Kaizen #141 - Zoho CRM's API Collection in Postman

Kaizen #141 - Zoho CRM's API Collection in Postman

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!

In today's post, we will discuss:
  1. What is Postman?
  2. Zoho CRM's API Collection in Postman
  3. Where is it available?
  4. Prerequisites for using the collection
  5. Forking the API Collection from Zoho CRM Developer Workspace
  6. Setting up the environment
  7. Registering a Client in Zoho API Console
  8. Generating tokens
  9. Making an API call
  10. A quick alternative to token generation using Guided Auth

1. What is Postman?

  • A popular tool for API development and testing.
  • User-friendly interface for making API requests, viewing responses, and managing different environments.

2. Zoho CRM's API Collection in Postman

  • Boilerplate requests that you can use to test and explore the CRM APIs in various environments for multiple organizations.
  • Makes the process of exploring APIs swift and effortless. It also significantly reduces the risk of errors.

3. Where is it available?

The Zoho CRM API Collection is available in Zoho Developers workspace in Postman.

4. Prerequisites for using the Collection

  • A Zoho CRM account to access the Zoho API Console.
  • A registered client (self-client/web-based) to generate an org-specific grant token.

5. Forking the API Collection from Zoho CRM Developer Workspace

  1. ‌Download and install Postman.
  2. In the Postman app, click the search icon at the top bar and type Zoho CRM Developers. The Zoho CRM Developers Workspace opens.
  3. Click Collections on the left bar.
  4. Click the more actions icon.
  5. Click Create a Fork.
  6. Give a name to your collection, and choose the workspace you want to save it to.
  7. You can select one or more environments to fork and pin to the collection.
  8. Click Fork Collection. Forking will happen in the background.



6. Setting up the environment

An environment is a group of variables that you can reuse in API requests and scripts.
  1. Click Environments on the left bar.
  2. Click Create Environment and give it a name.
  3. Under Variable, add the following variables:
    client-id
    client-secret
    redirect-uri
    authorization-code
    access-token
    refresh-token
    accounts-url
    api-domain
    expiry-time


7. Registering a client in Zoho API Console

For your app to be able to use users' data in Zoho CRM across multiple orgs, you must register your app as a client in Zoho CRM.
In this post, we have used Self Client as the client type. For details about when to choose between a self-client and web-based client, refer to this Kaizen post.
  1. Go to Zoho API Console.
  2. Click Add Client.
  3. Choose Self Client from the list of client types and click Create Now.
  4. You will see the client ID and client secret.


8. Generating the tokens for a self client

Zoho CRM APIs follow the OAuth2.0 protocol for authentication.
This involves three tokens viz, grant token(authorization code), access token and refresh token.
  • Grant token - Also called the authorization code, for a self client, this token is generated in the API console itself. This token informs Zoho's authorization server(Zoho Accounts) that your app wants to access Zoho CRM users' data(bound by scopes). This token is environment-specific, i.e, if you choose a production org while generating this token, you can access Zoho CRM data in the production environment only. This token is valid from 3 minutes to 10 minutes based on what you choose in the console.
  • Access token - After you have authenticated your app and generated a grant token, you must exchange it with Zoho Accounts for an access token. This access token will also have the same scopes as your grant token. This token is valid for one hour. You must send this token in the header of every API call as a bearer token.
  • Refresh token - Since the access token is valid only for an hour, you can use the refresh token to generate a new access token. Instead of creating a grant token again for the same scopes and generating another access token, you can directly use the refresh token and get a new access token with the same scope. Refresh token is valid until you revoke it.
Let's see how to generate these tokens.



Notes
Creating the grant token is a one-time process. After you generate access and refresh tokens using the grant token, you can simply use the refresh token to create new access token every hour.

9. Making an API call

Now that we have generated the tokens, let's make an API call using the access token.
  1. Navigate to V6 > REST APIs > Records > Get Records > Accounts.
  2. You can see the request with a few fields already in place.
  3. Modify the parameters as required.
  4. Under Auth, you can see the variable {{access-token}} that holds the access token we generated earlier.
  5. Hit Send to get a response.



10. A quick alternative to token generation using Guided Auth

Postman has introduced a new flow called the Guided Auth. This method allows new users to acquaint themselves with making API calls and testing them, without the hassIe of setting up a client.
In this flow, Zoho acts as the client and takes care of generating the grant and access tokens for a set of pre-defined scopes.
Follow these steps to use Guided Auth.
  1. Click Set Up New Authorization in Postman.
  2. Click Authorize. You will be redirected to Zoho's Login page.
  3. Sign in to your Zoho account.
  4. Choose the org for which you want to generate the token.
  5. Click Agree on the consent screen to grant permission to use your Zoho CRM data as per the scopes on the screen.
In the backend, Zoho generates the grant and access tokens, and you will see the access token in your Postman instance under Auth Credentials.
Note that flow does not give you a refresh token. This method is only to get a head-start with APIs without facing authorization errors. As always, the access token is valid for an hour, after which you have to follow the process of authorizing Zoho to generate another token.





