API Testing Mastery with Postman (4 Weeks) - Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction to Postman and API Fundamentals

• Understanding APIs: Learn what APIs are, their role in modern software development, and key concepts like REST, HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE), and status codes.
• Postman Basics: Install Postman, navigate its interface, and create your first API request.
• Making Requests: Explore how to send GET and POST requests, manage headers, and work with query parameters.
• Environments and Variables: Set up environments to manage dynamic data and use variables for reusable configurations.

Week 2: Writing and Organizing API Tests

• Test Scripts in Postman: Master the Postman sandbox to write JavaScript-based test scripts, including assertions for status codes and response validation.
• Collections: Create and organize collections to streamline API testing workflows.
• Data-Driven Testing: Learn to use data files (CSV/JSON) for parameterized testing to validate APIs with multiple inputs.
• Debugging: Use the Postman console to troubleshoot and debug scripts effectively.

Week 3: Advanced Testing and Automation

• Advanced Scripting: Write pre-request and test scripts to handle complex scenarios, such as chaining requests and extracting data from responses.
• Authentication: Implement various authentication methods (Basic Auth, API Keys, OAuth) in Postman.
• Collection Runner and CLI: Automate test execution using Postman’s Collection Runner and Newman for CLI-based testing.
• API Monitoring: Set up monitors to track API performance and health over time.

Week 4: Integration and Real-World Application

• CI/CD Integration: Integrate Postman tests into CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab, or GitHub Actions.
• Collaboration and Workspaces: Use Postman workspaces to collaborate with teams and share collections.
• API Documentation: Generate and maintain comprehensive API documentation within Postman.
• Capstone Project: Build a test suite for a real-world API, applying all learned concepts to ensure functionality, performance, and reliability.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be proficient in using Postman to create, test, automate, and document APIs, with practical experience in real-world testing scenarios.