make requests and inspect results.