In the world of software development, testing APIs is a critical step to ensure that your applications are working properly. Postman is one of the most widely used tools for this purpose, but there are several equally valid alternatives.
In this guide, we’ll explore Postman and three of the main alternatives: Hoppscotch, Insomnia, and HTTPie, highlighting their distinguishing features to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
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What is Postman and What is it for?
Postman is an application designed to make API development, testing, and documentation easier. With its intuitive graphical interface, it allows developers to create, send, and analyze HTTP requests without having to write code.
With Postman, users can:
- Create HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.).
- Manage collections of requests to organize tests.
- Simulate and test APIs with variables and environments.
- Automate API tests via JavaScript scripting.
- Share requests and documentation with your team.
Postman offers a free version with basic features and paid plans for advanced features, such as team collaboration, monitoring, and automated testing in the cloud.
Creating your first Collection and Request in Postman
A Collection in Postman is an organized set of API requests. Collections allow you to group and manage requests in a structured way, making it easy to share and automate tests.
Each Collection can contain multiple requests, environment variables, and scripts to automate your workflow. They are especially useful for development teams working with complex APIs or for those who want to run automated tests.
Steps to create a Collection:
1-Open Postman and click on the + symbol
2-Choose Blank as the Collection type
3-Give the Collection a name and a description (optional).
Creating the first Request:
We are now ready to create our first request to an API within the Collection we just created.
1-Click on Add a request
2-Select the HTTP method (e.g. GET or POST).
3-Enter the URL of the API you want to test.
4-Add any parameters, headers, or request bodies.
5-Click Send to send the request and view the response.
Testing the outcome of the Request
Postman offers an interesting feature to test the outcome of a request. In the "Scripts" section you can write test cases using the Javascript language. The outcome of the tests will appear in the "Test Results" tab of the response.
1-Click on the Scripts tab
2-Add the test code or use the ready-made snippets in the right side menu.
3-Click Send
4-In the Test Results tab you will see the test result
Alternatives to Postman
Hoppscotch (hoppscotch.io)
- 🌱 Open source: Yes
- 💸 Paid plans: No, completely free
- 🌐 Usage: Online only
Distinctive features:
- Lightweight and fast, entirely browser-based.
- Supports GraphQL, WebSocket, MQTT, and Socket.IO, plus REST.
- No installation required.
Insomnia (insomnia.rest)
- 🌱 Open source: Yes (with commercial version)
- 💸 Paid plans: Yes, for advanced features and collaboration
- 💻 Usage: Local, with desktop versions
Distinctive features:
- Great interface for API management and advanced testing.
- Support for GraphQL and REST.
- Tools for mocking APIs and request sharing.
HTTPie (httpie.io)
- 🌱 Open-source: Yes
- 💸 Paid plans: No, completely free
- 🌐 Usage: Local (CLI) and online (cloud)
Distinctive features:
- Intuitive design and simplified CLI commands.
- Cloud version for API testing via browser.
- Focused on usability and readability of API responses.
Comparison table
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