Installing and Updating Postman Native on Ubuntu: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction to Postman 🚀

Postman is a powerful tool widely recognized for API testing in development environments. Launched in 2012 by Abhinav Asthana (Postman’s CEO and co-founder). Postman started as a side project aimed at simplifying API workflows. Today, it allows developers to design, mock, debug, test, document, monitor, and publish APIs seamlessly from a single platform.

Key Features of Postman 🤔

• User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design that simplifies API testing.
• Collaboration Tools: Share collections and workspaces with team members.
• Automated Testing: Create and run tests automatically to ensure API reliability.
• Monitoring Capabilities: Keep track of API performance over time.

Table of Contents 📚

• Introduction to Postman 🚀
• Key Features of Postman 🤔
• Installing Postman on Linux 🐧
  • Manual Installation Guide 📝
  • Automated Installation Script 🤖
• Updating Postman 🔄
• Troubleshooting Common Issues 🤔
• Conclusion 🎉
• Further Reading 📚
• Frequently Asked Questions 🤔

Installing Postman on Linux 🐧

Manual Installation Guide 📝

To install Postman on Linux manually, follow these steps:

1. Download Postman via wget 📦 You can download Postman using the following commands:

   wget https://dl.pstmn.io/download/latest/linux -O postman.tar.gz
   

2. Extract Postman 📁 Extract the downloaded file to the /opt directory:

   sudo tar -xzf postman.tar.gz -C /opt
   

3. Remove the Downloaded File (Optional) 🚮 If you want to free up space, you can remove the downloaded file:

   rm postman.tar.gz
   

4. Create a Symbolic Link 🔗 This allows you to run Postman from the terminal:

   sudo ln -s /opt/Postman/Postman /usr/bin/postman
   

   If you encounter errors, remove the existing link first:

   sudo rm -f /usr/bin/postman
   

5. Create a Launcher Icon 📈 If Ubuntu does not create a launcher icon automatically, use the following command:

   cat > ~/.local/share/applications/postman.desktop <<EOL
   [Desktop Entry]
   Version=1.2
   Encoding=UTF-8
   Name=Postman
   Exec=postman
   Icon=/opt/Postman/app/resources/app/assets/icon.png
   Terminal=false
   Type=Application
   Categories=Network;WebBrowser;Development;
   MimeType=text/html
   EOL
   

Automated Installation Script 🤖

Alternatively, you can use the following bash script to install Postman quickly:

To use the script, follow these steps:

1. Create a new file:

   nano install-postman.sh
   

2. Copy and paste the script into the file and save it (in nano, press CTRL + X, then Y, and Enter).

3. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x install-postman.sh
   

4. Run the script:

   ./install-postman.sh
   

The script will perform the following actions:

#!/bin/bash

# Navigate to temporary directory
cd /tmp || exit

# Download Postman
echo "Downloading Postman..."
wget -q https://dl.pstmn.io/download/latest/linux?arch=64 -O postman.tar.gz

# Extract the downloaded file
echo "Extracting Postman..."
tar -xzf postman.tar.gz

# Clean up by removing the tar file
rm postman.tar.gz

# Install Postman to /opt
echo "Installing Postman to /opt..."
if [ -d "/opt/Postman" ]; then
    sudo rm -rf /opt/Postman
fi
sudo mv Postman /opt/Postman

# Create a symbolic link for easy access
echo "Creating symbolic link..."
if [ -L "/usr/bin/postman" ]; then
    sudo rm -f /usr/bin/postman
fi
sudo ln -s /opt/Postman/Postman /usr/bin/postman

# Notify user of completion
echo "Installation completed successfully."
echo "You can now use Postman by typing 'postman' in your terminal."

Updating Postman 🔄

To update Postman, follow these steps:

1. Remove the older version:

   sudo rm --recursive --force /opt/Postman
   

2. Delete the symbolic link:

   sudo rm /usr/bin/postman
   

3. Follow the installation steps again to get the latest version.

Troubleshooting Common Issues 🤔

If you encounter any issues during the installation process, here are some common solutions:

• Permission denied: Make sure you have the necessary permissions to install Postman. You can use the sudo command to run the installation script with elevated privileges.
• Postman not found: If you encounter an error message saying that Postman is not found, make sure that the symbolic link was created correctly. You can try running the command sudo ln -s /opt/Postman/Postman /usr/bin/postman again.
• Postman not launching: If Postman is not launching, try running the command postman --no-sandbox to disable sandbox mode.

Conclusion 🎉

In this article, we have covered the installation of Postman on Linux. We have provided a step-by-step guide, as well as an automated installation script for those who prefer a more streamlined process. We have also covered some common troubleshooting issues that you may encounter during the installation process.

Further Reading 📚

If you want to learn more about Postman and its features, here are some additional resources:

• Postman Documentation: The official Postman documentation provides a comprehensive guide to using Postman, including tutorials, API documentation, and troubleshooting tips. Visit the Postman documentation
• Postman Blog: The Postman blog features articles on API development, testing, and best practices, as well as news and updates on the Postman platform. Visit the Postman blog
• Postman Community: The Postman community forum is a great place to connect with other Postman users, ask questions, and share knowledge. Visit the Postman community

Frequently Asked Questions 🤔

Here are some frequently asked questions about Postman:

• What is Postman?: Postman is a popular API testing tool that allows developers to design, mock, debug, test, document, monitor, and publish APIs.
• Is Postman free?: Yes, Postman offers a free version, as well as several paid plans with additional features. Compare Postman plans
• Can I use Postman on Windows or macOS?: Yes, Postman is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Download Postman

I hope this article has been helpful in guiding you through the installation of Postman on Linux. Happy coding! 😊