How can you use Postman and Newman to integrate API testing in Agile projects?

1 Create and run Postman collections

A Postman collection is a group of requests that can be executed as a sequence or a workflow. You can use Postman to create collections for different scenarios, such as smoke tests, regression tests, or performance tests. You can also add scripts, variables, and assertions to your collections to validate the responses and data. To run a collection, you can use the Postman app, the Postman web, or the Postman agent. You can also use the Collection Runner to run multiple collections or iterations, and view the results and reports.

3 Install and configure Newman

Newman is a command-line tool that allows you to run Postman collections from your terminal or any continuous integration (CI) or continuous delivery (CD) pipeline. You can install Newman using npm, which is a package manager for Node.js. You can also install Newman as a Docker image, which is a lightweight and portable container for your application. To configure Newman, you need to specify the collection file or link, and optionally the environment file or link, as well as other parameters and options.

4 Run and report Newman tests

To run Newman tests, you need to use the newman run command, followed by the collection file or link, and any other arguments or flags. You can also use the newman run command in a script or a configuration file, such as package.json or .yml. You can also integrate Newman with various CI/CD tools, such as Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitHub Actions, to automate and trigger your tests. To report Newman tests, you can use the built-in reporters, such as cli, json, html, or junit, or install and use custom reporters, such as htmlextra, allure, or teamcity.

5 Analyze and debug Newman tests

To analyze and debug Newman tests, you need to use the output and logs generated by Newman and the reporters. You can use the cli reporter to view the summary and details of the test execution, such as the number of requests, assertions, failures, and errors. You can also use the json or html reporters to view the test results in a more structured and visual way, and export them as files. You can also use the newman run command with the --verbose flag to view the detailed request and response information, such as headers, body, and cookies.

6 Optimize and maintain Newman tests

To optimize and maintain Newman tests, you need to follow some best practices and tips. For example, you can use variables and environments to store and manage dynamic data, such as URLs, tokens, or ids. You can also use scripts and assertions to modularize and reuse your test logic, such as pre-request scripts, tests, or pm.* methods. You can also use folders and subfolders to organize and group your requests and collections, and use naming conventions and descriptions to make them more readable and understandable.