# How to Fork and Merge Workflows for Partner API Collaboration Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcE7iPK3uA4 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/LcE7iPK3uA4 Generated: 2025-11-11T10:44:06.909+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Postman Partner Workspaces facilitate secure, cross-company API collaboration by allowing API publishers to invite external partners with specific roles (Manager, Lead, Partner) to shared workspaces, ensuring controlled access and enabling collaborative development, testing, and communication through features like integrated commenting and API contract testing snippets. **Key Points:** - Partner Workspaces are designed for cross-company collaboration, enabling multiple stakeholders from different organizations to work together on APIs within a single shared Postman workspace (0:03). - Key benefits include faster integrations via shared collections/examples, a single source of truth for API schema and documentation, and safer handoffs through role-based access control (0:50, 0:59, 1:07). - Three primary roles govern access: Partner Manager (admin-like rights for external partners), Partner Lead (admin on the partner's side who can add other Partners), and Partner (the standard invited member) (3:19, 3:31, 3:41). - API publishers invite partners via email, and upon accepting, partners select an existing team or create a new one to collaborate within (7:09). - Collaboration is enhanced through in-line commenting on specific requests or scripts, allowing for direct feedback, such as suggesting contract tests (4:08, 5:43). - The multi-partner mode restricts partners from seeing each other's work, ensuring privacy when collaborating with multiple organizations in one workspace (8:13). - API publishers can keep partners informed of changes via the 'Updates' tab, linking specific resources like requests or schemas to the announcement (8:21, 8:50). ![Screenshot at 0:28: The introductory screen for Chapter 1, 'What are Partner Workspaces?', visually defining the concept with an illustration of one astronaut helping another, symbolizing external collaboration within a shared environment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-00-28.png) **Context:** This video tutorial, presented by Gbadebo Bello, a Developer Advocate at Postman, explains how to leverage Postman's Partner Workspaces feature to manage secure and transparent collaboration between an API publisher (like 'Company A') and external partners (like 'John Doe' from 'Company B'). The core focus is on setting up these workspaces, defining access roles, and using communication tools to keep all collaborating parties synchronized on API development and changes. ## Detailed Analysis The video details the creation and management of Postman Partner Workspaces, emphasizing secure, controlled collaboration between organizations. First, a Partner Workspace is created, differentiating it from internal workspaces by allowing secure sharing of APIs with trusted external partners (1:51). The speaker demonstrates creating a workspace named 'Company A x Bank' of type 'Partner' (1:54). Essential features include faster integration due to shared artifacts, serving as a single source of truth, and maintaining secure access boundaries (0:50-1:14). The system defines three roles: Partner Manager (approves/rejects new partners), Partner Lead (admin on the partner side who can invite others), and Partner (standard member) (3:19-3:44). The publisher can invite partners via email, assigning them roles like Viewer or Editor (4:19). Collaboration extends to testing; the speaker demonstrates adding contract tests to requests like 'Create New Account' and shows that these tests are visible to all collaborators, facilitating immediate feedback loops (4:43, 5:55). Furthermore, updates to the API are communicated clearly via the 'Updates' tab in the workspace settings, allowing the publisher to title the update, describe changes, link specific resources (requests, schemas), and select recipients to ensure all partners receive timely notifications (8:21-8:56). Finally, enabling 'multi-partner mode' ensures that if multiple external organizations are involved, partners from one organization cannot see the work of another, maintaining necessary confidentiality (8:13). ### Partner Workspaces Setup - Creating a 'Partner' workspace type (1:51) - Inviting external partners via email with specific roles: Manager, Lead, or Partner (4:19) - Differentiating between internal, public, and partner workspace types (1:53) ### Role Definitions and Access Control - Partner Manager approves/rejects new partners (3:19) - Partner Lead manages partners on their side (3:31) - Partner is the standard invited member (3:41) - Multi-partner mode restricts visibility between different partner organizations (8:13) ### Collaborative Development & Testing - Utilizing in-line comments on requests/scripts for direct feedback (4:08) - Partner John Doe suggests adding contract tests to the 'Create New Account' request (5:43) - Contract tests added by the publisher are instantly visible to collaborators (6:38) ### Keeping Partners Informed - Utilizing the 'Updates' tab to announce changes (8:21) - Publisher provides a title, description, and links specific resources/schemas to the update announcement (8:40, 8:50) - Partners receive email notifications about published updates (9:06) ![Screenshot at 0:05: Gbadebo Bello, Developer Advocate at Postman, introduces the concept of API development involving multiple stakeholders.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-00-05.png) ![Screenshot at 0:18: Text overlay highlighting the core purpose of Partner Workspaces: enabling collaboration between multiple stakeholders working together on a single Postman workspace.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-00-18.png) ![Screenshot at 0:28: Visual explanation of Partner Workspaces showing one astronaut helping another, symbolizing secure external collaboration.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-00-28.png) ![Screenshot at 0:50: Screen displaying the first key benefit: 'Faster integrations: shared collections and examples mean partners can run requests immediately.'](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-00-50.png) ![Screenshot at 1:24: Chapter 2 introduction slide for 'Demo Collaboration Workflow,' transitioning into the Postman application interface.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-01-24.png) ![Screenshot at 2:00: Demonstration of forking an existing collection into the new Partner Workspace, showing the collection structure post-fork.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-02-00.png) ![Screenshot at 3:13: Slide outlining the three main roles in Partner Workspaces: Partner Manager, Partner Lead, and Partner.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-03-13.png) ![Screenshot at 4:44: Postman script editor showing contract tests being executed on the 'Generate API key' request, confirming test success \(3/3 tests passed\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-04-44.png) ![Screenshot at 5:58: Demonstration of replying to a comment left by 'John Doe' regarding adding contract tests, showcasing real-time collaboration.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-05-58.png) ![Screenshot at 7:26: Navigation to the 'Partnerships' section within Team Settings, where publishers manage external access.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-07-26.png) ![Screenshot at 8:31: The 'Updates' tab interface showing the ability to create a new update notification, select a tag \(e.g., 'New Feature'\), and link related resources.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/LcE7iPK3uA4/00-08-31.png)