I'm new to API testing, where to start my learning about API? what all are good to know features in API testing? Any documents link or advise on API testing.
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1This Question seems to be a little bit broad. What kind of API do you have to test? A library API, a remote API, is it public or private, what kind of data should be delivered? I could recommend some Frameworks but without knowing what exactly you need to test it's hard to find an ideal match.– DanielCommented Jul 11, 2017 at 8:39
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I'm switching to API testing from functional UI testing. So need advise on where to start learning on API testing in general.– MydhiliCommented Jul 12, 2017 at 7:28
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You can start by reading the API testing introduction and grab a tool to play with. - API Testing introduction - Tools for API Testing– Joey RockCommented Jun 19, 2018 at 7:30
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2 Answers
API TESTING is a type of software testing that involves testing application programming interfaces (APIs) directly and as part of integration testing to determine if they meet expectations for functionality, reliability, performance, and security. Since APIs lack a GUI, API testing is performed at the message layer.API is an acronym for Application Programming Interface.
It enables communication and data exchange between two separate software systems. A software system implementing an API contains functions/sub-routines which can be executed by another software system. API testing is entirely different from GUI testing and mainly concentrates on the business logic layer of the software architecture. This testing won't concentrate on the look and feel of an application.
Instead of using standard user inputs(keyboard) and outputs, in API Testing, you use software to send calls to the API, get output, and note down the system's response.
API Testing requires an application to interact with API. In order to test an API, you will need to
Use Testing Tool to drive the API
Write your own code to test the API
Set-up of API Test environment
API testing is different than other testing types as GUI is not available, and yet you are required to setup initial environment that invokes API with required set of parameters and then finally examines the test result.
Hence, Setting up a testing environment for API testing seems a little complex.
Database and server should be configured as per the application requirements.
Once the installation is done, API Function should be called to check whether that API is working.
API testing is in many respects like testing software at the user-interface level, only instead of testing by means of standard user inputs and outputs, you use software to send calls to the API, get output, and log the system’s response. Depending on the testing environment, you may use a suite of prepared test applications, but very often, you will wind up writing code specifically to test the API. Regardless of the actual testing conditions, it is important to know what API test code should do.
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1This is just a summary of what an API is taken from guru99 and wikipedia. You should write your own answer, linking to further information if relevant. Commented Jul 11, 2017 at 9:46
To get started with API testing, I suggest the Postman app & its (good) documentation:
