# Cheat Sheet #day20 - Postman

### Postman Cheat Sheet

Postman is a popular tool used for API testing and development. It provides a user-friendly interface to send requests, inspect responses, and automate testing. Below is a cheat sheet to help you navigate the essential features and functionalities of Postman.

#### Basic Operations

* **Create a New Request**
    
    * Click the `+` button next to the existing tab or use `Ctrl+T` (Cmd+T on Mac).
        
    * Enter the request URL and select the HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).
        
* **Save a Request**
    
    * Click the `Save` button, choose a collection, and name your request.
        
* **Send a Request**
    
    * Fill in the required details and click the `Send` button.
        

#### Request Components

* **URL Parameters**
    
    * Add query parameters by clicking on `Params` and entering key-value pairs.
        
* **Headers**
    
    * Click on `Headers` and add necessary headers by entering key-value pairs.
        
* **Body**
    
    * Select the `Body` tab and choose the appropriate format (raw, form-data, x-www-form-urlencoded, binary, GraphQL).
        
* **Authorization**
    
    * Select the `Authorization` tab to choose an authorization type (No Auth, Basic Auth, Bearer Token, API Key, etc.).
        

#### Collections and Folders

* **Create a New Collection**
    
    * Click the `New` button and select `Collection`. Name your collection.
        
* **Add a Request to a Collection**
    
    * After creating or opening a request, click the `Save` button and select the collection to save it in.
        
* **Create a Folder in a Collection**
    
    * Right-click on a collection and choose `Add Folder`. Name your folder.
        

#### Environment Variables

* **Create an Environment**
    
    * Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select `Manage Environments`. Click `Add` to create a new environment.
        
* **Add Variables to an Environment**
    
    * Inside your environment, add key-value pairs. Use `{{variableName}}` in your requests to reference these variables.
        
* **Switch Environments**
    
    * Click the environment dropdown at the top right and select your desired environment.
        

#### Pre-Request and Test Scripts

* **Add a Pre-Request Script**
    
    * Open a request and select the `Pre-request Script` tab. Write JavaScript code to run before the request is sent.
        
* **Add a Test Script**
    
    * Open a request and select the `Tests` tab. Write JavaScript code to run after the response is received.
        

#### Running Collections

* **Collection Runner**
    
    * Click the `Runner` button at the top left, select the collection, and configure the run (environment, iterations, delay, etc.).
        
* **Newman CLI**
    
    * Install Newman via npm:
        
        ```bash
        npm install -g newman
        ```
        
    * Run a collection using Newman:
        
        ```bash
        newman run path/to/collection.json -e path/to/environment.json
        ```
        

#### Response Components

* **View Response**
    
    * After sending a request, view the response in the `Body`, `Headers`, `Cookies`, and `Test Results` tabs.
        
* **Response Status and Time**
    
    * Check the status code, response time, and size in the response area.
        
* **Save Response**
    
    * Click the `Save Response` button to save the response to a file.
        

#### Advanced Features

* **Monitor**
    
    * Click on a collection, then `Monitor Collection` to create a monitor that runs your collection at defined intervals.
        
* **Mock Servers**
    
    * Click the `New` button, select `Mock Server`, and configure your mock server.
        
* **Documentation**
    
    * Click on a collection and choose `Publish Docs` to generate and share API documentation.
        

#### Shortcuts

* **New Tab:** `Ctrl+T` (Cmd+T on Mac)
    
* **Close Tab:** `Ctrl+W` (Cmd+W on Mac)
    
* **Save Request:** `Ctrl+S` (Cmd+S on Mac)
    
* **Toggle Sidebar:** `Ctrl+\` (Cmd+\\ on Mac)
    
* **Send Request:** `Ctrl+Enter` (Cmd+Enter on Mac)
    
* **Find:** `Ctrl+F` (Cmd+F on Mac)
    

This cheat sheet covers the fundamental aspects of Postman to help you get started and work efficiently with APIs. For more detailed information, refer to the [official Postman documentation](https://learning.postman.com/docs/).