What is API testing? API testing, otherwise known as application programming interface testing, is a type of software testing that tests the APIs directly, from their performance, functionality, and reliability, to security.
API testing is also part of integration testing, and is performed at the message layer because APIs lack a graphical user interface. API testing is intended to reveal bugs, such as inconsistencies or deviations from the expected behavior.
Some of the main reasons API testing is done:
API testing can reveal:
The different types of API testing include:
If you are going to conduct API testing manually, you will need to have coding knowledge. However, if you will be doing API testing through automation, code will be unnecessary. Automated testing is highly recommended for API testing.
API testing can be one of the most challenging parts of software and QA testing. In order to learn it, begin by understanding API requirements. Once you have familiarized yourself with those, specify the API output status, focus on small, functional APIs, and organize API endpoints. Then, leverage automation capability for API testing and choose a suitable automation tool.
When conducting API testing, here are some helpful tips:
Valuable API testing tools include:
API testing tools have many benefits, including: