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Introduction
When we develop an API, we want to make sure it’s secure and meets the requirements of our customers. To do this, we can create assertions on specific properties in the API that check for things like authentication, accessibility, or information about the user. These checks are called compliance assertions. When you write a compliance assertion on your API, it means that every time you use that specific property and check if it’s correct. Any time you use the API in your code, you will get an error message if that property is not correct. This blog post explains how to use compliance assertions - HTTP in Ready API to ensure your API has all of the right information available at all times.
What Are HTTP Compliance Assertions?
Before we get into how to use HTTP compliance assertions in Ready API let’s talk about what they are. In short, a compliance assertion is a check that ensures the information in your API is correct. For example, let’s say you have an API for a customer relations management (CRM) system. The CRM system has a property that checks when a customer is logged in. So, when a customer logs in to the CRM system they want a specific status that says they are logged in. If they don’t have that status, they want an error message. When you create a compliance assertion on a specific property in your API, you are checking if that specific information is correct. If it is, you get a green check mark. If it isn’t, you get a red error message.
Create an HTTP Compliance Assertion
First, you will need to create a compliance assertion. Let’s say that when you log in to the API, you want to make sure the correct user is logged in. To do this, create a new assertion by clicking the Assertions button in the side menu. This will bring you to the Assertions tab in the API editor. Next, click Create New Assertion. You will see an empty assertion form. Here, you will add the information about the compliance assertion. You can add as many or as few fields as you want. The first field is the name of the assertion. In this example, we’ll name it Login. Next, choose the HTTP Compliance assertion type. Once you do this, you will be able to add the specific HTTP compliance fields to your assertion.
HTTP Download All Resource Assertion
1. Go to the log tab and click on 'Add Insertions' at the top of it.
2. Now, in the 'Add Assertion' Dialog, select the ‘Compliance, Status and Standards' category.
3. Under this category of assertions, choose 'HTTP Download All Resource.'
4. The main function of this assertion is that it downloads and verifies the availability of all resources used in an HTML document, such as images, scripts, and so on. applicable to any HTML-containing property.
5. On choosing this assertion, the HTTP request editor window pops up.
6. The next step involves the addition of HTTP Download Resources Assertion in the 'Download Resources Option' by clicking on the '+' log of the HTTP request editor.
7. Check if the request is active by running it.
8. Every resource for the URL, you've requested, is automatically downloaded by the assertion, which fails if any of them are absent.
HTTP Headers
An HTTP header is information at the top of the API response. It tells the user’s computer how to interpret the content that comes after it. As an example, let’s say your API returns a response of “Hello, world.” The response will have a “Content-type” header that tells the computer that the content is “text/plain.” This tells the computer that the content is plain text and not HTML, CSS, or anything else. The first field in your assertion is the name of the HTTP header. Once you have the name and type of header, you can add specific values for each header.
HTTP Header Equals Assertion
1. Go to the log tab and click on 'Add Insertions' at the top of it.
2. Now, in the 'Add Assertion' Dialog, select the ‘Compliance, Status and Standards' category.
3. Under this category of assertions, choose 'HTTP Header Equals.'
4. The assertion HTTP Header Equals verifies whether the required header is present in the request or response and contains the appropriate value.
5. In the Header field, provide the header's name.
6. In the Value edit box, enter the anticipated header value.
7. Make more choices to hone down on the anticipated value.
HTTP Header Exists Assertion
1. Go to the log tab and click on 'Add Insertions' at the top of it.
2. Now, in the 'Add Assertion' Dialog, select the ‘Compliance, Status and Standards' category.
3. Under this category of assertions, choose 'HTTP Header Exists.'
4. The HTTP Header Exists assertion verifies that the request or response has the header with the name you specify.
5. Give the header's name. Add additional Header Exists assertions to verify multiple headers.
Invalid HTTP Status Codes Assertion
Go to the log tab and click on 'Add Insertions' at the top of it.
Now, in the 'Add Assertion' Dialog, select the ‘Compliance, Status and Standards' category.
Under this category of assertions, choose 'Invalid HTTP Status Codes Assertion.'
The assertion for Invalid HTTP Status Codes verifies whether the target test step received an HTTP response with a status code that is not in the list of declared codes.
Indicate which HTTP codes the target service should not respond with. Put a comma between each code you want to add.
What do various HTTP Codes mean?
401 Unauthorized
This response means that the server could understand the request but that the client does not have the authorization to complete the request. For example, if the client is trying to call an endpoint that requires authentication and they did not provide authentication information, the server responds with a 401 Unauthorized code. In this situation, the client should prompt the user for the necessary authentication information and resend the request. Once the authentication information is provided, the request should proceed as normal.
403 Forbidden
A 403 Forbidden response means that the client has the correct permissions but the server cannot complete the request as written. The most common example is when a client tries to modify data that they do not have the rights to. When receiving a 403 Forbidden response, the client should examine the request and modify it so that the server can complete it. If the client does not have the necessary permissions to complete the request, then the client should not resend the request.
404 Not Found
A 404 Not Found response means that the server could not find the requested item. Most commonly, this occurs when the client requests a URL that does not exist on the server. When receiving a 404 Not Found response, the client should either retry the request with a different URL or prompt the user for new instructions. If the client does receive a 404 Not Found response, it does not mean that the client has no access to the server.
500 Internal Server Error
A 500 Internal Server Error response means that the server encountered an unexpected error while processing the request. The most common cause of a 500 Internal Server Error is when the server runs out of memory while processing a request. When receiving a 500 Internal Server Error response, the client should retry the request as soon as possible. If the error is persistent, the client should contact the server administrator about the error.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is messaging in RESTFUL Web Services?
RESTFUL Web Services use the HTTP protocol as a communication tool between the client and the server. This is the technique when the client sends a message in the form of HTTP request the server send back the HTTP reply which is called Messaging. This message consists message data and Meta data i.e. information on the message itself.
Describe the REST API.
The REST API is a collection of tools that aid developers in submitting queries and waiting for responses. REST API interactions take place through the HTTP protocol. Representational state transfer is referred to as REST. It is a useful standard for the development of APIs.
What is the documentation for APIs?
Any foundation must have excellent paperwork. API documentation is useful as a quick reference while using an application or library. When using such documents, they must have a sound strategy, reliable content, a suitable layout, details about each function, etc.
Describe the API framework.
A platform for creating software applications is known as a framework or software framework. A software developer can construct apps for a particular platform on an API framework as a base. As an illustration, a framework may contain predefined classes and functions that can be used to handle hardware devices, process input, and communicate with system software.
Conclusion
We have briefly discussed Compliance Assertions - HTTP in Ready API along with the topics including creation of HTTP download all resources assertion, header assertion, and Invalid status codes assertion for HTTP in Ready API. We hope that we have helped you gain a better grip over the topic of Compliance Assertions - HTTP in Ready API with the help of this article.
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