Using Postman

How to run your API in Postman

Prerequisites

Postman Desktop installed (browser version not recommended)
- Created a Postman account as part of the process
Subscription to the API you want to use

A screenshot of an API Developer Portal page for an "Employee Information" API. An arrow points from the "API Catalog" tab to the page title. Blue boxes highlight several key pieces of information for making an API call: the selected "REST" tab, the "Base URL Path" which is `https://umn-prod-apigw.boomi.cloud:8077/prd/ws/rest/employeeinformation/V6`, and a "POST" method for the `/MultipleEmployeeJobPositionInformation` endpoint.

Step 1: Get the API url

Open Postman and log in with your Postman account
Access the appropriate API Developer Portal
- Production API Portal
- Dev/Test API Portal
- Sign in using your Functional Account
Click on API Catalog at the top
Use the Search box to find the API by name
- Some APIs have multiple versions so be sure to select the one you subscribed to
- If you are in the Dev/Test API Portal, there may be Dev and Test versions; check the Environment field near the bottom of the API box to select the correct one
Click on the REST tab
Copy the Base URL Path
Expand the endpoint you want to use by clicking the down arrow
- Note the endpoint value (e.g. /students)

A screenshot of API client application Postman, in dark mode. It shows a new "Untitled Request" being created. The dropdown menu for the HTTP method is open, with the "POST" method highlighted and selected. Other available methods like GET, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE are also visible in the list.

Step 2: Create a new request

Click + above the canvas
Select GET or POST depending on the endpoint

A close-up screenshot of Postman, focused on the URL input field for a POST request. A blue box highlights the complete request URL that has been entered: `https://umn-test-apigw.boomi.cloud:8077/test/ws/rest/employeeinformation/V6/MultipleEmployeeJobPositionInformation`. The "Send" button is visible on the right.

Paste the Base URL PATH from above into the URL box
Add a slash (/) followed by the endpoint and/or input

A screenshot of the "Authorization" tab in Postman, demonstrating how to set up credentials for a request. Two sections are highlighted with blue boxes. The first box shows the "Auth Type" dropdown menu is set to "Basic Auth". The second box highlights the "Username" and "Password" fields, which are populated with environment variables: boomi_api_username and boomi_api_password.

Step 3: Configure authorization

Click the Authorization tab
- - Auth Type = Basic Auth
  - Enter your Boomi API username and password

A screenshot of the API Developer Portal, showing a user's "Subscriptions" page for the "Employee Information" API. An arrow points to the selected "Subscriptions" tab in the main navigation. At the bottom of the page, another arrow and a blue box highlight the "API Key" section. The key itself is redacted with a black box for security, and a "Copy" button is visible beside it.

Step 4: Retrieve your API key

Access the API Developer Portal
- Production API Portal
- Dev/Test API Portal
- Sign in using your Functional Account
Click on Subscriptions at the top
Expand Application and click on the name of the API
Click Copy next to the API Key box (Do Not click the Generate Replacement API Key link unless you need to reset the key!)

A screenshot of Postman, showing the "Headers" tab for an API request. The "Headers (10)" tab is selected and highlighted with a blue box. Below, in the key-value editor, a header with the key `x-api-key` has been added. An arrow and another blue box point to the corresponding value field, where the actual API key has been blacked out for security purposes.

Step 5: Add headers

Click the Headers tab
- Key = x-api-key
- Value = The API key that you copied from the API Developer Portal

A composite screenshot illustrating how to configure a JSON request body for an API call. On the left, the API Developer Portal shows an "Example Value" for the request body. On the right, in Postman, the "Body" tab is selected, with the type set to "raw" and "JSON". A large arrow points from the example code in the documentation to the API client's text area, showing that the example structure has been copied and filled in with specific data, such as employee IDs.

Step 6: Set up the body

Click the Body tab
- Select raw
- Select JSON from the dropdown to the right
- Copy and paste the example request from the API Developer Portal
- Enter values in place of "string"

A close-up screenshot of Postman, focusing on the "Send" button. A blue arrow points directly at the large, blue "Send" button, indicating that the user should click it to execute the fully configured API request. Below the request section, the API response is visible in a dedicated "Body" section, with a "200 OK" status displayed in a green box to the right, indicating a successful request.

Step 7: Send the request

Click Send
View data returned in the Response window
- A 200 status code indicates success
- If no data is returned, the response will be empty but still show status code 200
- Other response codes are listed on the REST tab in the API Catalog to assist with troubleshooting

Tips:

Create Collections in Postman to organize your APIs
Set up the Basic Auth at the Collection level
- Use "Inherit from Parent" for individual requests
- If credentials change, update them once in the Collection

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