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Technology

Postman

Difficulty

Intermediate

Experience

1-2 Years

Type

Technical

AutomateQA Team

QA Automation Engineers

June 19, 2026

Interview Question

How do you chain requests in Postman using variables?

Answer

Chaining Requests in Postman

API chaining in Postman works by extracting values from a response and storing them in variables, then using those variables in subsequent requests.

Example: Login → Use Token → Create User → Delete User

Request 1: Login

▸POST {{base_url}}/auth/login

Tests tab:

JavaScript

// Extract token from login response and save it
pm.test("Login successful", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

const jsonData = pm.response.json();
pm.environment.set("auth_token", jsonData.token);
pm.environment.set("user_id", jsonData.user.id);

✦

Request 2: Get User Details (uses saved token)

▸GET {{base_url}}/users/{{user_id}}

Authorization tab:

✓Type: Bearer Token
✓Token: {{auth_token}}

Tests tab:

JavaScript

pm.test("User retrieved successfully", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

const jsonData = pm.response.json();
pm.environment.set("user_email", jsonData.email);

✦

Request 3: Update User

▸PUT {{base_url}}/users/{{user_id}}

Body (raw JSON):

JSON

{
    "email": "{{user_email}}",
    "name": "Updated Name"
}

✦

Chaining with Pre-request Scripts

If you need to execute a request before the current one:

JavaScript

// In Pre-request Script — fetch token before main request
pm.sendRequest({
    url: pm.environment.get("base_url") + "/auth/login",
    method: "POST",
    header: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: {
        mode: "raw",
        raw: JSON.stringify({
            username: pm.environment.get("username"),
            password: pm.environment.get("password")
        })
    }
}, function(err, response) {
    const token = response.json().token;
    pm.environment.set("auth_token", token);
});

Tips for Effective Chaining

✓Always validate each step with pm.test() before extracting values
✓Use environment variables for values needed across requests
✓Use collection variables for values shared across collection runs
✓Order matters — use Collection Runner to run in sequence