3 Steps to perform API Testing

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API testing is a sort of software testing that belongs to the integration testing group. It’s a type of white box testing. API testingensures that different software components communicate with each other and their designated interfaces correctly. Individual software modules are executed over an interface during API testing. API testing is used to ensure that both functional and non-functional requirements are met.

API testing examines how well an application programming interface works, how efficient it is, how reliable it is, and how secure it is (APIs). It ensures that your APIs are in good health and that you may utilize them in your app with confidence and safety.

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APIs make it simple for software systems to interact, share, and communicate information. APIs are extremely important in the development process for any application. As a result, running API tests may reveal anomalies that obstruct their proper operation and jeopardize the development process or application.

Where Does API Testing Take Place?

The “layered architecture technique” is used in the majority of modern apps. This entails developing applications with the following three layers or tiers:

• The user interface (UI) layer is the presentation layer.
• The application user interface for processing business logic is called the business layer.
• The database layer is where data is manipulated and modeled.

The business layer, which contains the application’s fundamental functionality, is where API testing takes place.

Read: A brief guide to testing APIs – the tools involved

3 Steps to perform API Testing:

Let’s have a look at the steps you may take to test your APIs.

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Step 1: Learn about the API’s capabilities.

To begin, you must have a thorough understanding of how the API is designed to function. Throughout the testing process, this will assist you in planning relevant tests.

Here are some questions to think about:

• What is the API’s purpose and who is the intended user?
• Are there any other APIs with which this API interacts?
• Which endpoints are possible to test?
• For successful requests, what response codes are generated?
• For rejected requests, what response codes are generated?
• In the body of unsuccessful requests, what error messages appear?

Step 2: Set up a test environment

The next step is to create an API test environment after determining the API’s functional scope. The environment will assist you in sending API calls and evaluating answers.

You can use a variety of API testing tools to set up a testing environment for your APIs.

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Step 3: Write test cases and run them.

You can develop and run API test cases after you’ve finished the preparation procedure. These tests will define the variables or conditions that you’ll use to see if the API works as expected.

You can compare the real results to the expected outcomes after executing the test cases. You must give all potential input combinations that will allow you to run successful test cases.

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As an example of a test case, consider the following:

An input condition is used to test the response value. This entails describing the input and authenticating the output to see if the API is functioning properly.