Postman proxy settings for first-timers, step by step

In plain English: Postman is an app for sending test requests to an API, which is a web address that programs use to swap data with each other. Normally those requests leave from your own internet connection. Add a proxy and they leave from the proxy's IP address instead (an IP address is the number that identifies a connection online). That helps when you want to see how your own API answers visitors in another country, or when you'd rather keep test traffic apart from your home or office network. Below you'll set this up in the Postman desktop app, then learn a way to put just one run of saved requests through the proxy.

Quick start in 3 steps

1. In Postman, open Settings and choose the Proxy tab.
2. Tick Add a custom proxy configuration, enter the host and port, then tick Proxy auth and type your username and password.
3. Send a GET request to https://api.ipify.org?format=json. When the address in the reply is the proxy's and not yours, it's working.

Before you open Postman

Install the Postman desktop app. The steps here are written for it, so skip the version that runs in a browser tab. You'll also want your proxy details to hand. We send them in the usual HOST:PORT form with a login, which adds up to four values:

• Host: the proxy's address, for example gateway.example-proxy.com.
• Port: the number that goes with the host, for example 8080. Picture it as a door number at that address.
• Username and Password: the login that shows the proxy is yours to use.

Which proxy type suits API testing?

When you test an API, a steady connection usually counts for more than a changing address, so datacenter proxies suit most people here. Their addresses belong to servers in data centres, which is why they're our lower-cost type. Go for residential proxies only when the test has to come from a household broadband line, say to see how an API treats home visitors. The proxies overview puts all four types side by side, and plans are listed on the pricing page.

Step 1: Find the proxy settings

1. Click the gear icon near the top-right corner of Postman, then Settings. On the keyboard it's Ctrl+, on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+, on a Mac.
2. Pick Proxy from the list down the left side.

Two choices appear. Use the system proxy copies whatever proxy your computer already uses for everything else. Add a custom proxy configuration lets you type in a proxy that only Postman uses, which is easier to keep track of and easier to switch off later. This guide takes the custom route.

Step 2: Type in your proxy details

1. Tick Add a custom proxy configuration.
2. Under Proxy Type, leave HTTP and HTTPS both ticked. One covers plain web addresses and the other covers secure ones, and you want both kinds of request to use the proxy.
3. In Proxy Server, put the host in the address box (such as gateway.example-proxy.com) and the port in the small box beside it (such as 8080).
4. Tick Proxy auth. Two more boxes appear.
5. Fill in your Username and Password.

Don't hunt for a save button. Postman keeps your settings the moment you type them.

Step 3: If certificate errors appear

Every HTTPS connection comes with a certificate, a sort of digital ID card that proves a server is who it claims to be. On some networks Postman starts complaining about certificates once a proxy is in the way. If you trust the proxy and you're only testing, open the General tab in Settings and turn SSL certificate verification off. Think of that as a short-term testing shortcut, not a safety setting: while it's off, Postman stops checking those ID cards. Turn it back on when you're done, and keep it on for any testing that matters.

Step 4: Prove the proxy is in use

Make a new request, set the method to GET and type https://api.ipify.org?format=json as the address. That public service replies with the IP address it can see. Press Send. If the reply shows the proxy's address rather than yours, Postman is going through the proxy. Not sure what your own address looks like? Open our my IP tool in an ordinary browser tab and compare the two. If anything looks wrong, run the proxy through the proxy checker to see whether it answers at all.

Only some requests? Try Newman

The custom proxy in the desktop app covers every request you send. When you'd like only one collection (a saved group of requests) to use it, Newman is often the tidier choice. Newman is Postman's command-line runner: you type a command into a terminal window and it runs a collection you've exported from Postman, here called my-collection.json. It picks up the proxy from environment variables, which are named settings that apply to programs started from that terminal. In Windows PowerShell:

$env:HTTPS_PROXY = "http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT"
$env:HTTP_PROXY  = "http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT"
newman run my-collection.json

The macOS and Linux version uses export instead:

export HTTPS_PROXY="http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT"
export HTTP_PROXY="http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT"
newman run my-collection.json

The capitalised words USER, PASS, HOST and PORT are placeholders, so fill in your own values from the dashboard. Those variables last only as long as that terminal window and only affect what you start from it, so the desktop app carries on exactly as before. You can even run a proxied collection in one window and a direct one in another.

Common mistakes

• Getting "407 Proxy Authentication Required". The proxy turned your login down. Either Proxy auth isn't ticked or one of the details is off. Paste the username and password again, and check for a stray space at the end.
• Requests that hang, then time out. A time-out means Postman stopped waiting for an answer. Compare the host and port with your dashboard, and make sure a firewall on your computer or network isn't blocking that port. The proxy checker shows whether the proxy responds at all.
• Leaving the system proxy on as well. If you switched on Use the system proxy at some point, it can clash with the custom settings and let some requests slip past the proxy. Keep only one of the two switched on.
• Getting the wrong country. Some providers set the country with extra text inside the username. If yours does, copy the username exactly as your dashboard shows it, extra part included.

Is this allowed?

Running Postman through a proxy is fine for testing your own APIs, or APIs that belong to someone else and that you have permission to use. The proxy only changes where your requests appear to come from. Every API's terms still apply, and so do its rate limits (the cap on how many requests you may send in a set time), along with the law where you live. Stick to endpoints you're allowed to reach.

Beginner questions

Will the proxy slow my requests down?

A little, usually, because each request makes one extra stop on its way. For API testing that rarely matters. If replies drag, a proxy located nearer to you or to the API helps.

How do I switch back to my normal connection?

Go to Settings, open the Proxy tab and untick Add a custom proxy configuration. From then on your requests leave from your own connection again.

Can I keep more than one proxy ready to use?

Yes. Note down a couple of endpoints, for example one for each country you test from, and swap the host and port when you need a different one. Send the IP check again after every swap so you always know which proxy is live.