As you can see, when you use our API collection, making API calls to Zoho CRM is a piece of cake as all the requests are already in place with examples.


We hope you found this post useful. We'll meet you next week with another interesting post!
Let us know your feedback in the comment section or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.
Cheers!


    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

    • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

    • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

    • Kaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms

      Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achieved

    • Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.

    • Recent Topics

    • Missing Import Options

      Hello, do I miss something or is there no space import option inside of this application? In ClickUp, you can import from every common application. We don't want to go through every page and export them one by one. That wastes time. We want to centralize

    • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

      Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files

    • Is it possible to enforce a single default task for all users in a Zoho Projects ?

      In Zoho Projects, the Tasks module provides multiple views, including List, Gantt, and Kanban. Additionally, users can create and switch to their own custom views. During project review meetings, this flexibility creates confusion because different users

    • Admin asked me for Backend Details when I wanted to verify my ZeptoMail Account

      Please provide the backend details where you will be adding the SMTP/API information of ZeptoMail Who knows what this means?

    • Timeline Tracker

      Hi Team, I am currently using Zoho Creator – Blueprint Workflows, and I would like to know if there is a way to track a timeline of the approval process within a Blueprint. Specifically, I am looking for details such as: Who submitted the record Who clicked

    • [Free Webinar] Zoho Creator webinars - Learning Table and Creator Tech Connect Series in 2026

      Hello everyone, Wishing you all a wonderful new year! May 2026 and the years ahead bring more opportunities, growth, and learning your way 🙂 We’re excited to kick off the 2026 edition of the Learning Table Series and Creator Tech Connect Series ! Learning

    • Reply and react to comments

      Hi everyone! We're excited to bring to you a couple of new features that'll make your sprint process simpler. A cloud application brings with it an array of social media features that can be efficiently used in your organizational setup. As an agile scrum

    • Restrict Users access to login into CRM?

      I’m wanting my employees to be able to utilize the Zoho CRM Lookup field within Zoho Forms. For them to use lookup field in Zoho Forms it is my understanding that they need to be licensed for Forms and the CRM. However, I don’t want them to be able to

    • How to set page defaults in zoho writer?

      hi, everytime i open the zoho writer i have to change the default page settings to - A4 from letter, margins to narrow and header and footer to 0. I cannot set this as default as that option is grayed out! so I am unable to click it. I saved the document

    • Where is the settings option in zoho writer?

      hi, my zoho writer on windows has menu fonts too large. where do i find the settings to change this option? my screen resolution is correct and other apps/softwares in windows have no issues. regards

    • Module Customisation - Lookup function not available

      Good evening, Within my business, I can have multiple customers, who have multiple mobile assets. When I set these assets up, I enter information such as vehicle registration, Vehicle identification number (VIN), Unit number, YOM, in addition to others.

    • zoho click, and nord VPN

      Unfortunately, we've been having problems with Zoho Click, where essentially the line cuts off after about a minute's worth of conversation every time we are on VPN. Is there a way we can change this within the settings so it does not cut the line off

    • Zoho Calender

      a) does the clanender in zoho project allow you to see the name of the event in the celnder view, it currently says either "Task (1) or "Milestoen (1)" b) Alternatively does the calender in Zoho project integrate with zoho calender?

    • I Need Help Verifying Ownership of My Zoho Help Desk on Google Search Console

      I added my Zoho desk portal to Google Search Console, but since i do not have access to the html code of my theme, i could not verify ownership of my portal on Google search console. I want you to help me place the html code given to me from Google search

    • Matching ZOHO Payments in Banking

      Our company has recently integrated ZOHO Payments into our system. This seemed really convenient at first because our customers could pay their account balance by clicking on a link imbedded in the emailed invoice. Unfortunately, we can't figure out how

    • Team Gamification

      Would love to motivate, engage and encourage our team with our social media posts. Would like to include Gamification features of Social Media in Zoho Social or Marketing Automation. And also bring in Social Advocacy tools/tracking/management to these,

    • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

      Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient

    • New Enhancements to Zoho CRM and Zoho Creator Integration

      Hello Everyone, We’ve rolled out enhancements to the Zoho Creator and Zoho CRM integration to align with recent updates made to the Zoho Creator platform. With enhancements to both the UI and functionality, This update also tightens access control by

    • Work Type - Limitation

      Hello, I'm setting up work types and have noticed, a limitation on the parts area to 10 lines. Can this be increased to 20 or greater? In addition to this, when I attempt to add the work type to a work order, the correct labour hours doesn't flow through.

