What is our primary use case?
Postman is a scripting tool.
I started using the solution when we did an SDN-based network implementation from Cisco. I got introduced to a particular scripting tool where I could actually put down everything in an Excel sheet. And if I want to configure, for example, ten ports, then I can actually do the configuration of everything in an Excel sheet. I can pass my credentials in Postman, and I can import the SQL script, and based on whether it's an infrastructure script or a configuration script, I can actually save it in Postman.
What is most valuable?
I'm using Postman to only push the scripts into the ACI, and that is a very limited use of Postman that we do right now.
I'm sure it might have other usages. That said, we have not explored other features beyond that at this point in time.
The initial setup is easy.
The solution is stable.
It is very user-friendly and has a nice UI.
What needs improvement?
My limited use of Postman has been to get the output of scripting in Postman or get the output from APIs and then open it in Postman or post the script. We don't use it much beyond that and therefore haven't really explored the features. It's hard to say what is lacking.
Postman does not have a check-in balance. Essentially what I mean by that is if there is something that is already configured on a particular device, it just overrides it without checking whether you really want to override it or not. Even if it is by mistake, if there is a dialogue box that is available before it overrides, it's just a much nicer feature to be notified if you're doing something by mistake.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. We haven't faced any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I know that our team, which is three people, uses the solution. I'm not sure who else does in the company. We're all engineers.
How are customer service and support?
We have received all of the support we required. Postman has a very good team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use quite a few products from an infrastructure point of view. We use SolarWinds, both for server and infrastructure capacity, and we use a change management and a problem management tool. From a bandwidth monitoring perspective, we use a network analyzer; we use Splunk heavily. We do a lot of scripting tools using Postman and Python.
I'm more into Python since Python gives us many more API interjections and compatibility with a lot of other APIs. We started using Postman, and then we immediately moved to Python-based scripting.
The functionality that Python gives you concerning the available APIs and then the ability to put that in the Excel sheet is much better than Postman.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very easy to set up. There were no issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't deal with the licensing aspect of the product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked into other solutions. However, Cisco actually recommended Postman, so we went with this product.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an end-user.
I'm not sure which version of the solution I'm using.
New users need to watch a few videos and understand the solution pretty well. If you are using Postman for the first time, never use the administrative credentials. It is very easy for you if you're using the administrative credentials to pass through the Postman's scripts. It is possible that you might override the configuration unknowingly. If that happens, that can actually bring down a good amount of your configuration or an earlier configuration. It's best to actually get the solution into a development environment before you actually do anything on production.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's a good, very user-friendly scripting tool. Anybody can learn it and start using it. However, new users do need a little bit of knowledge and must be willing to learn as they go.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.