Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8: Best API Platform

This tutorial aims to guide you through the process of installing Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8. Postman is a powerful and widely used standalone software testing API (Application Programming Interface) platform designed for building, testing, designing, modifying, and documenting APIs. It offers a user-friendly Graphic User Interface for sending and viewing HTTP requests and responses, simplifying API interaction.

When utilizing Postman for testing, you eliminate the need to write complex HTTP client network code. Instead, you create organized test suites known as collections, enabling Postman to seamlessly interact with the API under scrutiny. The ease of use and comprehensive features of Postman make it an invaluable tool for developers working with APIs.

Follow the steps below on the Orcacore website to Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8.

Before proceeding, ensure you’re logged into your Rocky Linux 8 server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. If you need assistance with this, refer to our guide on Initial Server Setup with Rocky Linux 8.

1. Set up Postman API Platform on Rocky Linux 8

First, update your local package index with the following command to ensure you have the latest package information:

sudo dnf update -y

Download the Latest Postman File

Next, use the curl command to download the Postman file to your Rocky Linux 8 server.

sudo wget https://dl.pstmn.io/download/latest/linux64

Extract the downloaded file using the following command:

sudo tar -xvf linux64 -C /usr/bin

Add Postman File To System Path

To make Postman accessible from any terminal location, add it to your system’s PATH environment variable. Execute the command below:

echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/usr/bin/Postman"' >> ~/.bashrc

Run Postman API Tool

Now, to run the API testing tool interface, simply type:

postman

2. Start Postman from a Launcher Icon on Rocky Linux 8

To launch Postman from a desktop icon, you’ll need to create a .desktop file, which acts as a shortcut for launching applications in Linux. Save this file in the following directory:

sudo vi /usr/share/applications/Postman.desktop

Add the following content to the Postman.desktop file:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Postman API Tool
GenericName=Postman
Comment=Testing API
Exec=/usr/bin/Postman/Postman
Terminal=false
X-MultipleArgs=false
Type=Application
Icon=/usr/bin/Postman/app/resources/app/assets/icon.png
StartupWMClass=Postman
StartupNotify=true

Save and close the file after adding the above content.

Next, copy the created shortcut to your desktop:

cp /usr/share/applications/Postman.desktop ~/Desktop/

Right-click on the created shortcut of Postman on the Desktop and select the “Allow launching” option.

You can also start it from the Application launcher by searching the name of this API testing tool.

The Postman desktop app will look like this:

3. Uninstall Postman From Rocky Linux 8

If you no longer need Postman on your Rocky Linux 8 system, you can remove it using the following commands:

# sudo rm -r /usr/bin/Postman
# sudo rm -r /usr/share/applications/Postman.desktop
# sudo rm -r ~/Desktop/Postman.desktop

Postman offers a versatile toolkit that empowers users in numerous ways, making it a popular choice for API development and testing.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned to Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8. Postman in Rocky Linux 8 is a tool used for testing, developing, and debugging APIs by sending requests and analyzing responses. It helps developers interact with REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs efficiently.

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Alternative Installation Methods for Postman on Rocky Linux 8

While the above method works, there are other ways to Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8. Here are two alternative approaches:

1. Using Snap Package Manager

Snap is a universal package manager that works across many Linux distributions, including Rocky Linux 8. It offers a convenient way to install and manage applications.

Installation and Setup:

Enable EPEL Repository: First, ensure the EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) repository is enabled. This repository provides additional packages that are not available in the base Rocky Linux repositories.
```
sudo dnf install epel-release -y
```
Install Snapd: Install the snapd package, which is the daemon that manages Snap packages.
```
sudo dnf install snapd -y
```
Enable Snapd Socket: Enable the snapd socket to ensure Snap packages can communicate with the system.
```
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
```
Create Symbolic Link: Create a symbolic link to ensure the /var/lib/snapd/snap directory is correctly set up.
```
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap
```
Install Postman via Snap: Now you can install Postman using the snap install command.
```
sudo snap install postman
```

Explanation:

The Snap package manager handles the dependencies and installation process, making it relatively straightforward. Snaps are containerized applications, meaning they include all their dependencies within the package. This isolates the application from the rest of the system, reducing the risk of conflicts. After the installation, you can launch Postman directly from your application launcher.

2. Manual Installation from Source (Less Recommended)

While less common and generally not recommended for beginners due to its complexity, you can potentially build Postman from source code, although this is not officially supported or distributed by the Postman team. This method requires more technical expertise and might involve resolving dependencies manually.

Outline of the Process (Highly Technical and Not Recommended Unless Necessary):

Download Required Dependencies: You would need to identify and install all the dependencies required to build Postman, which could include Node.js, npm, electron, and various other libraries and development tools. This is a complex and time-consuming process.
Obtain the Source Code: You’d need to somehow acquire the Postman application’s source code. As the official builds are pre-compiled binaries, getting the source code directly would require finding unofficial or reverse-engineered repositories, which poses security risks.
Build the Application: Using the appropriate build tools (likely npm), you would attempt to compile the source code into an executable application.
Configure and Install: After a successful build (which is highly unlikely without significant troubleshooting), you would need to configure the application and manually install it into the appropriate directories.

Why this is Not Recommended:

Complexity: Building from source is a complex process that requires in-depth knowledge of the application’s dependencies and build process.
Security Risks: Obtaining source code from unofficial sources can expose your system to security vulnerabilities.
Maintenance: Maintaining a manually built application can be difficult, as you’ll be responsible for updating dependencies and resolving any issues that arise.
Lack of Support: There is no official support for building Postman from source.

Instead of providing code examples for building from source (which is highly discouraged), it is much safer and easier to Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8 using either the wget method described in the main article or the Snap package manager method detailed above.

In summary, while the original article outlines a direct download and extraction method, using Snap offers a more modern and managed approach to Install Postman on Rocky Linux 8. Building from source is technically possible but highly discouraged due to its complexity, security risks, and lack of official support. Choose the method that best suits your technical expertise and comfort level.