Postman is a popular tool for API development and testing, known for its user-friendly interface and powerful features. However, there are several alternatives to Postman that offer unique capabilities and may better suit your specific needs. In this blog, we will explore some of the best alternatives to Postman for API testing and development.
1. Insomnia
Insomnia is a powerful, open-source API client that provides a streamlined and intuitive interface for testing RESTful APIs.
Key Features:
- User-Friendly Interface: Clean and minimal design for easy navigation.
- GraphQL Support: Built-in support for GraphQL queries.
- Environment Variables: Easily manage and switch between different environments.
- Plugins: Extend functionality with a variety of plugins.
Example:
To get started with Insomnia, download it from the official website, install it, and create a new request by selecting the appropriate HTTP method and entering your endpoint URL.
2. Paw
Paw is a fully-featured API client designed specifically for macOS, offering a native macOS experience.
Key Features:
- Native macOS Application: Seamless integration with macOS features.
- Dynamic Values: Generate values dynamically for requests.
- Extensive Import/Export Options: Easily import from and export to various formats.
- Team Collaboration: Share API definitions and test cases with team members.
Example:
To use Paw, purchase and download it from the Paw website. Open the app, create a new request, and start testing your API endpoints with ease.
3. Swagger UI
Swagger UI is part of the Swagger ecosystem, designed to automatically generate documentation and provide an interactive API explorer.
Key Features:
- Auto-Generated Documentation: Create interactive API documentation from OpenAPI specifications.
- Interactive API Explorer: Test endpoints directly from the documentation.
- Customization: Customize the UI to match your brand.
Example:
To use Swagger UI, you can host it yourself or use the online version. Provide your OpenAPI specification, and Swagger UI will generate interactive documentation that allows you to test your endpoints.
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
title: Sample API
description: API description in Markdown.
version: 1.0.0
paths:
/users:
get:
summary: Returns a list of users.
responses:
'200':
description: A JSON array of user names.
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: array
items:
type: string
4. Hoppscotch (formerly Postwoman)
Hoppscotch is an open-source API development ecosystem that provides a fast and easy way to test APIs.
Key Features:
- Real-Time Testing: Quickly test REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket APIs.
- Lightweight: Runs efficiently in your browser without needing installation.
- Collaborative: Share your API requests and responses with others.
Example:
Visit the Hoppscotch website, choose the type of request (REST, GraphQL, etc.), and start testing your API endpoints directly from the browser.
5. HTTPie
HTTPie is a command-line HTTP client that offers a friendly syntax for API testing, making it a great choice for developers who prefer the terminal.
Key Features:
- Command-Line Interface: Simple and intuitive syntax for making HTTP requests.
- JSON Support: Automatically formats and colorizes JSON responses.
- Extensible: Use plugins to add additional functionality.
Example:
Install HTTPie using pip:
pip install httpie
Make a GET request:
http GET https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1
Conclusion
While Postman remains a popular choice for API testing, these alternatives offer unique features and benefits that may better suit your workflow. Whether you prefer a graphical user interface like Insomnia or Paw, an interactive API documentation tool like Swagger UI, a browser-based tool like Hoppscotch, or a command-line interface like HTTPie, there is an option out there to meet your needs.
Explore these tools to find the one that best fits your development process and helps you efficiently build, test, and document your APIs.
Top comments (10)
Upvote because I think it's a great list for alternatives to postman.
I also think Postman is overpriced now, because we have to pay for what we don't even use or plan to using it (like 80% of the features it has now)
Me and my buddy searched and tried all of the solutions listed on this post, each of them were awesome and great in their own way. But we couldn't find one that's cool (that uses modern ui/ux cmdk etc), fast and easy. We weren't satisfied enough so we just decided to craft one ourselves.
If you guys have any other products that you think are awesome, please share with us in the comments!
For me the most crucial point was accessibility for screen reader users, as I'm blind and I needed to test many API requests every day at my previous job. I used Hurl and was happy with it. The only thing I couldn't do for some reason is to test OAuth locally, but probably it's because of complications of that particular company setup.
You missed Thunder Client
You miss Bruno
I will give a +1 to this. Bruno is a really good alternative if you do not want to get forced into the cloud with your collections and suites. -> usebruno.com/
I like Jmeter. It's an open-source tool. I also use it for performance testing and I was able to run the test in the Azure pipeline. Pretty neat!
Good post
It is embarrassingly obvious that this is AI generated content copy-pasted into an "article".
"Describe postman, give 5 alternatives with 3 key features and an example for each"
Put that in ChatGPT and you will highly likely get something like this poster did when he created this article.
Before I could use postman on localhost when there was no Internet. Now, I'm not able to do it as Internet is now required
Supporting offline mode is quite mandatory i think.
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