Automated API Testing Services

In today’s fast-paced world of technology, there are frequent changes in programs and applications. Ensuring that these changes don’t negatively impact the existing environment is essential for product quality. Performing software tests allows for any issues or defects to be identified and corrected.

Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, are necessary for communication across platforms via data exchanges between them. This communication through APIs also enhances software testing. This testing happens in between the presentation (UI) and database layers of an application. This testing is no easy feat. 

There are various types of API tests that are done to ensure product quality. A good practice for organizations to maintain in their software development process is outsourcing a managed testing service that plans, designs, and executes the necessary tests. A managed testing service gives companies access to testing experts that greatly enhance product quality. 

These experts provide services, including API testing services. After establishing a testing strategy and defining the initial tests, these experts automate the tests. So, what is automated API testing?

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What is Automated API Testing?

Automated testing simplifies and enhances application testing. There are many types of API testing methods, including automated API testing. The other types of API testing include but are not limited to the following:

  • API Load Testing
  • Functional Testing
  • Integration Testing
  • Interoperability & WS Compliance Testing
  • Negative Testing
  • Regression Testing
  • Reliability Testing
  • Runtime/Error Detection Testing
  • Security Testing
  • Web UI Testing
  • Validation Testing

Each of these tests is important for delivering high-quality IT projects because they test an application’s functionality, reliability, and performance. However, automated API testing is the most beneficial of these. An automated test is able to run without any human effort once the initial test has been created. Automated API tests optimize software development by increasing testing speed and coverage.  

Knowing what tests should be automated is important, and a managed testing service provides the expertise needed to determine which tests to automate and then implement them. A basic understanding of automated testing holds four cases for when automation is appropriate–tests that need to be done repeatedly, are too difficult to do manually, are time-consuming, and high-risk business critical tests. 

Managed API testing services provide clients with all the necessary resources to automate testing. The process for delivering these services begins with choosing what test tool best suits the client’s needs, then defining the scope of automation, designing a test strategy, executing the tests, and maintaining them as the application grows. 

REST vs SOAP APIs

REST and SOAP are two popular communication protocols for exchanging data between different systems over the internet. Both are used to build APIs that allow systems to send and receive data.

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a stateless, client-server architecture that uses HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT and DELETE) to perform operations using URLs. REST APIs are usually faster and require less bandwidth compared to SOAP, making them suitable for but not limited to web-based applications and mobile apps. REST APIs are also easier to implement and read compared to SOAP as they typically use the JSON data format.

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a messaging protocol that uses exclusively the XML format to exchange structured data between systems. SOAP APIs are designed to be independent of the underlying communication protocol meaning it allows applications to communicate on different operating systems using different technologies and programming languages. SOAP APIs also provide built-in security features, such as encryption and authentication which makes them suitable for banking applications or enterprise environments.

The key difference between REST and SOAP is that REST is a resource oriented architecture, while SOAP is a messaging protocol. SOAP is usually used for complex and security-sensitive operations and has built in error handling while REST is often used for lighter-weight, less complex operations and is generally easier to implement than SOAP. 

Popular Automation Testing Tools

Some of the leading automation testing tools today include:

  • Postman: Postman is a popular API testing tool that allows for easy testing, debugging, mocking, monitoring, designing and publishing APIs. It has a user-friendly interface and offers plenty of features including request history, environment and global variables along with the ability to write and execute automated tests.
  • SoapUI: SoapUI is a free and open-source tool that enables resources to test SOAP and REST APIs. It supports various testing types such as functional, load, and security testing. It also has a graphical UI and offers integration with other tools such as Jenkins and JIRA.
  • Rest-Assured: Rest-Assured is a Java-based library that makes it easy to test REST APIs. It also offers features such as request and response validation, and the ability to work with XML and JSON.
  • Katalon: Katalon Studio is a robust automation tool for API, Web, Desktop and Mobile testing. Katalon supports both SOAP and REST APIs, it also supports CI/CD integration. It can be used for automated and exploratory testing and it has built in sample projects to jump off from, speeding up the testing process.
  • Karate: Karate is a relatively new open-source tool in the API testing market, but it has already gained a lot of popularity due to its simplicity and ease of use. It uses a domain-specific language that allows developers to write tests scripts in a readable and concise way using the BDD(Behavior Driven Development) approach like Cucumber.
  • JUnit: Junit is a popular unit testing framework for Java applications, but it can also be used for API testing. It allows developers to write and execute tests in a consistent and repeatable manner. Junit also integrates well with other tools and frameworks such as Maven and Spring.

