How to create a Postman collection and add requests to it

1. Introduction

Postman is a popular tool for testing and automating APIs. It allows you to create, send, and analyze HTTP requests in a user-friendly interface. You can also organize your requests into collections, which are groups of related requests that can be executed together or shared with others.

In this postman collection tutorial, you will learn how to create a postman collection and add requests to it. You will also learn how to run and share your collection with others. By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to create your own collections and use them for various purposes, such as testing, documentation, or collaboration.

To follow along with this tutorial, you will need to have Postman installed on your computer. You can download it from here. You will also need a basic understanding of how to use Postman and how to create and send requests. If you are new to Postman, you can check out this introduction to get started.

Ready to create your first postman collection? Let’s begin!

2. How to create a Postman collection

Creating a postman collection is very easy and can be done in a few steps. A postman collection is a folder that contains one or more requests that are related to each other. You can create a postman collection for a specific project, API, or scenario. For example, you can create a postman collection for testing a RESTful API that has different endpoints for CRUD operations.

To create a postman collection, you need to follow these steps:

1. Open Postman and click on the New button in the top left corner.
2. Select Collection from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter a name and a description for your collection. You can also add variables, authorization, and pre-request scripts to your collection if you want.
4. Click on Create to create your collection.

You will see your collection in the left sidebar under Collections. You can expand or collapse your collection by clicking on the arrow next to its name. You can also edit, duplicate, delete, or export your collection by clicking on the three dots next to its name.

Now that you have created a postman collection, you can start adding requests to it. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next section.

3. How to add requests to a Postman collection

Once you have created a postman collection, you can add requests to it. Requests are the core of Postman, as they allow you to send and receive data from an API. You can create requests from scratch, import them from a file or URL, or use existing requests from your history or another collection.

To add requests to a postman collection, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the collection that you want to add requests to from the left sidebar.
2. Click on the Add Request button at the bottom of the collection.
3. Enter a name and a description for your request. You can also add variables, authorization, and pre-request scripts to your request if you want.
4. Click on Save to [collection name] to save your request to the collection.

You will see your request in the collection under the collection name. You can expand or collapse your request by clicking on the arrow next to its name. You can also edit, duplicate, delete, or export your request by clicking on the three dots next to its name.

Now that you have added a request to your collection, you can start creating, saving, and editing your requests. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next sections.

3.1. Create a new request

To create a new request in Postman, you need to follow these steps:

1. Click on the New button in the top left corner and select Request from the dropdown menu.
2. Enter a name and a description for your request. You can also choose a collection to save your request to, or create a new collection if you want.
3. Click on Save to save your request.
4. Enter the URL of the API endpoint that you want to send your request to in the address bar. You can also use variables or parameters in your URL if you want.
5. Select the HTTP method that you want to use for your request from the dropdown menu next to the address bar. You can choose from GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, or other methods.
6. Add any headers, body, or authentication details that you need for your request in the tabs below the address bar. You can also use variables or scripts in these tabs if you want.
7. Click on Send to send your request and see the response in the lower pane.

You have successfully created a new request in Postman. You can see the details of your request and response in the right sidebar under Request and Response. You can also view the status code, time, size, and cookies of your request and response in the status bar below the address bar.

Now that you have created a new request, you can save it to your collection. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next section.

3.2. Save a request to a collection

Saving a request to a collection is a good way to organize and reuse your requests. You can save a request to a collection either when you create it or after you send it. You can also save a request to multiple collections if you want.

To save a request to a collection, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the request that you want to save from the left sidebar or the tab bar.
2. Click on the Save button in the top right corner of the request.
3. Choose a collection to save your request to from the dropdown menu. You can also create a new collection if you want.
4. Enter a name and a description for your request. You can also add variables, authorization, and pre-request scripts to your request if you want.
5. Click on Save to [collection name] to save your request to the collection.

You have successfully saved a request to a collection. You can see your request in the collection under the collection name. You can also edit, duplicate, delete, or export your request by clicking on the three dots next to its name.

Now that you have saved a request to a collection, you can edit it if you need to. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next section.

3.3. Edit a request in a collection

Editing a request in a collection is a useful way to modify and update your requests. You can edit a request in a collection either before or after you send it. You can also edit a request in multiple collections if you want.

To edit a request in a collection, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the request that you want to edit from the left sidebar or the tab bar.
2. Make any changes that you need to your request in the address bar, the tabs below the address bar, or the right sidebar.
3. Click on the Save button in the top right corner of the request.
4. Choose a collection to save your request to from the dropdown menu. You can also create a new collection if you want.
5. Enter a name and a description for your request. You can also add variables, authorization, and pre-request scripts to your request if you want.
6. Click on Save to [collection name] to save your request to the collection.

