Get started with the Box API using Postman in 5 minutes
We make our API available to Postman users and regularly update our API collection.
Recently we’ve updated our tooling guide for Postman, allowing you to fork our API in Postman with a few clicks. You can still just import the collection, but this way you’ll receive a notification every time we update it.
On top of that we also provide a complete set of environment variables, pre-populated with the authentication tokens of your app if you want.
Let’s go!
Navigate to our Postman collection guide and select Quick Start on the left menu. The first step is just to make sure you have Postman installed, although it will work just fine with the online version, in my case I’m using v10.
You now have the option to create a new box app or use an existing one:
In my case I’ll be using an existing one. Whatever you choose make sure your app is a standard OAuth 2.0, and you have set the correct Redirect URL (see the notes on the guide).
Navigate to your developer console, copy your app client id and secret, and paste it in the guide page.
Follow the instructions and login, you’ll need to authorize your app to use your box account:
This authorization will later create environment variables in your workspace with an access and refresh token, making life easier for you to get started.
Continue the guide at the bottom of the page.
You should now see a big orange run in Postman button. Go ahead click, and a dialog box should pop:
Make sure you have a workspace available where to fork the Box API collection.
Now select the Box environment from the dropdown and you can immediately start making requests. Let’s list the content of the root folder:
Refreshing the access token will update the environment variables so you can resume your coding session. This time let’s use the MacOS desktop app:
The Box API is vast with its multi method, 65 entry points, and complex data structures.
The Box Platform does provide SDK’s for multiple languages which encapsulates the API, however, your favorite coding language may not be available or you may just want a thiner layer in your code.
Whether you’re exploring what is possible or working with specific entry points, a full Box API Postman collection is something useful to keep in your tool belt.
Check out the Box API reference for more information.
