---
title: "API Lifecycle, Part 1: Build and Test an API | Postman Intergalactic"
description: "Join us for a one-hour, intermediate-level Postman learning session geared specifically for API developers, API producers, and anyone else invested in building quality APIs. We'll walk through the initial stages of the API lifecycle, including designing, defining, documenting, and testing an API."
url: https://www.postman.com/events/intergalactic/api-lifecycle-part-1-build-and-test-an-api/
---

# API Lifecycle, Part 1: Build and Test an API | Postman Intergalactic

> Join us for a one-hour, intermediate-level Postman learning session geared specifically for API developers, API producers, and anyone else invested in building quality APIs. We'll walk through the initial stages of the API lifecycle, including designing, defining, documenting, and testing an API.

## API Lifecycle, Part 1: Build and Test an API

Aired: Wednesday, May 11, 8:00 a.m. (PDT)

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Join us for a one-hour, intermediate-level Postman learning session geared specifically for API developers, API producers, and anyone else invested in building quality APIs. We'll walk through the initial stages of the API lifecycle, including designing, defining, documenting, and testing an API.

Here's what we'll do in this session:

- Introduce the stages of the API lifecycle

- Review API-first model of software development

- Define foundational operations around an API including source control and collaboration

- Leverage Postman entities such as collections, environments, and mock servers

- Explore the industry-standard vocabulary of OpenAPI

- Design an API using OpenAPI

- Generate documentation from an OpenAPI specification

- Implement contract tests derived from API artifacts

Prerequisites:

- [Create](https://identity.getpostman.com/signup)a Postman account, and then [sign in](https://go.postman.co/).

- [Download and install](/downloads/postman-agent/)the Postman desktop agent, which will enable you to use the web version of Postman that we use in Postman Intergalactic sessions.

- General familiarity with the [OpenAPI Specification](https://learning.postman.com/docs/integrations/available-integrations/working-with-openAPI/)and the [API lifecycle](https://blog.postman.com/api-lifecycle-blueprint/).

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## Speakers

- **W. Ian Douglas** — Senior Developer Advocate, Postman
- **Vaishnavi Challa** — Technical Support Engineer, Postman

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## New sessions release each month

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## Broken collaboration leads to broken APIs.

Ninety-three percent of API teams still face collaboration blockers. The 2025 State of the API report reveals how you can unlock the productivity gains that API-first promises, but scattered tooling prevents.

[Read the Report](/state-of-api/2025/)