Design your API in Postman using the API Builder

With the API Builder, you can connect various Postman elements of your API development lifecycle to your API definition, such as collections, documentation, and tests. You can also integrate your API in Postman with a Git repository, such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Azure DevOps.

The maximum number of API objects you can create in the API Builder is determined by your Postman plan. Learn more about what's included with each plan.

Designing and developing your API

The following are the high-level steps involved when designing and developing your APIs in Postman:

• Creating an API - Create a new API in Postman or import an existing API.
• Using API version control - Sync your changes between Postman and a remote Git repository. When you're ready to share your changes with consumers, publish a version.
• Developing an API - Build out your API by editing your API definition and adding collections. You can also generate server-side code from your OpenAPI 3 specification and validate your API definition and linked elements.
• Testing an API - Add tests to your API, and use CI integration to build and automate testing.
• Deploying an API - Connect your API deployment service to have greater visibility within Postman.
• Observing an API - Integrate your API with application performance management (APM) tools.
• Managing and sharing APIs - Share your API with other team members, add comments, view the changelog, and watch for changes.
• Mocking an API - Set up a mock server to simulate your API's endpoints for testing or development purposes.
• Using API reports - Use reports to view statistics on how APIs are being used, developed, and improved by your team.

Navigating the API Builder

To view and work with APIs, select APIs in the sidebar. From here, you can open and edit any existing APIs, or create or import new APIs. Use the arrows to expand an API in the sidebar and view the API's definition files and linked elements.

When you select an API in the sidebar, the workbench displays an overview of the API. The overview displays a description of the API, tags associated with the API (Enterprise plans), any linked collections, and the API's published versions. The overview also provides quick access to tasks, such as connecting to a Git repository, adding tests, observing API performance, and viewing deployments.

The right sidebar offers more options for working with your API. You can view comments, generate server code from your API definition, and view the API's changelog.

For APIs connected to a Git repository, the changelog is replaced by the Source Control pane, which you can use to sync your changes with a remote Git repository.