You have successfully edited a request in a collection. You can see your request in the collection under the collection name. You can also edit, duplicate, delete, or export your request by clicking on the three dots next to its name.

Now that you have edited a request in a collection, you can run it if you want to. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next section.

4. How to run a Postman collection

Running a postman collection is a powerful way to test and automate your requests. You can run a collection either manually or using a scheduler. You can also run a collection with different data sets, environments, and iterations. Running a collection will generate a report that shows the results of your requests, such as status, time, tests, and assertions.

To run a postman collection manually, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the collection that you want to run from the left sidebar.
2. Click on the Run button at the bottom of the collection.
3. A new window will open with the Collection Runner. Here you can configure various options for running your collection, such as environment, data, iterations, delay, log, and persist variables.
4. Click on Run [collection name] to start running your collection.
5. You will see the progress and the results of your collection run in the Runner window. You can also pause, stop, or resume your collection run if you want.

You have successfully run a postman collection manually. You can see the details of your collection run in the Runner window. You can also export, save, or share your collection run report by clicking on the icons in the top right corner of the window.

To run a postman collection using a scheduler, you need to use a feature called Monitors. Monitors are Postman’s native service that allows you to schedule and run your collections at specific intervals. You can also view the results and performance of your monitors in the Postman web dashboard.

To run a postman collection using a monitor, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the collection that you want to run from the left sidebar.
2. Click on the Monitor button at the bottom of the collection.
3. A new window will open with the Create Monitor dialog. Here you can configure various options for creating your monitor, such as name, schedule, environment, regions, and email notifications.
4. Click on Create to create your monitor.
5. You will see your monitor in the left sidebar under Monitors. You can also edit, delete, or view your monitor by clicking on the three dots next to its name.

You have successfully run a postman collection using a monitor. You can see the details of your monitor run in the Postman web dashboard. You can also view the logs, metrics, and alerts of your monitor by clicking on its name.

Now that you have run a postman collection, you can share it with others if you want to. How do you do that? Let’s find out in the next section.

5. How to share a Postman collection

Sharing a postman collection is a great way to collaborate and communicate with others. You can share a collection either publicly or privately. You can also share a collection with specific people, teams, or roles. Sharing a collection will allow others to view, edit, or run your collection, depending on the permissions that you set.

To share a postman collection publicly, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the collection that you want to share from the left sidebar.
2. Click on the Share button at the bottom of the collection.
3. A new window will open with the Share Collection dialog. Here you can configure various options for sharing your collection, such as name, description, documentation, and link.
4. Click on the Get public link button to generate a public link for your collection.
5. Copy the link and share it with anyone who wants to view your collection.

You have successfully shared a postman collection publicly. You can see your public link in the Share Collection dialog. You can also disable or enable the link by clicking on the toggle button next to it.

To share a postman collection privately, you need to follow these steps:

1. Select the collection that you want to share from the left sidebar.
2. Click on the Share button at the bottom of the collection.
3. A new window will open with the Share Collection dialog. Here you can configure various options for sharing your collection, such as name, description, documentation, and link.
4. Click on the Share in a workspace tab to switch to the private sharing mode.
5. Select a workspace to share your collection to from the dropdown menu. You can also create a new workspace if you want.
6. Click on the Share button to share your collection to the selected workspace.

You have successfully shared a postman collection privately. You can see your collection in the selected workspace under Collections. You can also manage the permissions and roles of the workspace members by clicking on the Manage Roles button in the Share Collection dialog.

Now that you have shared a postman collection, you can enjoy the benefits of collaboration and communication with others. You can also learn from other collections that are shared by the Postman community. You can find them in the Postman API Network.

Congratulations! You have completed this postman collection tutorial. You have learned how to create, add, edit, run, and share a postman collection. You have also learned how to use various features and options of Postman to make your collection more powerful and useful. You can now use Postman collections for various purposes, such as testing, documentation, or automation.

Thank you for reading this tutorial. I hope you found it helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy Postman-ing!

6. Conclusion

In this postman collection tutorial, you have learned how to create a postman collection and add requests to it. You have also learned how to edit, run, and share your collection with others. You have used various features and options of Postman to make your collection more powerful and useful. You can now use Postman collections for various purposes, such as testing, documentation, or automation.

Postman collections are a great way to organize and reuse your requests. They can also help you collaborate and communicate with others more effectively. You can also learn from other collections that are shared by the Postman community. You can find them in the Postman API Network.

Thank you for reading this tutorial. I hope you found it helpful and informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy Postman-ing!