Custom documentation templates in Postman - Deep Dive

Overview - Custom documentation templates

What is it?

Custom documentation templates in Postman allow you to create personalized layouts and styles for your API documentation. Instead of using the default format, you can design how your API details, examples, and descriptions appear to users. This helps make the documentation clearer, branded, and easier to understand for your audience.

Why it matters

Without custom templates, API documentation can look generic and may not highlight important details clearly. This can confuse users or slow down their understanding, leading to mistakes or extra support requests. Custom templates solve this by letting you tailor the presentation to your users’ needs, improving communication and reducing errors.

Where it fits

Before learning custom templates, you should understand basic API concepts and how to create collections in Postman. After mastering templates, you can explore advanced API versioning, automated documentation publishing, and integrating docs with developer portals.

Mental Model

Core Idea

Custom documentation templates let you control how API information is shown, shaping user understanding by changing the look and structure of the docs.

Think of it like...

It's like decorating a house before guests arrive: the furniture and walls are the same, but how you arrange and paint them changes how visitors feel and find things.

┌───────────────────────────────┐
│       API Data Source          │
│  (Endpoints, Params, Examples)│
└──────────────┬────────────────┘
               │
       ┌───────▼────────┐
       │ Custom Template │
       │ (Layout & Style)│
       └───────┬────────┘
               │
       ┌───────▼────────┐
       │ Generated Docs │
       │ (User View)    │
       └───────────────┘

Build-Up - 7 Steps

1

Foundation

Understanding Postman Documentation Basics

Concept: Learn what Postman documentation is and how default docs are generated.

Postman automatically creates documentation for your API collections. This includes endpoints, parameters, and example requests/responses. The default style is fixed and shows all details in a standard format.

Result

You get a basic, readable API doc page that anyone can view to understand your API.

Knowing the default docs helps you see why customizing them can improve clarity and user experience.

2

Foundation

Introduction to Templates and Their Role

Concept: Templates define how documentation content is arranged and styled.

A template is a set of rules and code that tells Postman how to display each part of your API docs. It controls layout, colors, fonts, and which information appears where.

Result

You understand that templates are the blueprint behind the look and feel of docs.

Recognizing templates as the 'design plan' helps you realize you can change any part of the docs by editing them.

3

Intermediate

Using Handlebars in Postman Templates

🤔Before reading on: do you think templates use plain HTML only, or a special syntax to insert data? Commit to your answer.

Concept: Postman templates use Handlebars, a simple language to insert API data dynamically.

Handlebars lets you write placeholders like {{endpoint}} or {{description}} inside HTML. When docs generate, Postman replaces these with actual API info. You can also use loops and conditions to show or hide parts.

Result

Templates become dynamic, showing different content based on your API collection data.

Understanding Handlebars is key to customizing docs because it connects your API data to the visual layout.

4

Intermediate

Creating a Basic Custom Template

🤔Before reading on: do you think creating a custom template requires coding skills or just clicking options? Commit to your answer.

Concept: You learn how to start a simple custom template by editing HTML and Handlebars code in Postman.

In Postman, open the documentation tab and choose 'Edit Template'. You can change headings, add custom text, and rearrange sections by modifying the template code. Save and preview to see changes live.

Result

You get a personalized doc page that looks different from the default but still shows your API info.

Knowing how to edit templates directly empowers you to tailor docs exactly to your needs.

5

Intermediate

Adding Custom Styles with CSS

Concept: Templates support CSS to change colors, fonts, and spacing.

Inside your template, you can add