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SacPy - BitProject - Postman Workshop

SacPy.org BitProject.org

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William Hooten
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9 views52 pages

SacPy - BitProject - Postman Workshop

SacPy.org BitProject.org

Uploaded by

William Hooten
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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{{Intro.to.

APIs}
Bit Project x Postman Presents

}
Reimagining
the Classroom
Leveraging technology to
rethink the way we teach

bitproject.org/join/student
Presenters

Kevin Vuong Jefferson Chhen Michelle Hu


Developer Relations Developer Developer
{{Intro to APIs}}
❏ What are APIs?
❏ Using Postman to Test
Endpoints
❏ Creating Postman
Collections
❏ BitBloxs
❏ Collection Runners
Before we get started:

Download Postman!

getpostman.com/downloads
Make a Postman Account!
What is an API?
APIs allow programs to interact
with each other without exposing
source code
Why are APIs Useful?

Faster Development
You don’t need to build everything from
scratch.

Makes development easier and faster!


Why are APIs Useful?

Easy Data Access


Data APIs make authenticated access
to all kinds of data easy!
What is a RESTful API?
RESTful APIs allow programs to communicate with each other
using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) Requests

HTTP

Webpage Server
HTTP Methods
GET: retrieves data

POST: assigns a value to an empty object

PUT: re-assign/ change a value

DELETE: gets rid of an existing value


Endpoints Status Code

❏ Endpoint is the receiving


end of all your API requests.

❏ It takes a request + data


and returns a response.

❏ Endpoints will always return


a status code
API Testing Game
bitbloxs.herokuapp.com
Objective
● Fill adjacent squares with your team’s color
using API
● Try to get the biggest blob, the most
amount of connected squares with your
team’s color
● Notice, some commands can’t do certain
actions.
Rules
● Four colors for four teams: orange, yellow,
blue and green
● Get the most connected squares for your
color
● Volunteers will each lead a team - split into
groups
● ~5-10 minutes, final result only decided when
time is up
What is cURL?
cURL is a command-line tool for
getting or sending data including
files using URL syntax.
Open your
Terminal/Command Prompt
GET Requests
We use a GET request when we
want to query a collection of data or
a specific piece of data

GET requests return a data object


(usually in JSON) and a 200 status
code

curl --location --request GET


"https://bitbloxs.herokuapp.com/boxes?api_key=thisistheapikey"
POST Requests
POST requests are used to send data
to the server. It creates a new object.

❏ You are “posting” data to the API


❏ POST requests generally don’t
return data, just a 200 status code

curl --location --request POST


"https://bitbloxs.herokuapp.com/change/23/yellow?api_key=thisistheapikey"
PUT Requests
A PUT request is used to change
existing data

In contrast to POST, which creates


new data

curl --location --request PUT


"https://bitbloxs.herokuapp.com/change/23/blue?api_key
=thisistheapikey"
DELETE Requests A DELETE method is used to delete
existing data
Explained

curl --location --request DELETE


"https://bitbloxs.herokuapp.com/delete/23?api_key=thisisth
eapikey"
What is Postman?
Postman is a collaboration platform for
API development.

Makes testing APIs super simple!


Postman Features

Easy Testing
Postman allows easy API testing
with a click of a button.

No need to use curl command!


Postman Features

Collections
Postman also allows you to organize a set of
API requests.

This makes it quick and easy access to


see/edit/delete a request.
Creating a New Collection
Create a Collection

We are going to create a request to get a single box’s color


Postman Features

Environments
Environments allow easy switching
between, development and
production servers. Environments let
you customize requests using
variables so you can easily switch
between different setups without
changing your requests.
Creating an Environment

Click the gear icon. Then, click ADD


Postman Features

Credentials
Variables in a Postman
collection can be used in the
entire collection - allows you
to encapsulate sensitive data
Create Variables for your Credentials

https://bitbloxs.herokuapp.com/
Create Variables for your Credentials

An API Key is required to access an API. Our API’s key is

thisistheapikey
Open Collection

Make sure that you click the menu icon on the


bottom left to open the menu!
Creating a GET Request
Use Authentication
Creating the route

input the following link:

{{url}}boxes/22
Postman Features

Documentation
Postman also auto generates
beautiful documentation.

This makes it quick and easy for


developers to understand all of
the features of an API.
Let’s Explore

explore.postman.com/templates/4301
Click View Documentation
Importing Collections

Click the Run in Postman button


Open Collection

Make sure that you click the menu icon on the


bottom left to open the menu!
Set Environment

Make sure the environment is set to “Deploy”


Experiment with Postman

In the collection click the “Get all boxes” request.


Click the send button and see what happens!
Experiment with Postman
POST in Postman
Double click the Change
color request in the
collection.

Your Postman client


should look like this
POST in Postman
On the link, replace
<string:color> to either
blue, orange, green, or
yellow.

Your link should look


something like this.
POST in Postman
On the link, replace
<int:box_id> with a number
from 1 to 400.

Your link should look


something like this.

After this step, click the


Send button!
Psst
Repeat for Put/Delete
Requests
how to
win
BitBloxs.herokuapp.com

May the best


team win!
Postman Features

Collection Runner
Collections are groups of
requests that can be run
together as a series of requests,
against a corresponding
environment.

Click the Runner Button


Postman Features

Collection Runner
Configure the POST route to look
something like this.

Replace {{box_id}} with the


number and add the color you
want.
How we use Postman
❏ Simulating backend service for
Frontend Developers
❏ Testing endpoints without using curl
Apply here!

bitproject.org/join/students

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