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Postman's Interview Process (2026)

Blog / Postman's Interview Process (2026)

Postman's software engineer interview process typically spans 5 to 6 rounds and is built around what the company calls 'Applied Engineering,' meaning you can generally expect to be evaluated on real, working code and API-centric thinking rather than abstract puzzles.

Recruiter Screen: Usually around 30 minutes, this is a high-level conversation about your background, what draws you to Postman, and your general technical experience.
Hiring Manager Screen: Typically around 60 minutes, this round goes deep into your past projects and technical decision-making. Expect scenario-based questions like 'How would you debug a slow API?'
Technical Knowledge Round: A discussion-based round focused on networking fundamentals and how the web works, often starting with a prompt like 'What happens when you type a URL into a browser?' and expanding from there.
Machine Coding / Applied Round: A live coding session, usually 90 to 120 minutes, where you build a functional component or small service in your own local IDE. Some teams allow AI coding assistants and want to see how you review and integrate the output.
System Design Round: Typically around 60 minutes and focused on API-first architecture, with an emphasis on Developer Experience, observability, and async flows rather than generic system design templates.
Bar Raiser / Cultural Fit: Conducted by an engineer from a different team, this round assesses ownership, collaboration, and alignment with Postman's values. Usually 45 to 60 minutes.

To prepare effectively, focus your study plan across these key areas that Postman's rounds consistently test:

Networking & CS Fundamentals: Focused on how the web works, HTTP protocols, and distributed systems concepts.
Low-Level Design / Machine Coding: Live coding of functional components with clean, extensible code.
System Design: API-first architectural design with a focus on scalability and Developer Experience.
Behavioral & Cultural Fit: Ownership, collaboration, and values-based questions assessed by a bar raiser.

1. Networking & CS Fundamentals

Postman's Technical Knowledge Round is unlike what you'll find at most companies. Instead of algorithms, it tests how well you understand the actual infrastructure that APIs run on, covering topics like DNS resolution, TCP vs. UDP, HTTP/2 vs. HTTP/3, and the CAP theorem.The classic starting prompt is 'What happens when you type a URL into a browser?' but interviewers will push into the specifics of each layer, so surface-level answers won't hold up. You should also be comfortable explaining the difference between HTTP status codes like 401 vs. 403 and 502 vs. 504, and how authentication and authorization work in a microservices architecture.Since Postman is an API company, your knowledge of HTTP headers, verbs, and protocols needs to be solid. Brush up on networking fundamentals and system design core concepts to make sure you can speak fluently to these topics under pressure.

2. Low-Level Design / Machine Coding

Postman has largely replaced standard DSA coding rounds with a Machine Coding format where you build something real and functional. Past candidates report being asked to implement a rate limiter using a Token Bucket or Leaking Bucket approach, which you can practice with the API Rate Limiter problem.Another commonly reported question is building a nested comment system using an in-memory store, similar to what you'd see on Reddit or Facebook. The Nested Comment Service problem is a direct match for this. Interviewers are evaluating clean code, basic error handling, and extensibility, not just whether it runs.For the round itself, set up your local IDE in advance with Node.js or TypeScript boilerplate (Express, DB drivers, etc.) so you're not wasting time on environment setup. Some teams, particularly on the AI and Codegen side, explicitly allow and even encourage AI coding assistants, but they want to see how you review, critique, and integrate the output rather than just accept it.

3. System Design

Postman's system design round is API-first, which means you won't just be drawing boxes on a whiteboard. Interviewers want to see that your architectural decisions account for Developer Experience, observability, and async flows. A commonly reported question is designing an API Gateway that handles authentication, logging, and rate limiting across thousands of microservices.URL shortener design also comes up frequently, but with a twist: the focus is on the analytics engine behind it, specifically how you'd track device types and IP locations. You can walk through this architecture with our Tiny URL (URL Shortener) solution. For rate limiting at the system level, the Rate Limiter walkthrough is worth reviewing as well.For broader preparation, work through our High-Level Design questions and practice drawing out architectures using our System Design Whiteboard. Focus on explaining the why behind each choice, especially around caching strategy and cache invalidation, since interviewers will push on the details.

4. Behavioral & Cultural Fit

The Bar Raiser round is run by an engineer outside your target team and focuses on how you collaborate, take ownership, and handle ambiguity. This isn't a checkbox exercise; interviewers are genuinely probing for how you think and behave when things get hard.Almost every round at Postman also includes a Developer Experience angle. You may be asked how a technical decision you made affected the end-user, so be ready to connect your engineering choices to real developer impact. Structure your answers using the STAR principle to keep responses focused and concrete.Candidates also report being asked for genuine feedback on Postman's own product. Using features like Postman Flows, Mock Servers, and Postbot before your interview will give you something real to say. Our Behavioral Interview Course and Behavioral Playbook can help you prepare for the values-based questions across all rounds.

Conclusion

Postman's process rewards engineers who can ship real, working software and think carefully about how APIs are built and used. Start with networking fundamentals and machine coding practice, layer in system design, and make sure you actually use the Postman product before your interviews. Follow the Postman Interview Roadmap for a structured, stage-by-stage plan to get you ready.