API Testing Basics
What is API?
API (Application Programming Interface) is a computing interface which
enables communication and data exchange between two separate software
systems.
API Testing
API TESTING is a software testing type that validates Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs). The purpose of API Testing is to check the functionality,
reliability, performance, and security of the programming interfaces. In API
Testing, instead of using standard user inputs(keyboard) and outputs, you use
software to send calls to the API, get output, and note down the system’s
response. API tests are very different from GUI Tests and won’t concentrate on the
look and feel of an application. It mainly concentrates on the business logic layer
of the software architecture.
Protocols used in API Testing?
•HTTP
•REST
•SOAP
•JMS
•UDDI
Webservices
Web services are a type of API, which must be accessed through a network
connection. All webservices are API.
SOAP
SOAP is the acronym for Simple Object Access Protocol. SoapUI is an
open-source web service / API automation tools widely used in the
software industry. You can do functional, load, security and compliance tests
on your API using SoapUI. It is a XML based protocol for communicating between
two different systems.
REST
REST was designed specifically for working with components such as media
components, files, or even objects on a particular hardware device. Any web
service that is defined on the principles of REST can be called a RestFul web
service. A Restful service would use the normal HTTP verbs of GET, POST, PUT and
DELETE for working with the required components. REST stands for
Representational State Transfer.
REST permits different data format such as Plain text, HTML, XML, JSON, etc. But
the most preferred format for transferring data is JSON.
CRUD
CRUD is a cycle for keeping records current and permanent. The principles of the CRUD cycle are defined
as CREATE, READ/RETRIEVE, UPDATE, and DELETE.
We can achieve CRUD operations in Leapwork by using the HTTP Request block.
1. CREATE:
It is used to generate new records. Use the POST method to create a resource.
2. READ:
Using the GET method to implement the “R” in CRUD is straightforward. It reads the data based on input
parameters.
3. UPDATE:
Use the PUT method to create or overwrite a resource identified by a URI computed by the client. It is used to
modify the records.
4. DELETE:
It deletes a record where specified. When a resource is no longer useful, it can send a DELETE request to the
resource’s URI and delete that record.
Thank you