From 100 clicks to 10 lines of code…

I used to think Postman was the best tool for APIs. Everyone around me was using it. So I did too.

Non-member link.

For more than a year, I used Postman for almost everything — testing APIs, checking responses, sending headers, and debugging bugs.

But a few months ago, I quietly stopped using it. And I don't miss it at all.

In this blog, I will explain why I quit Postman, what I use now, and why it might be time for you to stop using it too.

How I Started Using Postman

When I first started learning backend development, Postman felt like magic.

Just enter the API URL, hit "Send", and you get the response. It was colorful, beginner-friendly, and had buttons for everything.

I used it for:

1. Testing APIs I built in Flask or Django.
2. Sending fake login credentials.
3. Checking status codes and JSON responses.
4. Playing with headers, params, and cookies

It worked. But over time, I noticed something strange…

It Made Me Lazy

Postman made it too easy. I wasn't learning the real stuff behind the scenes.

I didn't know —

1. How to send a POST request using curl.
2. What a raw HTTP request actually looked like.
3. How to script API calls inside my code.
4. Or even how to add headers without clicking five dropdowns

Postman had turned into a GUI crutch.

I was copying and pasting tokens into headers, clicking buttons, and forgetting how actual requests are built.

I didn't feel like a real developer … just someone pressing buttons.

It Slowed Me Down in Real Projects

After this… everything changed for me. I was working on a project that had 100+ API endpoints. Manually testing each one in Postman became a nightmare.

Every time I had to:

1. Open Postman.
2. Select the right collection.
3. Copy the endpoint.
4. Set the headers.
5. Add the auth token.
6. Click "Send"
7. Wait
8. Repeat

It was painful.

And if the token expired… I had to get a new one and paste it again.

It felt like I was doing manual labor.That's when I started asking myself: "Isn't there a better way?"

What I Use Now Instead of Postman

I started using code and CLI-based tools. And they changed everything.

1. HTTPie

It's like curl, but prettier and easier to use. For example:

http POST https://api.example.com/login username=admin password=1234

It handles headers, formatting, and shows responses in color. It works inside the terminal, so no context-switching.

2. curl (with practice)

At first, I hated curl. The syntax felt alien. But once I learned it, it became super powerful.

This is the curl call with headers:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/data \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Kiran", "age": 25}'

No clicks. No mouse. Just fast, clean, repeatable commands.

3. Python Scripts with requests

When I'm working on a project, I often write small Python scripts to hit my APIs.

import requests
headers = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer your_token",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}
data = {
    "name": "Kiran",
    "role": "developer"
}
res = requests.post("https://api.example.com/users", headers=headers, json=data)
print(res.status_code)
print(res.json())

This is testable. Reusable. And I can version-control it with Git.

Why This Is 10x Better Than Postman

This is what I gained —

1. I learned how APIs really work.
2. I can debug faster — right inside my code.
3. I don't have to switch to a different app.
4. I can automate my API testing.
5. My workspace feels clean, minimal, and fast.
6. I can work directly inside my code editor or terminal

Also, when you use scripts, you can chain API calls, save test results, add logs, schedule tests, mock data, etc.

Postman can't do this easily. You'll always hit some limit or need to upgrade to Pro.

But Isn't Postman Great for Beginners?

Yes. Postman is fantastic for beginners. It helps you visualize requests and responses. It makes learning REST APIs feel less scary.

But…

If you want to grow as a developer, you can't stay stuck there.

You need to go beyond clicking buttons. You need to understand how requests work under the hood.

Tell me about your viewpoint in comments…

You may also like: