APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, are at the heart of most data driven applications. Never before has the access to so much data been so widespread; with the adoption of RESTful API design and frameworks like Swagger, our connected world is growing even more connected. APIs are often overlooked during the QA phase, since users can't directly complain about a bug or performance issue of the actual API, all they see is your loading screen waiting to be filled with data. Nevertheless, testing web services and APIs, both internal and external is critical in producing quality software that works for the end user in a manner that it's supposed to.
Software applications are often thought of as having 3 layers: A data layer, a logic layer, and the presentation( or GUI) layer. APIs sit at the logic or messaging layer, and is the conduit between databases around the world, and your front-end program that a user interacts with. There are many aspects of API testing that are similar to traditional software testing, like performance testing or mocking, but since their is no GUI, there are a few quirks to master. Read through our collection of API Testing resources, and be sure to keep up with our newest posts and videos.
Let's take some fundamentals of software testing, flip them on their side, and see how we can get better API testing.
Coming over from GUI Testing, or just beginning testing your REST or SOAP APIs? Start here to learn why testing APIs is critical!
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