Coming from Postman
If you know Postman, you already know most of ApiWorkbench. This page maps the names you are used to, says plainly what is different, and walks through moving your work.
The short version
- Your collections, folders, environments, globals, scripts, auth and examples import from Postman's own export files.
- Scripts written for Postman's
pmAPI run in ApiWorkbench. - Everything is stored on your device. There is no account, no cloud sync and no team workspace.
- You can export back to Postman's formats at any time.
How concepts map
| In Postman | In ApiWorkbench | More |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | Everything in the app on this device. One workspace per install. | Where your data lives |
| Collection, folder | Collection, folder | Collections |
| Request tab | Request tab | Requests |
| Environment, Globals, collection variables | The same three scopes | Variables |
| Initial value and current value | Initial value and current value | Variables |
| Secret variable type | Secret variables, masked on screen | Variables |
Dynamic variables such as {{$guid}} | The same names | Dynamic variables |
| Authorization tab, "Inherit auth from parent" | Auth tab, Inherit from parent | Authorization |
| Pre-request and post-response scripts | Scripts with the pm API | Scripts |
| Tests written in scripts | Scripts, or the no-code Tests and Captures tabs | Tests, Captures |
| Saved examples | Saved examples under the request | Responses |
| Collection Runner, data files | Runner, with CSV or JSON data files | Runner, Data files |
| Newman | apiworkbench-cli | Command-line runner |
| Monitors | Recurring runs in the Runner, while the app is open | Runner |
| Performance tests | Load testing | Load testing |
| Console | Console | Console |
| Cookie manager | Cookies | Cookies |
| Request settings | The request's Settings tab | Per-request settings |
| Proxy and certificate settings | Settings, Proxy and certificates | Proxy and certificates |
| Code snippet | Code snippet… in the More menu | Code snippets |
| Collection documentation | Generate docs…, as HTML or Markdown | Collection docs |
| WebSocket, Socket.IO, MQTT, gRPC requests | Tabs of the same kinds, plus Server-Sent Events | WebSocket, gRPC |
| GraphQL | GraphQL body with a schema explorer | GraphQL |
| Mock servers | Not in ApiWorkbench. Mock Studio is a separate Dhiva Labs app. | Mock Studio |
What is different
Read this before you move a team or a pipeline.
No account and no sync
ApiWorkbench never signs in anywhere. Collections live in files on your device. To share, export a workspace file or a Postman collection and send the file. Two people who edit the same collection do not merge automatically: importing a workspace file replaces the items it contains. See Export and share.
There are no team workspaces, comments, roles, hosted monitors or hosted mock servers.
Scripts
Scripts run on an embedded JavaScript engine with Postman's pm API: variables in every scope, pm.request, pm.response, pm.test, pm.expect, pm.sendRequest, pm.cookies, pm.visualizer and postman.setNextRequest. Through require() you get lodash, crypto-js, moment, uuid, tv4 and ajv.
Scripts have a timeout and no access to the file system. A script that depends on something outside this list may need changes. Check the script reference for what is covered.
Monitoring and automation
Recurring runs happen on your computer, while the app is open. For scheduled or unattended runs, use apiworkbench-cli from a scheduler or a CI pipeline. See CI automation.
Protocol limits
- Socket.IO: protocol 4 only (servers on version 3 and 4), over WebSocket.
- MQTT: version 3.1.1.
- A Postman collection export leaves out WebSocket, Socket.IO, MQTT, Server-Sent Events and gRPC requests, because that file format has no place for them. Use a workspace export to keep them.
Smaller differences
- Shortcuts use Ctrl. See Keyboard shortcuts.
- Importing the same Postman collection twice creates two collections.
- The ASAP (Atlassian) auth type is not supported. Requests that use it import with their auth left empty.
- Secret variables are masked on screen but stored unencrypted, like everything else in the data folder.
Move your work, step by step
Export from Postman. For each collection, open its … menu, choose Export and keep the v2.1 format. Do the same for each environment. Export your globals too if you use them.
A full data export from Postman, which holds everything in one file, also works.
Install ApiWorkbench. See Install.
Import everything in one go. Select Import on the icon rail, or press Ctrl + O. Select Choose files and pick all the exported files together.
Read the preview. It counts the collections, folders, requests and environments, and lists warnings such as unsupported auth. Then select Import. See Import from Postman.
Pick your environment. Use the environment picker at the top of the window.
Put your secrets back. Postman's export holds initial values. Tokens and passwords that existed only as current values in Postman are not in the file. Type them in as current values, which stay on your device and are not exported unless you ask.
Read the scripts, then send one request. Imported scripts run when you send. Open the Console to see the request on the wire and any script output.
Fix what depends on your computer. Choose files again for binary bodies and form-data file fields. Set your proxy, CA certificate and client certificates in Settings.
Run a collection. Open the collection's menu and choose Run collection. Compare the results with what you saw in Postman.
Move your pipeline. Replace
newman runwithapiworkbench-cli run. The options follow Newman:-e,-g,-d,-n,--folder,--bailand thecli,json,junitandhtmlreporters.
apiworkbench-cli run shop.postman_collection.json \
-e staging.postman_environment.json -d users.csv -n 2 \
-r cli,junit --reporter-junit-export results.xmlTIP
You can keep your Postman files as the shared format. apiworkbench-cli runs a Postman collection file directly, and ApiWorkbench exports collections, environments and globals back to Postman's formats.
Going back
Nothing locks you in. Export any collection as a Postman collection (v2.1), and environments and globals in Postman's formats, then import them in Postman. Tests and captures from the no-code tabs are written into the request's test script on the way out.