Request headers in Postman - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to add a custom header named 'Authorization' with value 'Bearer token123' in Postman.

Postman

pm.request.headers.add({ key: 'Authorization', value: '[1]' });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AAuth token

BToken 123

CBearer_token

DBearer token123

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect header value format like missing 'Bearer' keyword.

Using spaces or underscores incorrectly in the token string.

The correct header value format for authorization is 'Bearer token123'.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to check if the request header 'Content-Type' is set to 'application/json' in Postman test script.

Postman

pm.test('Content-Type is JSON', () => { pm.expect(pm.request.headers.get('Content-Type')).to.eql('[1]'); });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amultipart/form-data

Btext/html

Capplication/json

Dapplication/xml

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'text/json' instead of 'application/json'.

Misspelling the header value.

The 'Content-Type' header should be 'application/json' to indicate JSON data.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to correctly set the 'Accept' header to 'application/xml' in Postman pre-request script.

Postman

pm.request.headers.upsert({ key: 'Accept', value: '[1]' });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aapplication/json

Bapplication/xml

Ctext/plain

Dtext/html

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Setting 'Accept' header to 'application/json' when XML is expected.

Using incorrect MIME types like 'text/xml'.

The 'Accept' header should be set to 'application/xml' to request XML response.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to add a header 'Cache-Control' with value 'no-cache' and verify it in a test script.

Postman

pm.request.headers.add({ key: '[1]', value: '[2]' });
pm.test('Cache-Control header is set', () => { pm.expect(pm.request.headers.get('Cache-Control')).to.eql('no-cache'); });

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACache-Control

Bno-cache

CCacheControl

Dno-store

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'CacheControl' without hyphen as header key.

Using 'no-store' instead of 'no-cache' as header value.

The header key must be 'Cache-Control' and the value 'no-cache' to disable caching.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a test that checks if the 'User-Agent' header contains 'PostmanRuntime'.

Postman

pm.test('User-Agent contains PostmanRuntime', () => {
  const userAgent = pm.request.headers.get('[1]');
  pm.expect(userAgent).to.include('[2]');
  pm.expect(typeof userAgent).to.eql('[3]');
});

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AUser-Agent

BPostmanRuntime

Cstring

Duser-agent

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using lowercase 'user-agent' which may not match the header key.

Checking for wrong substring in the header value.

Using wrong type in the typeof check.

The header key is 'User-Agent', the value to check is 'PostmanRuntime', and the type of the header value is 'string'.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of request headers in Postman API calls?

easy

A. To send extra information like authentication or data format

B. To write the body content of the request

C. To specify the URL of the API endpoint

D. To display the response status code

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what request headers do

   Request headers add extra info to the API call, such as authentication tokens or content type.

2. Step 2: Differentiate headers from other parts

   Headers are not the body or URL; they are key-value pairs sent with the request.

3. Final Answer:

   To send extra information like authentication or data format -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Request headers = extra info [OK]

Hint: Headers add info like auth or format, not body or URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing headers with request body
• Thinking headers specify the URL
• Assuming headers show response info

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add a header named Authorization with value Bearer token123 in Postman?

easy

A. Authorization -> Bearer token123

B. Authorization = Bearer token123

C. Authorization Bearer token123

D. Authorization: Bearer token123

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall header syntax in HTTP

   Headers use a colon ':' to separate key and value, like Key: Value.

2. Step 2: Match the correct syntax

   Authorization: Bearer token123 uses colon correctly; others use wrong separators or miss colon.

3. Final Answer:

   Authorization: Bearer token123 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Headers use colon ':' between key and value [OK]

Hint: Headers use colon ':' between key and value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using '=' instead of ':'
• Omitting colon separator
• Using arrows or spaces only

3. Given this Postman header setup:
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: application/xml
What will the server expect and respond with?

medium

A. Server expects XML data and responds with JSON

B. Server expects JSON data and responds with XML

C. Server expects and responds with JSON

D. Server expects and responds with XML

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Content-Type header

   Content-Type tells the server the format of data sent by client; here it is JSON.

2. Step 2: Understand Accept header

   Accept tells the server what response format client wants; here it is XML.

3. Final Answer:

   Server expects JSON data and responds with XML -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Content-Type = sent format, Accept = response format [OK]

Hint: Content-Type = sent data, Accept = desired response [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing up Content-Type and Accept meanings
• Assuming both headers mean the same
• Ignoring Accept header

4. You added a header in Postman as Content-Type = application/json but the server returns a 415 Unsupported Media Type error. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. You forgot to add the Authorization header

B. The value 'application/json' is invalid

C. Header syntax is incorrect; should use colon ':' instead of '='

D. The server does not support JSON at all

Solution

1. Step 1: Check header syntax

   Headers must use colon ':' to separate key and value, not '='.

2. Step 2: Understand server error 415

   415 means server rejects media type due to wrong or missing Content-Type header.

3. Final Answer:

   Header syntax is incorrect; should use colon ':' instead of '=' -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Wrong header syntax causes 415 error [OK]

Hint: Use ':' not '=' in headers to avoid 415 error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using '=' instead of ':' in headers
• Assuming server rejects JSON always
• Ignoring header syntax errors

5. You want to send a POST request with JSON data and an API key for authentication in Postman. Which header setup is correct?

hard

A. Content-Type: application/json and Authorization: ApiKey 12345

B. Accept: application/json and Authorization: 12345

C. Content-Type: text/plain and ApiKey: 12345

D. Authorization: Bearer 12345 only

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct content type for JSON data

   Use Content-Type: application/json to tell server data format sent is JSON.

2. Step 2: Use proper authorization header format

   API keys often use Authorization: ApiKey [key] or similar; here Authorization: ApiKey 12345 is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   Content-Type: application/json and Authorization: ApiKey 12345 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Content-Type + Authorization with correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use Content-Type for data and Authorization for API key [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong Content-Type for JSON
• Putting API key in wrong header
• Omitting Content-Type header