The Postman API Network: Discover, Explore, and Share APIs

Vineet Antil

July 30, 2020· 3 mins

APIs are continuing their staggering growth rate all across the business world, and the immense power of APIs is creating new possibilities for commerce every day.

But this upsurge in the sheer number of APIs being produced, and the increasingly important role those APIs play in companies of every size, has also led to some challenges for both consumers and producers of APIs.

On the one hand, API consumers are grappling with issues such as:

• Where can I find the API that I need for my workflow?
• How do I know it’s the most up-to-date version?
• Is there proper documentation for this API?

API producers, on the other hand, are facing issues such as:

• How do I ensure that consumers get the API they’re looking for?
• Are they using the latest and correct version?
• How can I make sure they know how to use the API?
• How do I increase adoption of my API?

Addressing these challenges with the Postman API Network

The Postman Public API Network addresses these challenges by providing a central place to easily discover, explore, and share APIs for both consumers and producers.

• Consumers have a single, go-to place to find the latest, ready-to-use APIs, explore potential uses for those APIs, and start using them with the click of a button.
• Producers can add their APIs to the network and, with the exposure that the network provides, drive wider adoption of those APIs by consumers and other producers.

The API Network has two parts: a public network and a private network. The Postman Public API Network is open to the entire API community, while the Postman Private API Network is for your team only.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into each one.

The Postman Public API Network: A global directory of thousands of public APIs

Postman has a worldwide community of 17 million developers, and the Public API Network is this community’s go-to place to discover, explore, and share APIs. There are more than 2,000 APIs (and more than 5,000 API templates that help you explore new uses of popular APIs) hosted on the Public API Network that are listed by category so you can easily find the API you need. Once you find an API, the Run in Postman button lets you import APIs and templates into your workspace with the click of a button.

The Postman Private API Network: Your team’s source of truth for published APIs

The Private API Network is your team’s central hub to discover and publish APIs privately (i.e., only available to your team or organization). It’s the single source of truth where your team can find the APIs that they need to work with, discover new ones that are approved for use by your organization, and stay up to date with the latest versions of every API. Whether you’re a producer or consumer, when you’re using the Private API Network there’s no need to dig into old emails or Slack channels (or ping countless colleagues) to find the API you’re looking for. You can even launch Postman’s API Builder right from the Private API Network and start working immediately.

Try it for yourself

We encourage you to browse the Postman API Network today and find out how it can help you.