Although you rely on APIs, can you always rely on them to perform as promised? The fact is that API failures do occur. Even when they succeed, they may still deliver subpar performance. If it occurs, your programme might either hang or, worse still, crash. What sort of mistakes are we referring to, and what can you do to prevent them?
We’ll talk about nine of the most frequent mistakes when testing APIs. We’ll discuss why these significant mistakes and offer straightforward fixes to enhance testing procedures, outcomes, and overall API health.
1. What is API Testing?
API automated testing is essential for CI/CD workflows and product quality. In contrast to GUI testing, API tests can withstand rapid change and short release cycles without compromising the test results.
2. What Causes an API Failure, and why?
Things Alter Quickly! It could take some time for software updates to appear in the documentation. Additionally, an API call that was functional in the previous version of the other software could not be functional in the current version. It may need new parameters, new arguments with different formatting, or new arguments altogether, or it may contain output data unexpectedly.
2.1 Creating tests that don’t accurately reflect real-world use
It is simple to create tests that confirm separate services and endpoints, and if they are all successful, it is time to call it a day. Test the shopping cart API, the inventory API, and so on. However, it’s more probable that your end customers would combine these techniques rather than employ them alone. It could be quicker to build tests without thinking about how the APIs will be used in the short run. However, you won’t be testing across concerns, which can make it harder for you to find and fix potentially major API problems.
2.2 Invalid Fields
Data being delivered inaccurately and unexpectedly is a significant problem in the API domain. Developers often like responding with HTTP or NULL when returning a URL object. However, if this answer is constructed improperly, many third-party applications, gadgets, or browsers would interpret this as a valid URL and attempt to access the resource. While one testing tool could consider this OK, another would judge it to be an invalid field.
2.3 False Negatives
A 200 answer from an API signifies that everything is in order and is known as the “all clear” in computing. A failure in response will still return a 200 since many providers set the default status to 200. Everything appears to be in order in the testing systems, but it is not. This particular false positive is quite harmful since it prevents the developer from spotting mistakes as they happen.
2.4 Leaving out response time assertions
Any API test must include response time assertions to ensure that every box has been verified for accuracy. When testing production endpoints, a high threshold response time assertion is far better than nothing. A consumer may go on to the next app if your app takes too long to load. Starting with a high threshold simplifies moving down and evaluating what works for that request.
2.5 APIs are tested in a vaccum
Once an API test is added to your operational or development process, notify the appropriate parties using their preferred notification methods. By integrating your API tests with Slack, PagerDuty, Jenkins, and other technologies, you can enable your entire team to resolve API testing obstacles quickly. This will add notifications for the team in charge of resolving API issues.
3. Bottom Line
You’re prepared to start testing the APIs that run your business now that you have this list of best practices. Although you might not be able to stop API failures, you can limit their harm and stop your application from going offline.
QA engineers would test API more or less efficiently depending on your industry, project scope, and the information you can supply.
Spend time and resources expanding your QA staff, upgrading your tech stack, and maintaining project documentation. Additionally, keep in mind that all testing must be done with the requirements and particulars of actual service users. You will achieve outstanding outcomes if you make your procedures and business objectives transparent and feasible for a QA team.
In the modern corporate world, API testing is one of the most crucial application development sub-divisions. Our devoted team of professionals at TestDel is available to assist you if you need assistance addressing and overcoming your API Testing Challenges.
With the right best practices, you can limit the harm caused by API failures and prevent application downtime. The efficiency of API testing depends on various factors, including industry, project scope, and information provided. By investing in your QA staff, upgrading your technology, and maintaining thorough project documentation, you can achieve better results in API testing. It’s also important to consider the requirements and needs of actual service users during testing. As a crucial aspect of modern application development, API testing is something that TestDel‘s team of professionals can help you with. Contact us for more information and to learn how API testing can benefit your business.