Every year, many different applications appear, but not all of them can become popular. Most users expect their applications to be compatible with other programs. That is why it is imperative to conduct quality API testing. It will ensure that customers get the perfect user experience.
What is API testing?
Modern applications have 3 levels. Each has a special meaning, but today I’d like to give some more info about API testing.
The API forms the app’s essence because it contains critical business logic. It allows users to interact with the back end and ensures that the software functions correctly. This layer deals directly with data and presentation, so you must test service layers using API testing.
The main types of API testing
Today, there are 9 main types of API testing:
- Functional testing. During API testing, it is vital to check whether the application performs all the announced functions. The tester must check whether the application’s API works according to a preconceived scenario.
- UI testing. The interface must be as user-friendly and understandable as possible.
- Load testing. The application must load as quickly as possible; otherwise, users will refuse to use it.
- Contract testing. It checks if 2 services are compatible and can work properly.
- Runtime / Error detection testing. It focuses more on monitoring, runtime errors, resource leaks, and others.
- Security testing. Security is of the utmost importance for every application; the better the protection, the better.
- Penetration testing. As part of this testing, hackers attack the application to check for vulnerabilities.
- Fuzz testing. A considerable amount of random data is forced into the system to try and cause a crash.
- Interoperability / WS Compliance testing. It refers to SOAP APIs and is done to validate two function fields. It checks compatibility between SOAP APIs and ensures conformity with web service interaction profiles. WS compliance testing ensures that standards such as WS-Addressing, WS-Discovery, and WS-Trust are appropriately implemented and used.
Each testing type is critical in creating a quality application API. Checking absolutely all of the above aspects can be pretty expensive, so many developers select the most critical types, in their opinion. It allows you to save but not lose quality.
Peculiarities of application API testing depending on the industry
Today API applications are used in various industries. They allow you to solve a considerable number of issues. Typically, complex applications have five levels of complexity. This compound architecture follows particular protocols such as JSON, XML, REST, etc.; therefore, it becomes critical for enterprises to validate their applications at the basic levels.
Each industry has its benefits of testing APIs. So, for example, in the healthcare system, this allows you to check how secure clients’ data (personal data, medical records, test results, etc.), how mobile applications and third-party programs are combined, for example, in a clinic or laboratory.
Among the advantages of static testing for banking, one can single out verification:
- compliance with regulatory standards;
- performance of necessary functions;
- reliability of services.
Also, API testing is of great importance for e-commerce applications. This will allow you to check how well the shopping cart and payment systems work and how easy it is to make purchases.
Such features can be identified in almost any industry. The main thing to understand is that the security of users’ data and functionality is significant for API testing.
Business Benefits of API Testing
There are several main advantages to doing API testing for your application:
- earlier detection of errors;
- saves time and money;
- suitable for any programming language;
- improves safety;
- improves performance.
It is worth noting that the API does not depend on the graphical interface. The thing is that such testing is designed to test business reliability. That is why you can do API testing early in creating an application. It allows errors to be caught before leading to even more complex problems. The sooner an error is detected, the faster, easier, and cheaper it will be to fix it.
It is worth noting that this type of testing cannot affect the code. So, when making corrections, other modules will not suffer; they will work just as conveniently.
Usability testing costs strongly depend on various factors, and it is worth contacting specialists so that they calculate the exact cost depending on the features of your product.
Conclusion
When developing software, you want to create a high-quality product that users will like and have good protection. API testing helps to test functionality and security early in development. With this, you can create a high-quality application that will appeal to potential customers.