    • Emails sent through Bigin are not posting in IMAP Sent folder

      I have set up my email to work from within Bigin using IMAP.  I am using IMAP so I can sync my email across multiple devices - phone / laptop / desktop / iPad / etc.  I want all my emails to populate my email client (outlook & iphone email) whether or

    • Adding Default Module Image into mail merge field

      As with most people finding their way to these forums i have a specific requirement that doesn't seem to be supported by Zoho I have created 2 custom modules to suit my purpose 1 is an inventory type module that lists aluminium extrusions, and all relevant

    • Turning the page for Zoho SalesIQ: 2025 to 2026

      As we wrap up 2025, we would like to take a moment to reflect on what we set out to achieve this year, what we’ve delivered, and where we’re headed next. What we focused on in 2025 This year was all about strengthening the core of engagement and AI, making

    • Stage-probability mapping feature in custom module

      Hi, I'm building a custom module for manage projects. I would like to implement the stage-probability feature that Potentials has. Is this possible?

    • Temporary Outage in Zoho Cliq Affecting US Users – July 23, 2025

      We experienced a service disruption in Zoho Cliq that impacted core functionality for users in the US region. The issue occurred between Jul 23, 2025, 06:54:00 PM IST and 07:13:13 PM IST, lasting approximately 19 minutes. To restore service stability,

    • Why Sharing Rules do Not support relative date comparison???

      I am creating a Sharing Rule and simply want to share where "Last Day of Coverage" (Date field) is Greater than TODAY (Starting Tomorrow). However, sharing rules don't have the option to compare a date field to a relative date (like today), only to Static

    • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

      Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly

    • Problem with Workdrive folders

      I'm having a problem a problem accessing files in a Zoho work drive folder when using the Zoho writer app. The problem folder appears grayed out in the Zoho work drive window in both the online and writer application. However I can open the folder in

    • Send Supervisor Rule Emails Within Ticket Context in Zoho Desk

      Dear Zoho Desk Team, I hope this message finds you well. Currently, emails sent via Supervisor Rules in Zoho Desk are sent outside of the ticket context. As a result, if a client replies to such emails, their response creates a new ticket instead of appending

    • Multi-currency and Products

      One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support.  However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK.  However, we maintain different price lists for each. 

    • Create an Eye-Catching Announcement Widget for Your Help Center

      Hello Everyone! In this week’s edition, let’s explore how to keep your customers updated with exciting news in the Help Center. See how ZylkerMobile wowed their customers by bringing updates right to their portal. ZylkerMobile, the renowned brand for

    • Send Whatsapp with API including custom placeholders

      Is is possible to initiate a session on whatsapp IM channel with a template that includes params (placeholders) that are passed on the API call? This is very usefull to send a Utility message for a transactional notification including an order number

    • Customer Management: #6 Common Mistakes in Customer Handling

      Managing customers doesn't usually fall apart overnight. More often, slight gaps in the process slowly become bigger problems. Incidents like missed follow-ups, billing confusion, and unhappy customers will lead to revenue loss. Many businesses don't

    • Zoho Desk iOS app update: UI enhancement of picklist and multi picklist fields

      Hello everyone! We have enhanced the UI of the picklist and multiselect picklist fields on the Zoho Desk iOS app to provide a more refined, efficient, and user-friendly experience. We have now supported an option to Search within the picklist and multiselect

    • Zoho Desk iOS app update: Revamped scribbles with Apple pencil kit

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce a revamped Scribble experience, rebuilt from the ground up using Apple PencilKit for smooth strokes, proper scaling, and seamless image uploads. Please update the app to the latest version directly from the App

    • Zoho Desk Android app update: Norwegian language support

      Hello everyone! In the most recent Android version of the Zoho Desk app update, we have brought in support to access the app in Norwegian language. We have introduced the Norwegian language on the IM module of the Zoho Desk app as well. Please update

    • Field Description is very small

      Hello, The field Description in the activity is very small. Why don't try open a new window, or a bigger popup, or increase the width of the "popup".  Example:

    • Is it possible to roll up all Contact emails to the Account view?

      Is there a way to track all emails associated with an Account in one single view? Currently, email history is visible when opening an individual Contact record. However, since multiple Contacts are often associated with a single Account, it would be beneficial

    • Function #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.

    • Payment Vouchers

      Is there any Payment Vouchers in Zoho? How can we create payment for non-trade vendors, i.e. professional fees, rent, and payment to commissioner income tax?

    • API in E-Invoice/GST portal

      Hi, Do I have to change the api in gst/e-invoice portal as I use zoho e books for my e-invoicing. If yes, please confirm the process.

    • Next Page