How to use Postman to connect to our APIs

by Andrew McGrath

11 September 2025

Last updated 17 September 2025

API Getting started

What is Postman?

Postman is a user-friendly tool that simplifies API testing. It provides a graphical interface that lets you send requests, view responses, and debug APIs without needing to write code or use the command line.

Why use Postman?

Using Postman makes it easy to:

quickly test APIs with a simple point-and-click interface
save and organise API requests into collections for reuse
experiment with different parameters, headers, and request types
view structured responses (JSON, XML, etc.) instantly.

Installing Postman

Download and install Postman from the official website: https://www.postman.com/downloads/

Choose the version for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) and follow the installation steps.

Testing one of our APIs in Postman

Step 1: Create a new request

Open Postman and click the New button next to the My Workspace column to create a new request.
Select HTTP from the list of available options.

Step 2: Set the request type

You will see that GET is selected by default.
Other common request types include POST, PUT, and DELETE but for this first request, we’ll use GET.

Step 3. Enter the request URL

Set the URL to:

   https://dp-mockaco.azurewebsites.net/BOOK/staff-api/schools/434972/staffpersonals

This calls the /staff-api/schools/{zoneId}/staffpersonals endpoint under the Booking System category.

Step 4: Add the API key header

Go to the Headers tab.
Add a new header:
- Key: x-api-key
- Value: (your API key from ‘My applications’)

Step 5: Send the request

Click Send (or Execute depending on your version).
After a few seconds, you should see a JSON response from the server.

What’s next?

Now that you have successfully sent a GET request, try experimenting with:

changing parameters in the URL (e.g., using a different zoneId)
exploring other HTTP methods such as POST or PUT (when available)
saving your request into a Postman Collection for reuse later.

Tip 💡

You can also export and share your Postman collections with your team so everyone can test with the same setup.