How do I run API tests from the command line?

You can run API tests from the command line using a few common approaches, depending on what tool/framework you use.

1) If your tests are in a test framework

JavaScript / TypeScript

• Jest

  npx jest
  

• Mocha

  npx mocha
  

• Playwright API tests

  npx playwright test
  

Python

• pytest

  pytest
  

Java

• Maven + JUnit/TestNG

  mvn test
  

.NET

• dotnet test

  dotnet test
  

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2) If you’re using Postman

You can run Postman collections from the CLI with Newman:

npm install -g newman
newman run your_collection.json

If you have an environment file:

newman run your_collection.json -e your_environment.json

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3) If you want to test endpoints directly

You can use command-line tools like curl:

curl -X GET https://api.example.com/users

With headers:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username":"test","password":"secret"}'

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4) Typical CI-friendly pattern

Run tests as part of a script, for example in package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:api": "newman run collection.json"
  }
}

Then run:

npm run test:api

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If you tell me what language/tool you’re using (Postman, pytest, Jest, etc.), I can give you the exact command and setup.