Using the Collection Runner

The Collection Runner allows you to run sets of requests in a specified sequence. The Collection Runner will log your request test results, and your scripts can pass data between requests as well as altering the request workflow.

You can run collections against specific environments, and can pass data files into a run. Collection runs allow you to automate your API testing, and you can schedule runs using monitors. You can integrate collection runs to your CI/CD pipeline using Postman's CLI Newman.

You can run a collection in Postman, using Newman, or with a monitor.

Contents

• Starting a collection run
• Running your collections
• Sharing collection runs
• Automating collection runs
• Next steps

Starting a collection run

To run a collection, click Runner at the top left of Postman. You can alternatively start a run from Collections on the left by clicking Run in the collection overview.

When you open the Collection Runner, it will display a list of recent collection runs if you have any.

You can switch your workspace using the control at the top in the center of the window to access the collection you want to run.

Your collections appear on the left. Select a collection or folder to run the requests inside it in the specified sequence. By default your requests will run in the sequence they are listed in the collection, but you can click to the left of each one and drag to move it if you need to change the order of execution. You can also deselect an individual request by unchecking its box.

You can alter the flow of execution from your request scripts using setNextRequest to create workflows.

You can optionally choose config parameters for your collection run:

• An environment to run the requests against.
• The number of iterations for your collection run. You can also run collections multiple times against different data sets to build workflows.
• An interval delay (milliseconds) between each request.
• A data file for the collection run.
• Saving responses to the log will allow you to review them but can affect performance.
• Persisting variables will mean that any variables updated by the run will remain changed after it. If you do not persist variables, changes will not be saved after the run completes. Note that persisting variables in the collection run will update the current value only. If you have variables set to automatically persist in your Postman settings, each variable initial value will update to the current value after a run.
• If your requests use cookies, you can optionally disable them for a collection run.
• Saving cookies means that any values affected by requests during the run will remain after it completes.

Running your collections

With your config complete, click Run (collection name) to execute it. Postman will display your request executions and test results in realtime. To the right you will see a number for each iteration—click to select one. You will see an overview for each request, including its passed or failed tests—you can filter on each using the red and green buttons on the left.

If any tests in a request script fail during the collection run, it will be listed as failed—it will be listed as passed if all tests inside it pass.

Click a request name to access more data on what happened when it executed.

If you check Save responses when you start a collection run, you will see the responses in the run results.

You can export test results and view the Run Summary using the buttons at the top right.

The summary also lists a column for each iteration of your collection run so that you can see test output for the whole run at a glance.

Sharing collection runs

You can share the run results for a collection, by exporting them from the Collection Runner so that other people can import them into Postman.

To export a collection run, click Runner and find the run you want to export in the Recent Runs list. You will see the Export run icon appear on hover—click it to download the run.

Choose a location to save your downloaded collection run. You also can select a collection run from the Recent Runs list and download it from there by clicking Export Results at the top.

To export multiple collection run results from the Recent Runs list, hold down the command or control key and select the items from the list that you want to export. Click the Download icon in the menu bar at the top.

To import a collection run, open the Runner and click Import Runs at the top. Navigate your local file directory and import either a JSON collection run file or a .zip file containing multiple collection run results.

Automating collection runs

In addition to using the Collection Runner in Postman, you can use collection runs in conjunction with other utilities in order to build automation into your API projects.

• The Postman command line interface Newman allows you to run collections and build them into your development pipeline, responding to test outcomes to maintain your API performance.
• Adding a monitor to your collection lets you schedule collection runs and stay informed of any issues.

Next steps

You can use scripts to build workflows specifying conditional sequences for running the requests in your collections.