Postman Automating Tests with Postman Runner Estimated reading: 5 minutes 205 views Automating Tests with Postman Runner brings your API testing to the next level. Instead of running requests one at a time, you can execute full test suites in bulk, repeat them across environments, and generate real-time feedback with just a few clicks. Whether you’re validating a billing API or iterating over a list of test data, automation with Postman Runner will save time and boost consistency.In this guide, we’ll walk through how to automate API testing using Postman’s built-in Runner and introduce you to Newman, its powerful CLI tool. If you’ve already created requests and written basic tests (such as for creating a person or a billing record), you’re ready to go.Launching Postman RunnerTo get started, open your Collections tab inside Postman. You’ll notice a Run button next to each collection. Clicking this will launch the Collection Runner, a visual interface designed for executing multiple requests automatically.If you’re following along using our example API, this could include a collection with: Running Collection Create a New Person Send a POST /api/persons request to create a new user. This returns a person_id that will be used in subsequent operations. Create a Billing Record Linked to That Person Send a POST /api/billing/{{person_id}} request that includes the person_id to associate the billing entry with the newly created user. Retrieve the Billing Record Use a GET /api/billing/{{billing_id}} request to confirm that the billing_id record was created correctly and contains the expected data. Update the Billing Record Send a PUT /api/billing/{{billing_id}} request to modify the billing details, such as updating the amount, status, or description. Delete the Billing Record Send a DELETE /api/billing/{{billing_id}} request to remove the billing record, simulating a typical clean-up or cancellation action. Delete the Person Record Finally, send a DELETE /api/persons/{{persong_id}} request to remove the user, completing the lifecycle of that data set. Running this full workflow in sequence ensures your tests reflect realistic API behavior, data dependencies, and state transitions which is essential for building confidence in both backend functionality and integration flows. Setting Up a Test Run in Collection RunnerOnce you’re inside the Postman Runner interface, you can customize your test run to match your goals. Here’s how you can configure it: 1. Environment Choose an environment that includes reusable variables like {{base_url}},{{person_id}}, and {{billing_id}}. These dynamic variables help you reference and inject values across multiple requests without hardcoding. 2. Iterations Define how many times the test should run. This is useful for load testing or iterating through multiple user and billing combinations. For example, if your data file has 5 rows, each row will trigger one full test cycle using its unique values. 3. Data File Upload a CSV or JSON file that contains dynamic values such as:{ "name": "Alice Smith", "email": "alice@example.com", "amount": 79.99, "subscriptionName": "Pro Monthly" } Each record in the file can include fields like name, email, amount, subscriptionName, and even pre-assigned person_id or billing_id if your use case involves update/delete operations. 4. Request Filtering: Select specific requests to run or skip within the collection. For instance, you might isolate only the POST /api/billing and DELETE /api/persons/:id requests during cleanup testing.Once everything is set, click the Run button and Postman will execute your collection step-by-step, injecting variables, parsing responses, and evaluating your test assertions. Collection Runner Test ResultsViewing and Understanding Test ResultsPostman Runner will show a detailed breakdown after the run completes: Successful Iterations: See how many test cycles completed without errors. Failed Assertions: Identify which tests didn't meet expected conditions useful for debugging status code checks, response time, or missing fields like person_id. Request Duration: Track how long each request took. Great for spotting bottlenecks in endpoints like GET /api/billing/:id. Console Logs and Errors: View logs printed via console.log() or pm.test() blocks for deeper visibility.You can expand individual test runs to inspect headers, payloads, and scripts or export everything as a JSON file to archive results or feed into analytics tools.Automating Tests with Newman (CLI Option)When you’re ready to integrate testing into a CI/CD pipeline, Newman Postman’s command-line tool is the way to go. It allows you to run collections programmatically via your terminal or automation server.Basic Newman Command:Bashnewman run collection.json -e environment.jsonRun With Dynamic Data File:Bashnewman run collection.json -e environment.json --iteration-data data.jsonThis enables you to: Schedule test runs after deployments Integrate tests into GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or any CI/CD tool Generate HTML, CLI, or JSON reports to track test health across buildsConclusionAutomating Tests with Postman Runner is one of the easiest and most effective ways to scale your API testing. Whether you’re running through a user creation and billing flow or validating multiple scenarios with data files, automation ensures faster feedback and better coverage.And with Newman, you take it even further making your tests part of a full DevOps pipeline. So go ahead, build your collection, use your environment variables, and automate away. Testing just got a whole lot smarter.Tagged:Postman Postman - Previous Using Variables for Dynamic Testing in Postman
