But now, the cost of mistakes is way higher as it may require rewriting a considerable amount of code and derail the release. This could leave you with bugs rooted in the server or even at the unit level. UI tests can’t cover every aspect of back-end testing and turn out to be insufficient for verifying functional paths and API services. Three layers of the test automation pyramidĪs we already mentioned, API testing is often overlooked. Later, when the front end is finished, UI testing takes place. Then comes the server layer where API testing belongs. It demonstrates how to tackle automated testing for a project: what parts to test first as they form the base of the pyramid, and what to leave for the final stages – the pyramid’s tip.įollowing the pattern of the testing pyramid, the first is the unit test layer – code testing often performed by developers while writing it. Why API testing is importantĪ basic concept in automated testing is a test pyramid. You can find out more about SOAP and how it differs from REST in our dedicated article.Īnd now, let’s see how it works from the QA side. SOAP isn’t limited to HTTP/HTTPS protocol but supports many others including TCP, SMTP, and FTP, but it works with XML format only. Finally, the UI displays it to the user.Īnother type of web API is SOAP API – a legacy web communication protocol that is still in use. The server retrieves the requested data from the database, transforms it according to the business logic, and returns it to the client as a response in JSON, XML, or other formats. In the most popular software architectural style for data transfers – REST – clients make HTTP/HTTPS requests to the server. The role of API in the three-tier architecture The system and logic of protocol-dependent requests are the API itself. Client and server communicate through requests based on different transfer protocols. Usually, a client is a web browser or a mobile application that presents the requested info, while business logic is realized on the server side. API in terms of the three-tier architectureĬlient, server, and database are the three independent tiers of software architecture. In this article, we’ll focus on in-house web APIs and their quality assurance. There are web APIs aka web services, database APIs that connect applications with DB management systems, operating systems APIs, and remote APIs for accessing resources located outside the device requesting them. The approach to API testing largely depends on the API type. We don’t test third-party APIs, but we can test the way our software accepts their requests. Usually, API testing is performed on APIs produced by the in-house development team. What is API testing?ĪPI testing is a set of quality assurance actions that include sending calls to the API, getting output, and validating the system’s response against the defined input parameters, in particular, the accuracy of data and data’s format, HTTP status codes, and error codes. This time we connect the dots under the topic of API testing. We’ve also elaborated on the basics of software quality management. ![]() We have already written in-depth on what an API is. In this article, we explain why you should do API testing and how to approach it. ![]() Some QAs, however, still ignore this layer of the test pyramid and proceed right to UI testing – at their peril. That means it’s crucial to thoroughly verify APIs before rolling out the product to the client or end-users. ![]() API testing framework vs ready-made API testing tool Reading time: 13 minutesĮvery application you build today relies on APIs.Katalon Studio: an automation tool with an inbuilt API testing mode.SoapUI and ReadyAPI by SmartBear: end-to-end testing tools for REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and other web services.RestSharp: simple RESTful API testing in C#.JMeter: a Java-based tool measuring SOAP/REST API performance and more. ![]() REST Assured: a Java library supporting XML and JSON requests.Requests: a human-friendly HTTP library in Python.Postman API testing: REST API checks using JavaScript.Types of API testing: What they focus on.API in terms of the three-tier architecture.
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