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Postman VS Apache CXF

Compare Postman VS Apache CXF and see what are their differences

Postman logo Postman

The Collaboration Platform for API Development

Apache CXF logo Apache CXF

Apache CXF, Services Framework - Index
  • Postman Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-23
  • Apache CXF Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-29

Postman features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Postman features an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of constructing API requests and visualizing responses. This makes it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Collaboration
    Postman offers robust collaboration features, such as shared workspaces, collections, and real-time editing, enabling teams to work together more efficiently on API development.
  • Comprehensive Testing Tools
    Postman provides a suite of testing tools to create, automate, and manage test cases. It supports automated testing through its scripting environments, which ensure APIs perform as expected.
  • Extensive API Documentation
    Postman can automatically generate comprehensive API documentation, making it easier to maintain and share API specifications with stakeholders and other developers.
  • Mock Servers
    Postman allows users to create mock servers to simulate API responses. This is particularly useful for testing and development purposes when the actual API is not yet available.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Postman offers integrations with various CI/CD tools, version control systems, and other services like Jenkins, GitHub, and Slack, facilitating seamless integration into development workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Postman

  • Resource Intensive
    Postman can sometimes be resource-intensive, consuming substantial memory and CPU, which can impact the performance of your system, especially when dealing with large collections.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While Postman is generally user-friendly, some of its advanced features, like scripting and automation, can have a steep learning curve and might require additional effort to master.
  • Pricing
    Although Postman offers a free tier, many of its advanced features, such as enhanced collaboration tools and extended integrations, are locked behind paid plans, which may not be cost-effective for smaller teams or individual developers.
  • Dependency on Internet
    Some of Postman's features, particularly those related to collaboration and synchronization, require a stable internet connection, which can be a limitation in environments with poor connectivity.
  • Limited Native Support for Certain Protocols
    Postman primarily focuses on HTTP/HTTPS protocols and may offer limited or no native support for other protocols, which can be restricting for developers working with diverse sets of technologies.

Apache CXF features and specs

  • Comprehensive Web Service Support
    Apache CXF supports a wide range of web service standards including SOAP, REST, and various WS-* standards, allowing developers to work with different service types under one framework.
  • Flexibility
    CXF is highly configurable and can be customized to meet various needs ranging from simple web APIs to complex enterprise integrations, supporting both XML and JSON formats.
  • Integration
    It integrates well with other Java enterprise standards and frameworks such as Spring and JAX-RS, offering seamless integration into existing systems.
  • Active Community and Documentation
    Being an Apache project, CXF benefits from a large, active community which contributes to extensive documentation, forums, and community support.
  • Performance
    Apache CXF is designed to be lightweight and efficient, which can lead to better performance in web service communication compared to some heavier alternatives.

Possible disadvantages of Apache CXF

  • Complexity for Beginners
    The extensive features and flexibility of Apache CXF can make it complex for beginners to get started, requiring a good understanding of web service concepts and configurations.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its wide range of capabilities and configurability, mastering Apache CXF may involve a steep learning curve for developers, especially those new to web services or enterprise integration.
  • Documentation Gaps
    While there is extensive documentation, it can sometimes be outdated or lacking in detailed examples for complex configurations and newer features, which can be challenging for developers needing specific information.
  • Overhead for Simple Use-Cases
    For very simple REST or SOAP web services, Apache CXF may introduce more complexity and overhead than necessary compared to more lightweight alternatives or simpler frameworks.

Analysis of Postman

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Postman is widely regarded as a good tool for API development and testing. Its combination of powerful features and ease of use makes it a popular choice among developers.

Why this product is good

  • Postman is considered a top choice for API development due to its user-friendly interface, extensive features for testing, automation, and collaboration, and strong community support. It simplifies the process of creating, managing, and testing APIs, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.

Recommended for

  • Developers working on API integration
  • QA engineers involved in testing APIs
  • Teams in need of collaborative API development
  • Developers looking to automate API testing
  • Individuals looking for a comprehensive API testing tool

Postman videos

POST/CON 2018 workshop in review: Running Postman Collections

More videos:

  • Review - POST/CON 2018 workshop in review: Postman Collections
  • Tutorial - How to Share Postman Collections

Apache CXF videos

15-Generating Code - SOAP WSDL to Java using Apache CXF Plugin | Maven for Beginners | Code Journal

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Postman and Apache CXF)
API Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
95 95%
5% 5
APIs
100 100%
0% 0
Ruby Web Framework
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Postman and Apache CXF

Postman Reviews

Postman vs Apidog: Choosing the Suitable API Development Tool
Forking Existing Collections: One of Postman’s unique strengths is the ability to fork collections created by others. Developers can easily duplicate publicly available Postman collections, modifying them to fit their particular needs without starting from scratch. This feature saves time and encourages collaboration by allowing developers to build upon existing work.
Source: dev.to
Top 20 Open Source & Cloud Free Postman Alternatives (2024 Updated)
As the digital landscape evolves, the significance of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) has surged, facilitating seamless communication between various software applications. Postman has been a leading tool in this space, offering a comprehensive platform for API development, testing, and documentation. However, recent shifts in its pricing model and user experience...
Source: medium.com
Best Postman Alternatives To Consider in 2025
- Focus on specific needs: Does the tool excel at SOAP APIs or cater to microservices? - Resource usage: Does it handle complex projects without impacting system performance? - Script reusability: Does it allow for efficient code sharing across projects?3. Is Postman the best API tool?Not all-encompassing. While Postman is powerful, the "best" tool depends on your specific...
Postman Alternatives for API Testing and Monitoring
Some engineers turn to Postman for API testing and monitoring needs. However, Postman is a costly and limited solution. QA, DevOps and other engineers may find it lacks capabilities that can answer their needs. In this blog post, we provide 12 Postman alternatives built for the enterprise.
Beeceptor vs Postman
You cannot download request log. Although, you can use Postman APIs to query and retrieve.
Source: beeceptor.com

Apache CXF Reviews

We have no reviews of Apache CXF yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Postman seems to be a lot more popular than Apache CXF. While we know about 30 links to Postman, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Apache CXF. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Postman mentions (30)

View more

Apache CXF mentions (2)

  • It's 2023. Your API should have a schema
    SOAP died because it is awful. There are plenty of java libraries that can generate java code from a WSDL. Apache CXF seem to be the fairly standard library people use. (https://cxf.apache.org). Source: about 3 years ago
  • What’s Coming in Jakarta REST 3.1?
    A few years back, Adam Bien wrote an excellent blog post on how to configure JSON-B in a Jakarta REST application. The only trouble is that at that time, the approach only worked with Eclipse Jersey. Since then other implementations (including Open Liberty via Apache CXF) also enabled this functionality, but it will become a standard in 3.1, enabling more portable usage of JSON-B configuration. - Source: dev.to / over 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Postman and Apache CXF, you can also consider the following products

Insomnia REST - Design, debug, test, and mock APIs locally, on Git, or cloud. Build better APIs collaboratively for the most popular protocols with a dev‑friendly UI, built-in automation, and an extensible plugin ecosystem.

ASP.NET - ASP.NET is a free web framework for building great Web sites and Web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

MuleSoft Anypoint Platform - Anypoint Platform is a unified, highly productive, hybrid integration platform that creates an application network of apps, data and devices with API-led connectivity.

jQuery UI - Curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery JavaScript Library

DreamFactory - DreamFactory is an API management platform used to generate, secure, document, and extend APIs.

Font Awesome - Font Awesome makes it easy to add vector icons and social logos to your website. And version 5 is redesigned and built from the ground up!