# Multi-step API Monitor

> Monitor a whole user journey, not one endpoint.

Multi-step API Monitor chains two requests into one real Postman monitor — the first signs in and its token is passed to the second — then runs the pair on a schedule and shows every request and response on a live dashboard.

Also: multi step api monitor, chained api requests, api workflow monitoring, monitor login flow, authenticated api monitoring, multi request monitor, api journey test, token handoff between requests.

## What it does

Checking one endpoint tells you that endpoint answered. It does not tell you a user can actually sign in and then read their data, which is the thing that breaks. Configure two requests, pick a method and auth for each, and this provisions a real monitor that runs them in order: the token step 1 returns is captured into a collection variable and sent as step 2 authorization. The first run is triggered immediately, then it runs every minute — sign up to keep it running continuously and get alerted on failures.

## When to use it

- You want to know that logging in and fetching data both still work, in that order.
- Your API needs a token before any useful endpoint can be called.
- A single-endpoint check passes while the real user journey is broken.
- You want to see request and response detail for each step of a run.

## What you give it

| Input | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| First request | Method, URL, optional API key or bearer token, and a JSON body — typically the sign-in call. |
| Follow-up request | Method and URL for the request that depends on step 1. Its bearer token is pre-filled with the token step 1 returned. |

## What you get back

| Output | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Run history | Each run as it lands: response time, status, and whether the status-code tests passed. |
| Per-step detail | Both requests of a run, expandable to the response body each one returned. |
| Summary | Success rate, average / max / min response time, and total runs. |

## How it works

- A collection is created holding both requests in order, with a script on step 1 that captures the token from its response into a collection variable.
- Step 2 sends that variable as its bearer token, so the two requests share one authenticated session within a run.
- A monitor is scheduled against the collection from the US East region, run immediately, and then every minute.
- A run passes when both requests respond healthily; it is marked failed on a timeout, error, or failing status-code test.

## Key terms

- **Multi-step monitor** — a monitor that runs several requests in order as one unit, so a failure anywhere in the sequence fails the run — the way a real user journey behaves.
- **Token handoff** — capturing a value from one response into a variable that a later request reads, which is how a chained request authenticates without you pasting a token by hand.
- **Collection variable** — a value stored on the collection and shared by every request in a run — where the token from step 1 is kept for step 2.

## Questions

### What is a multi-step API monitor?

A multi-step monitor chains two or more API requests into a single test. Instead of checking one endpoint in isolation, it validates a full user journey (like sign in, then fetch data) and reports on whether the whole path works end to end.

### How do I test an API workflow that requires authentication?

Add authentication to the first request. The token from the Step 1 response is stored as a variable and automatically passed to Step 2's Authorization header. No manual copying required.

### Can I pass data from one request to another?

Yes. Any value in the Step 1 response (auth tokens, IDs, timestamps) can be extracted and used in Step 2's URL, headers, or body. Step 2 updates automatically when Step 1 changes.

### What's the difference between a single API check and a multi-step monitor?

A single-endpoint check tells you whether one URL is up. A multi-step monitor tells you whether your actual user flow works. If sign-in succeeds but fetching data fails, a single check misses it; a multi-step monitor catches it.

### Can I schedule this to run continuously?

This tool runs in the current session only, to monitor your APIs continuously and get alerted on failures, you can use Postman Monitors.

### What kind of assertions can I run on the response?

Not supported in this tool. Postman Monitors gives you assertions on response headers, body content, response time thresholds, and custom Postman scripts.

### How do I get alerts when a step fails?

Not supported here. Postman Monitors sends alerts via email, Slack, PagerDuty, and custom webhooks when any step of a monitored workflow fails.

### Do I need to sign up to use this tool?

No signup, no credit card. First result runs in seconds. Sign in only if you want to save the monitor, schedule it, or receive alerts.


## Privacy

The URLs, body fields, and any token or API key you enter are sent to Postman so the requests can run against them from a server. No account is needed to try it.

## Links

- [Use the tool](https://www.postman.com/tools/api-monitor-multistep) — the interactive version of this page.
- [Postman Tools](https://www.postman.com/tools) — every free tool in this set.
- [Monitors docs](https://learning.postman.com/docs/monitoring-your-api/intro-monitors/) — Postman documentation.