An API (application programming interface) test is a software checking technique that explicitly performs evaluation at the layer of the API. Testers prefer API automation instead of testing the APIs manually.
However, it is a component of integration testing that decides whether the APIs fulfill the usability, performance, reliability, and safety requirements of the testers. We conduct API testing on the message layer without a GUI, unlike UI testing.
For API testing, here are five simple tips that you should understand:
- Leverage API Automation
Utilize the automation feature much and early for your API testing. Here are some important advantages of API test automation:
- Along with API endpoints, test data and execution history can be saved. This makes it easy to re-execute the tests.
- API checks are robust and painstakingly updated. An API represents the system’s business rules. Any update to the API involves an explicit requirement; testers can always be notified to any adjustments on time.
- Compared to the Web UI test, test execution is much faster than
- We know API testing to be black-box testing in which users submit input for verification and get output. Automation with a data-driven approach will help increase API test coverage by adding various datasets in the same test scenario.
- Some unique templates or models are accompanied by data input and output to allow you to build test scripts once only. It is also possible to reuse these test scripts in the entire research process.
- At the early stage of the lifecycle of software development, developers may carry API checks out. Before they create the actual API, an automation strategy with mocking techniques can help verify the API and its integration.
- Understanding the Specifications
You need to answer these questions before checking your APIs to thoroughly to understand the demands of the API:
- Identifying the intent of the API will set a strong basis for you to plan your input and output test data properly.
- An application’s APIs are used to tamper with its tools. Correct interpretation of the API will set a solid basis for you to prep the test data well for input and output. They are used to reading, building, and changing.
- Define Performance Status
In API testing, the most popular API output you need to check is the response state code. New API testers are familiar with checking whether or not the answer code equals 200 to determine whether an API test is passed or failed. This verification is not inaccurate. It does not, however, represent all the API’s test scenarios.
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- Emphasize Usable APIs
There are some basic APIs in a testing project with just one or two inputs, like the login API, the token API, the health check API, etc.
These APIs, however, are required and are considered being the “gate” for additional APIs to join. Concentrating on these APIs before others can maintain adequate functionality of the API servers, setting, and authorization.
- Establish Endpoints for APIs
For automation testing, a project can have a few or even hundreds of APIs. For better test management, we strongly recommend that you sort them into groups. It involves one extra step, but with high coverage and integration, it can dramatically help you build test scenarios.
APIs share some common details in the same group, such as the type of resource, route,. Arranging your experiments with the same frameworks would render your test with the integration flow as reusable and extendable.
Conclusion
We highly recommend a real development project in the sense of API automation research. To be adjustable, usable, and sustainable, we should organize it.
