Why do you need API testing?

The API or Application Programming Interface is known as a group of software procedures and functions (referred as API calls). It can be executed by other software applications. API testing is used to test a collection of APIs that need to be tested as a system.

When a software project requires you to extend software applications, open and share data with the help of APIs, the work of testing teams gets bigger. API testing requires a thoroughness with protocols and data formats and requires more skills compared to performing GUI testing. In case the APIs are interconnected with each other (and share some functionality), you will need a tester who understands the internal working of the application. The tester who performs API testing will need knowledge of programming languages since API tests tend to be connected with a sequence of calls referred to as the program. 

If we compare Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing to Application Programming Interface (API) testing, it offers a number of advantages. It can help you to have a better coverage of your test cycle, save resources, and enable faster and efficient releases. Depending on when you need to deliver the project, what are your integration and functionality needs, API testing is highly beneficial whether you choose to do it in-house or get it done from an offshore QA team.

The key advantages of API Software Testing are mentioned below.

1. Helps uncover small issues before these become bigger issues API testing helps evaluating the code-level functionality and one can check the sturdiness of the applications before GUI tests. It can help uncover smaller errors early on before these become larger issues at a later time. Core access helps to test along with testing, enable better communication and encourage collaboration between the teams. It is especially helpful in case of offshore QA teams.
2. Time Effective API testing takes lesser time compared to functional GUI testing. One of the key reasons for GUI testing to be so time-consuming is that it requires you to pull web page elements. API testing, on the other hand, can immensely save the time you spend on GUI testing. For example, you can conduct 30,000 automated API tests in roughly 9 hours. The same number of GUI tests take about 50 hours when using parallel execution. With API testing, you require less code and that facilitates improved and quicker test coverage compared to GUI tests. API testing also helps in testing cost reduction.
3. Language-Independent The transfer model when conducting API testing is language-independent. The data is exchanged using JSON or XML. You can select any core language when performing automated testing for the applications.
4. Easier integration with GUI API testing makes it possible to have testing for better integration (more so if you are planning to conduct GUI testing at a later stage). For example, functions like the creation of new users for the application before the GUI testing becomes easier and faster.

It is a good practice that API testing considers the full functionality of the system as it will be used by another program. Thorough API testing is suggested for improved interactions between different modules of an application.

Do you need a testing expert to help you with API testing? You can get in touch with our software testing team today.