API Testing and Steps to Do It
To simplify it for the readers, API testing is primarily aimed at highlighting potential bugs and errors within a software. According to testing experts, API testing is seen as one of the tricky aspects of the software testing process. This arrangement ensures that the digital product is operated for examining prime functionalities and validation fine quality before its actual release in the market.
At present, there are several components to API testing that are operated through single or multiple endpoints to check for security, performance, functional accuracy, etc. Since API testing focuses more on the testing of data responses, security, business philosophy, and performance restrictions, its implementation is a must for any software or application.
How to Perform API Testing?
The first and foremost step to API testing is the creation of a testing environment. This involves a smart setup using the necessary parameters planned around the API. The following steps give a brief outlook on how to perform API testing:
- After finalizing an API testing environment, initiate an API call to ensure nothing is wrecked before comprehensive testing is brought into action
- The next step is to combining application data and the API tests, to examine whether the API performs smoothly against familiar input configurations
- As per experts, the convenient way to conduct API testing is by structuring a strategy based on Martin Fowler’s testing pyramid
- Based on this pyramid arrangement, you get to assemble a wide range of API tests placed over a firm base comprising of UI tests and unit tests
- This testing strategy is considered complementary since it permits you to test early. Therefore, while assessing the application at the lower levels, you can fail quickly and spot defects early by recognizing their source.
Types of API Tests & Their Usage
We now talk about the different types of API tests and their operational specifics.
Contract Tests
The most common type of API test is a contract test. This particular type of testing is associated with the examination of the service contract, that is, PACT, Swagger, RAML, etc. The primary motive of the contract test is to assure that the contract is corrected framed and can be used by the client.
Performance Tests
Typically, the operation of performance testing occurs at the end since it requires expert skill sets, hardware, and additional cost. However, conducting performance testing in the initial stages of the process permits you to spot performance-specific defects before entering the full regression cycle.
If you have obediently followed the testing process to this stage, it would prove beneficial as you now possess all the fundamental test cases required to conduct performance testing.
Component Tests
You can view these tests as unit tests related to an API. This covers individual methods present in the API to test any one of them in a remote manner. To be precise, you can create component tests by forming a test step related to each resource that is present in the service contract.
As a simplified method, you can make component tests by absorbing the service contract and permit it to generate the clients. Furthermore, you now data-drive every individual test case comprising positive and negative data with a purpose to authenticate the responses.
Security Tests
The usefulness of the security test is to eliminate any significant security vulnerabilities. If not treated on time, it can cause evident damage to reputation, and finances. There are possibilities that a user can intentionally take advantage of your APIs, spot vulnerabilities and use them for his/her benefit.
As a safety measure, you have to construct test cases that try to replicate different versions of nasty attacks. This way you can influence existing test cases that assist in operating penetration attacks.
API testing requires a methodical approach that should be carefully prepared by testing professionals. It would be smart to get in touch with software testing experts who are well versed with a step-by-step guide to API testing. ImpactQA is a trusted QA & software testing company that has been carrying out API testing services for almost a decade. You can easily seek guidance for developing a testing model targeting APIs and other aspects related to software.
