With multiple applications and solutions available in the market, only the ones that perform the best would undoubtedly take the lead. Businesses require high-performing apps to provide an improved customer experience which assists them in gaining a competitive advantage.
With advancements and technological innovations, there is great demand for apps that provide high functionality and features using complex and interconnected applications. Today’s complex applications having multiple layers are getting added across the application’s architecture to ensure that customers get smooth service delivery. Different underlying layers must utilize effective API testing for complicated applications to provide a better customer experience.
What Is API Testing?
Every application has three different layers: a Data layer, an Application Programming Interface layer, and a User Interface layer. APIs form an application’s fundamental basis as they have crucial business logic. It enables the front-end users to connect with the back-end and allows the smooth functioning of the software. Generally, API testing checks the functionality, security, performance, and reliability of service layers or the API layers. As this layer touches the presentation layer and data layer directly, it is necessary to check the service layers using API testing.
Benefits of API Testing
Detects Defects Early
The main benefit of performance testing is that it enables testers to access the application without requiring them to collaborate with the user interface. These testing assists testers in analyzing the application quickly and identifying errors or bugs at the initial stage in the software development lifecycle.
Protects APIs from Breakage or Malicious Code
Performance testing assists businesses in making sure that their APIs are free from all vulnerabilities and that no code breakage occurs.
Language Independent
API testing interchanges data through XML or JSON and consists of HTTP requests and responses. Both transfer modes are independent of language and allow testers to inspect API or automate API testing in any language.
Enhances Test Coverage
API tests have a broader scope when compared to unit tests. In the case of unit testing, the concentration is on the functionality of the components in a single application, whereas API testing checks the functionality of every component. This testing assists companies in enhancing the entire software quality and offering a seamless user experience.
Saves Times and Expenses
Another advantage of this inspection method is that it requires less time compared to GUI testing and assists businesses in saving costs and time in the long run.
Enhances App Performance
Performance testing assists in eliminating performance-related issues present in the API application. This testing method assists businesses in making sure that their applications perform efficiently under all circumstances, such as different networks, bandwidth, user load, and so on.
Improve the Application Security
API testing enhances the application’s security and ensures there are no loopholes in security or any vulnerabilities in the application. Various security checks include penetration testing, security testing, compliance testing, fuzz testing, and so on.
Re-Utilization of Test Data for GUI Testing
The test data produced during performance testing is helpful for GUI testing. Developers in contemporary times build apps by first writing the APIs, unlike the traditional software development processes. Once the APIs are ready and tested, the user interface is designed around them.
API Tests Are Independent of GUI
API testing examines the business logic, and thus this test begins even before the front end is ready. The test is not related to the application’s GUI; therefore, it becomes convenient for testers to examine the application faster and earlier.
Guarantees API is Unaffected After Code Modifications
The regression testing approach ensures that the recent modifications do not affect or break the current APIs or the system used during the API testing.
Steps Involved in API Testing
API Testing includes sending the API calls and inspecting the returned responses. The fundamental steps involved in API testing are:
- Collect information related to the type of requests and the limitations included. This information can be obtained from API documentation or developers directly.
- Establish an environment enabling testers to place API calls and validate the responses.
- Input the necessary API aspects and factors and set up the database and server.
- Write test cases that include input factors, anticipated responses, maximum response time, error handling, parsing inputs, correct formatting of the response, and so on.
- Add every test case to the test script and run the test after every new build.
- Supervise the results to judge whether the API responses are according to expectations.
Wrapping Up
With the evolving technology, applications are getting more complicated in their multiple layers architecture. These multiple layers require API testing to authenticate the underlying business layers to ensure that applications function efficiently and deliver a great customer experience. Therefore, businesses should utilize different API testing to obtain fully functional and smooth applications.