Choosing the right tool depends on the specific needs and requirements of the project. Regardless of the tool, automated API testing can greatly improve the quality and efficiency of the development process. 

Benefits of an Automated API Testing Service

A managed service gives organizations access to API testers that are experts in this field and are able to easily set up automated testing. There are many benefits of API testing services, especially when they are automated. These benefits include the following:

  • Ease of access: An automated API testing solution provides a reduction of required resources for updating and executing a test plan, which enables less experienced members to easily perform complex testing. This in turn results in reduced both outsourced and internal testing costs.
  • Collaboration: Automated testing enables collaboration between developers and testers. Our certified QA experts and partnerships provide a vast breadth of experience, providing quality automated tests for our clients.
  • Improved API quality and comprehensive reporting
  • Time and Cost-effective solutions: Automated API testing eliminates the need for manual intervention, resulting in faster test execution. This is beneficial for regression testing, where a large number of tests need to be executed repeatedly.
  • Improved Test Coverage: Automated tests can be easily scaled to cover a wide range of test scenarios and edge cases, resulting in improved test coverage. This, in turn, leads to more comprehensive and effective testing.
  • Increased Accuracy: Automated tests are less prone to human error, and as a result, they provide more accurate results compared to manual testing. This helps in identifying defects early in the development cycle and prevents them from becoming critical issues in the later stages.
  • Reusability: Automated API tests can be re-executed repeatedly, which makes it possible to resume the same test scripts for different builds and releases. This leads to time and cost savings, as well as improved efficiency.
  • Early Feedback: Automated API tests provide early feedback on the application’s behavior through reporting, enabling developers to make necessary adjustments before the application goes into production.
  • Continuous Integration: Wherever code changes are made, developers can receive immediate feedback on the applications behavior using a Continuous Integration (CI) pipeline. For example, pushing code changes to a Source Control tool like GitHub can trigger a CI tool like Jenkins to begin an automation run to see if the application functionality remains stable.

Outsourcing support to a managed service provider puts the difficult aspects of software testing into the hands of experts that are able to plan, design, and execute testing functions. Letting the experts create these tests allows for a more optimized testing experience. Their knowledge and organizational skills enable them to detect and correct errors and defects earlier so they avoid becoming critical issues.

Managed API testing services give you access to certified testing experts and exclusive software partnerships. This access is advantageous for improved product quality as well as for lowering expenses by having a centralized service.

API testing in general and automated API testing are excellent time and money-saving functions. These tests do not require the extensive coding that other types of testing involve. Entrusting the setup of these tests to expert engineers saves your team time, giving them more time to work on their field of expertise. Increased productivity and centralized services make your organization more profitable while saving money.

API testing is language-free, meaning that you and your API testers can use any scripting language. API tests exchange data using XML (Extensible markup language) or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) which are both language-independent.

API testing frameworks are flexible allowing you and your service provider to easily and continuously integrate tests. This integration allows for quicker application testing and releases.

Each of these benefits provided by API testing services improves the development of and final application product. Automated API testing provides more comprehensive and quality solutions faster than manual testing. This is even more true for organizations that use a managed service.

CelticQA API Testing Services

At CelticQA, we are driven by the desire to deliver clients QA frameworks that leave applications with absolutely zero critical defects. Our certified QA and automation engineers have experience providing these high-quality services in various specialized industries, including financial services, medical & biopharmaceuticals, insurance, software, fitness services, manufacturing, and retail. 

With over 16 years of industry experience and high customer satisfaction, we are confident in our ability to enhance your company and its applications. The benefits of working with us include enhanced collaboration, high-performing teams, quick project status updates, expert staff you can trust, and high-quality applications. One of the many services we offer at CelticQA is automated API testing.

Our test automation services provide you with our Accelerate Automation Program that reduces manual testing efforts by up to 80%. This program designs a scalable automation framework based on product requirements by following five key steps: setup and installation of tests, creating a customized automation framework, building an easily accessible repository, Continuous Integration (CI), and integration with source control & test management tools.

We provide our clients with quality SOAP or REST API testing services that implement QA frameworks, best practices and policies, modern testing tools, and give access to certified and experienced QA engineers. Our QA teams have the knowledge and access to testing tools (like Ranorex) that will optimize your development process. Exclusive partnerships such as our gold partnership with Ranorex, give our clients an advantage in their industries. Ranorex is an automated testing tool that is scalable and provides reliable user interface object recognition: an essential function of automated testing. Check out CelticQA for more information on the services we provide so your business can thrive! 

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