How to add authentication to SSRS API call from Postman?

Question

Hi, I am trying to use the SSRS REST API as documented here. I am posting here since this Q&A forum was listed as the support forum on a derivative link here. When I make a call in my browser, such as http://my-server/reports/api/v2.0/CatalogItems I get the JSON object of all the Catalog Items in my report server.

However, I want to set this up in Postman. I added a header of 'Content-Type' with value 'application/json;charset=UTF-8'. I am getting a 401 Unauthorized. I looked at the authorization tab in Postman and tried Basic Auth and entered in my domain username and password, but that didn't work.

My question is, how do I authenticate with the Reporting Services API? The TypeScript and PowerShell examples just seem to use a built-in way to authenticate (withCredentials: true and -UseDefaultCredentials, respectively). What is the explicit way I can authenticate with the SSRS API in a tool such as Postman?

Any guidance or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Jared Collier

Authenticating with the SSRS REST API in Postman requires a manual setup since Postman does not automatically use Windows Integrated Authentication like TypeScript (withCredentials: true) or PowerShell (-UseDefaultCredentials). Here’s how you can explicitly authenticate:
1.Use NTLM Authentication (Recommended)
Since SSRS typically relies on Windows Authentication, NTLM is the best approach:In Postman, go to the Authorization tab.
Select NTLM Authentication.
Enter your domain username and password.
Send the request and check if authentication succeeds.

2.Use Basic Authentication (If Enabled):
If SSRS is configured to allow Basic Authentication, you can
Select Basic Auth in Postman.
Enter your Domain\Username and password.
Ensure that SSRS is configured to accept Basic Authentication in RSReportServer.config

3.Pass Authentication Headers Manually
If NTLM or Basic Auth doesn’t work, try manually adding authentication headers
Authorization: Basic <Base64-encoded username:password>
sqlAuthCookie: Ensure this cookie is set with the correct domain.

4.Check SSRS Configuration
Verify that SSRS is set up to allow external API access.
Ensure your account has the necessary permissions to access the API.

For more details, you might find Microsoft's official SSRS authentication documentation helpful: Authentication with the SSRS Report Server. If you need more insights on authentication methods in Postman, check out their guide here.
 I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.