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API Monitoring with Postman

? API Monitoring with Postman

? Quick Overview

API Monitoring ensures your APIs remain reliable, fast, and available. In Postman, monitoring allows you to run collections on a schedule, validate responses, track performance, and receive alerts when something breaks.

? Key Concepts

  • Scheduled Runs — Automatically execute collections at fixed intervals
  • Tests — Validate status codes, headers, and response data
  • Performance — Measure response times and failures
  • Alerts — Get notified on failures or threshold breaches
  • Reports — Historical data and trends

? Syntax / Theory

Postman Monitors run a collection using the same requests and tests you define in your collection. Each request can include JavaScript-based tests using the Postman Sandbox.

? View Code Example
// Basic Postman test to validate API response
pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

? Code Example(s)

? View Code Example
// Check response time and response body content
pm.test("Response time is under 500ms", function () {
pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.be.below(500);
});

pm.test("Response contains success flag", function () {
const jsonData = pm.response.json();
pm.expect(jsonData.success).to.eql(true);
});

? Live Output / Explanation

? Monitor Results

Each scheduled run produces a report showing:

  • Passed and failed tests
  • Average response time
  • Error messages
  • Execution history

⚡ Interactive Monitor Simulator

Click below to simulate a scheduled Postman Monitor check on api.service.com/v1/health

> Waiting for trigger...

? Interactive Example / Diagram

? View Code Example
// Visual flow of Postman Monitor execution
Collection → Scheduled Run → Request Execution → Tests → Report → Alerts

?️ Use Cases

  • Detect downtime in production APIs
  • Track performance degradation
  • Validate third-party API availability
  • Ensure SLA compliance
  • Automated regression monitoring

? Tips & Best Practices

  • Reuse the same collection for testing and monitoring
  • Keep monitors lightweight and focused
  • Set realistic response time thresholds
  • Use environment variables for URLs and tokens
  • Review monitor reports regularly

? Try It Yourself

  1. Create a simple API collection in Postman
  2. Add at least two test scripts
  3. Create a monitor and schedule it every 15 minutes
  4. Intentionally break an endpoint and observe alerts
  5. Analyze performance trends over time