# Exploring public APIs and the Public API Network Postman Lead Product Manager Strategist [Deepa Goyal](https://twitter.com/1sprintatatime) and I recently took a trip down the [Postman Public API Network](https://www.postman.com/explore) lane in one of our latest Posman livestreams. It was so wonderful to collaborate with Deepa, who previously worked as a product manager for [PayPal](https://www.postman.com/paypal)’s public APIs. In this session, we covered the what, why, and how of all things public APIs. Here are some key takeaways: ## What is Postman’s Public API Network? ![The Public API Network Landing Page](https://blog.postman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/01-1000x515.png)The Public API Network landing page Similar to GitHub repositories, Postman’s Public API Network is [the world’s largest public API hub](https://blog.postman.com/postman-public-api-network-is-now-the-worlds-largest-public-api-hub/) allowing you to find trending APIs, find your next project, or connect with the API community. Public [workspaces](https://www.postman.com/explore/workspaces) provide a common platform for both API producers and consumers. And now the API Network is the place where producers of APIs can publish their APIs through the creation of public [workspaces](https://blog.postman.com/solving-problems-together-with-postman-workspaces/), while also being the place where consumers of APIs can discover and interact with APIs they may be interested in. ### **What producers can do** If you are part of a team that produces public APIs, you can get started by creating a [public workspace](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/using-workspaces/public-workspaces/). Anyone in the Postman community can access a *public workspace*. A public workspace can enhance a new user's onboarding experience with your API, inspire your existing users with new use cases and resources, increase your API's discovery in Postman search results, and enable you to work publicly with partners. Learn more: - [Public Workspaces: Why We Created Them and What You Can Do with Them](https://blog.postman.com/public-workspaces-why-we-created-them-what-you-can-do/) - [Increasing Adoption of an API with a Public Workspace](https://blog.postman.com/increasing-adoption-of-an-api-with-a-public-workspace/) ### What consumers can do On the Public API Network, consumers can[ search, explore, and discover APIs](https://www.postman.com/explore) based on: - [Categories](https://www.postman.com/categories) - [What’s in the spotlight](https://www.postman.com/explore/spotlight) - Curated lists such as: - [APIs for Beginners](https://www.postman.com/explore/apis-for-beginners) - [New and Noteworthy](https://www.postman.com/explore/new-and-noteworthy) - [Trending Workspaces, Collections, and APIs](https://www.postman.com/explore/trending-apis) - [Featured Teams](https://www.postman.com/explore/teams) Once consumers find what they like and what they want to work with, they can go ahead and [fork these collections](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/version-control/#creating-a-fork) into their own workspaces and [watch for any changes](https://learning.postman.com/docs/designing-and-developing-your-api/the-api-workflow/#watching-an-api). ## Why is the Public API Network valuable? ![Discover public APIs by teams](https://blog.postman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/02-1000x601.png)Discover public APIs by teams Postman has over [20 million users worldwide](https://blog.postman.com/celebrating-20-million-postman-users/)—and that number is only growing. The [API platform](https://www.postman.com/api-platform/) is where APIs are discovered, created, and utilized. With that in mind, some of the biggest value propositions for building and using the Public API Network include: - [Increase adoption](https://blog.postman.com/increasing-adoption-of-an-api-with-a-public-workspace/) of an API - [Reduce time to first call](https://blog.postman.com/the-most-important-api-metric-is-time-to-first-call/) - Have ready-to-use code and [documentation](https://learning.postman.com/docs/publishing-your-api/documenting-your-api/) for users - Lessen the learning curve for API consumers - Inspire existing users with new use cases and resources - Increase discovery in organic search results and[ Postman search](https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/navigating-postman/#universal-search) results - Solicit community contributions through [comments](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/working-with-your-team/discussing-your-work/) and[ pull requests](https://learning.postman.com/docs/collaborating-in-postman/version-control-for-collections/#creating-pull-requests) ## How can you work with public APIs and the Public API Network? ### If you are a consumer of public APIs Search and explore all that the Public API Network has to offer. You can [search Postman](https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/navigating-postman/#search-postman) for public collections, workspaces, and APIs you may be interested in and filter your search by type: ![](https://blog.postman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screen-Shot-2022-10-16-at-1.34.07-PM-1000x506.png) You can browse by: - [Teams](https://www.postman.com/explore/teams) - [Workspaces](https://www.postman.com/explore/workspaces) - [APIs](https://www.postman.com/explore/apis) - [Collections](https://www.postman.com/explore/collections) If you see something you like, go ahead and fork into your own [workspace](https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/creating-your-first-workspace/) and get started with working with public APIs. Learn more about: - ​​[Introducing “In the Spotlight” on the Public API Network](https://blog.postman.com/introducing-spotlight-api-network/) - [Discover APIs Easily with New Categories in the Postman API Network](https://blog.postman.com/discover-apis-categories-postman-api-network/) - [The Most Popular Collection in the Postman API Network](https://blog.postman.com/the-most-popular-collection-in-the-postman-api-network/) - [PayPal’s Public Postman Collection Is for Developers of All Kinds](https://blog.postman.com/paypal-public-postman-collection/) ### If you are a producer of public APIs Get started by: - [Setting Up Your First Public Workspace in 5 Easy Steps](https://blog.postman.com/how-to-set-up-public-workspaces/) - Polish your documentation by following the [good documentation checklist](https://blog.postman.com/postman-good-documentation-checklist/) - Follow the [good documentation checklist template](https://www.postman.com/postman/workspace/published-postman-templates/documentation/1559645-4b520b0d-cf53-41be-8d24-0e0136416091) - [Build a great team profile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud_rq-VwO4s&feature=emb_title) As a producer of public APIs, investing time into building a great team profile, setting up your public workspace, and creating great documentation will make a world of a difference when it comes to increasing your API adoption. ## Livestream highlights Here are a few topics the livestream covers: - [Public vs. Private Network ](https://youtu.be/azJnjF9hqAw?t=1462) - [How to create public workspace to increase adoption ](https://youtu.be/azJnjF9hqAw?t=1821) - [Diving into PayPal's Public Collection](https://youtu.be/azJnjF9hqAw?t=2498) - [Documentation Best Practices](https://youtu.be/azJnjF9hqAw?t=3342) - [Searching and filtering Public APIs](https://youtu.be/azJnjF9hqAw?t=4082) ## Watch the full livestream ## Upcoming Postman livestreams Postman currently streams every Thursday. Follow or subscribe on any of these platforms so you never miss hearing about streams like this one: - **YouTube:** Subscribe to[ Postman on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCocudCGVb3MmhWQ1aoIgUQw) and turn on your notifications - **Twitch:** Follow[ Postman on Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/getpostman) to receive notifications when we go live - **Twitter:** Follow[ Postman on Twitter](https://twitter.com/getpostman) to see when we go live - **LinkedIn:** Follow[ Postman on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/postman-platform/) to be notified of upcoming events