Environments and Variables

Environments and Variables

Environments let you reuse values (API_HOST, TOKEN, …) across requests and switch between setups (dev / staging / prod) in one click.

Variable syntax

Reference a variable anywhere a value is accepted with double braces:

{{name}}

• Valid names use letters, digits, _, -, . (and a leading $ for #Dynamic variables).
• Whitespace inside the braces is ignored: {{ baseUrl }} == {{baseUrl}}.
• Names are case-sensitive: {{BaseUrl}} ≠ baseurl.
• Unknown variables are left verbatim — a missing {{token}} stays as {{token}} in the request rather than becoming blank, so breakage is visible.

Where variables resolve

At send time, variables are substituted into:

• the URL (base + query-param values),
• header values,
• the body (raw text; urlencoded and multipart field names and values),
• auth credentials (token / username / password / API-key name & value).

They are not substituted into: header keys, query-param keys, the HTTP method, or file paths.

History keeps the un-resolved request. A history entry stores {{token}}, not the resolved value — so you can re-send it under a different environment. See History.

Managing environments

Open the environment selector (top toolbar) → Manage environments… to open the Environments dialog.

• Create: click +; you're prompted for a name (CREATE). It starts empty.
• Edit: select an environment to edit its NAME and VARIABLES (a key/value editor — type in the last row to add another; trash to delete). Changes save immediately.
• Delete: remove an environment (confirmed). If it was the active one, Getman switches to No Environment automatically.

The active environment

The environment selector shows the current environment (icon + name on wide screens, icon-only on phones). Its menu lists:

• No Environment (a synthetic "none" option),
• your environments (a ✓ marks the active one),
• Manage environments….

Pick one to make it active. With No Environment, only #Dynamic variables resolve; your named variables stay verbatim. The active environment is remembered across restarts.

Quick switch (Cmd/Ctrl + E)

For a keyboard-fast switch without opening the menu, press Cmd/Ctrl + E to open the SWITCH ENVIRONMENT overlay:

• An arrow-key navigable list of No Environment plus every environment, with the active one marked.
• ↑ / ↓ moves the highlight (it opens on the currently-active row); Enter or a click switches the active environment; Esc closes without changing anything.

This is a third way to change the active environment, alongside the dropdown selector and the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + K).

Collection variables

Beyond environments, any folder in your Collections tree can define its own variables — handy for values that belong to a specific collection or sub-folder (a base URL, an API version) rather than a global environment.

• Edit them: open a folder's menu (right-click / three-dot on desktop, long-press on phone) → VARIABLES. You get the same key/value editor as environments, including per-row secret toggles. Press SAVE to apply.
• Scope & inheritance: a request inherits the merged variables of every folder on its path — a variable set on a parent folder is visible to requests in its sub-folders. When the same name is set at more than one level, the deepest (nearest) folder wins.
• Precedence vs. environments: the active environment wins over collection variables (matching Postman), so collection variables act as built-in defaults an environment can override. Resolution order, highest priority first: active environment → nearest folder → … → outermost folder → #Dynamic variables.
• Secrets: collection variables support the same lock / reveal affordance as environment variables, and are masked the same way on export.
• Sharing: collection variables travel with the collection — they're included in Postman v2.1 export/import and in the git workspace mirror (secret values are masked in both; key names and non-secret values round-trip). See Import Export and Git Workspace.

Only folders hold variables; to give a single request its own value, set it on the folder that contains it.

Dynamic variables

These built-ins resolve at send time without any environment (a leading $). Each occurrence resolves independently.

Variable	Resolves to
{{$guid}}	A random v4 UUID
{{$randomUUID}} / {{$randomUuid}}	A random v4 UUID (aliases of $guid)
{{$timestamp}}	Current Unix time in seconds
{{$isoTimestamp}}	Current UTC time, ISO-8601
{{$randomInt}}	A random integer 0–1000

If you define an environment variable with the same name (e.g. timestamp), your variable wins over the built-in.

Secret variables

Mark a variable secret to hide its value:

• In the variables editor, click a row's lock icon to toggle secret.
• A secret row's value is masked with a reveal (eye) toggle to peek.
• Secrets are masked on Postman export (empty value, type: "secret").
• Send-time resolution is unaffected — a secret resolves like any other variable.
• Secret flags follow renames and are pruned when a key is deleted.

Live highlighting

In the URL bar (and other variable-aware fields), {{tokens}} are coloured as you type:

• Resolved (defined in the active environment, in a #Collection variables for the open request, or a dynamic variable) → the "resolved" colour.
• Unresolved (unknown name) → the "unresolved/warning" colour.

Colours follow the active theme. This makes it obvious at a glance whether a variable will resolve.

Hover to see the resolved value

Hover the mouse over a {{variable}} token — in the URL bar or in a params / headers value field — to see, in a small popover, exactly what it will resolve to under the active environment:

• Resolved → the value, with a source line: from <Environment> for an environment value, or from Collection for a #Collection variables.
• Secret → the value is masked (•••••• (secret)) with an eye toggle to reveal it, so secrets aren't exposed on a casual hover.
• Dynamic ({{$timestamp}}, {{$guid}}, …) → labelled Generated per request with a freshly-generated sample.
• Unresolved → Not defined in <Environment>, or No active environment when none is active.

The popover reads the current active environment, so switching environments updates what you see. (Hovering is a desktop/mouse affordance.)

Capturing values automatically

You can extract values from one response into environment variables to chain requests together — see Tests and Chaining.