API Testing: Rewards for Software Production

Have you noticed that you come across the term “API” too often recently? You will hear about it more when discussing web services, applications or customized software development. You will surely think of creating API for your business if you want to develop an application.

An Application Programming Interface (API) enables data exchange between the separated pieces of software. A software system with an implemented API includes functions that can be performed by another software system. Technically, the absence of APIs doesn`t affect the basic functions of an app. But such apps lack the background rules for their performance.

Therefore, quality assurance is critical at this point. API test type doesn`t focus on the way people interact with an application. Instead, the task of API testing is to check whether the software systems communicate with each other correctly. It determines if APIs meet the requirements for performance, reliability, security, and functionality.

Incorporating API tests into software development provides a range of benefits to the project lifecycle. As a result, the customers enjoy better quality service.

Here is why API has to become an integral part of product development:

Testing Software for Core Functionality

The main advantage of API testing is the access to the application without a user interface. It aims at testing the core functionality of an app. API testing helps to determine software strengths at the early stages of development. Therefore, API tests detect small errors that might become more serious while running GUI. Thus, your product maintains its quality.
Moreover, core access fosters communication and creates a platform for effective cooperation between QA and development departments. Smooth cooperation is a necessity if outsource QA specialists conduct API test for your product.

Bug Detection

API testing does not concentrate on software UI and its simplicity in use. This type of testing is to check how well the APIs do their job in the system. Bugs related to API testing also fall into a specific category, as they are detected on the application data level.

Functionality Bugs. Before checking APIs for performance, QA engineers make sure if the API works at all and if it works correctly. Here testers pay attention to basic functionality. It starts with checking such features as creating and deleting data with the help of API calls. The tests also examine if the APIs handle errors and avoid unexpected crashes.

Reliability Bugs. Here QA specialists make sure that the APIs work consistently. Testers detect bugs that block software from integration into different systems.

Performance Bugs. Checking APIs` performance under stress is essential. API testing identifies issues with hosting infrastructure. In this case, the testers check if the system can handle high traffic load and meet rising demand without crashes.

Language Flexibility

XML or JSON are the most common formats for API data exchange. These transfer modes enable to choose any programming language when having automated API services for your application. QA Madness team conducts API testing based on Java, Python, or JS.

Time Safety

API testing takes less time than functional GUI testing. GUI testing requires the web page elements to be polled. This process makes the testing far more time-consuming. In general, 3,000 API tests can be performed in 50 minutes (in parallel execution), while the same amount of GUI tests is completed in 30 hours. Moreover, automated API testing requires less code and, therefore, provides quick test coverage. Faster testing makes the QA strategy cost-effective.

Easy Integration with GUI

API testing is beneficial for the projects which undergo functional GUI testing. Both testing methods easily integrate. It enables to create new users in the app before conducting GUI on your software.

Conducting API testing across the software or service development brings far-reaching advantages to the way customers will interact with your product. Apart from it, API testing builds stronger cooperation between QA and development, accelerates software testing, and saves costs for product QA strategy.