Explore APIs with Postman

When it comes to working with APIs, a classic tool loved by many is the legendary cURL. cURL is cool, powerful, and in the meantime, maybe intimidating. The fact that it runs through the command line might scares many non-developers away. However many designers, researchers, and just anyone who works with data and the internet might have to deal with APIs at some point. Luckily, for those who prefer a GUI, there's an awesome app called Postman.

A Chrome app¹, Postman, can pretty much run on any platform. The basic usage of Postman is as easy as filling in the API url, choosing a method, and clicking send. Postman will then connect to the API and display the message and/or data sent back from the server in a format that’s easy on the eyes. You can even log in a server by hitting the authentication API and perform calls that require an authenticated user.² Postman can definitely cover the majority’s needs for exploring APIs.

I recommend anyone who works with APIs give Postman a try if you haven't already — even if you are comfortable with your current toolset, you might still find some hidden gem in Postman that will make your life a little easier.