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Introduction🎯
In this blog, we will learn about how you can attach files to your request in Ready API. We will start from the very basic. We will first explore APIs and their underlying concepts and then move to the steps by which you can attach files to your request in Ready API.
So what are you waiting for❓Let’s dive deep into the topic without any further delay.
Prerequisites📃
In this part we will first get familiar with some basic concepts of APIs and discuss them briefly.
What is an API🙄
Before going directly into how you can attach files to your request in Ready API, let us first have a brief idea of API.
API stands for Application Programming Interface. We can see three terms that pretty much explain the meaning of an API: application, programming, and interface. API acts as an intermediate software between two applications and helps them communicate to produce the required results.
An API can be understood as a messenger between the application and the user. The user sends the request to the server. The processes between sending the data to the server and the server retrieving and interpreting the data and then sending the required result are all done via an API.
What is Ready API🤷♀️
There are many APIs available for particular tasks. Ready API is a specific type of API whose primary purpose is to test REST(Representational State Transfer), SOAP(Simple Object Access Protocol), JMS(Java Message Service), GraphQL, and JDBC(Java Database Connectivity) services. It is easy to use and is used to streamline the testing workflows.
What is a Request in API❓
You might have seen some common requests in day-to-day life while working with APIs. Some of the most commonly encountered ones are:
1️⃣GET request: It fetches some information from the API
2️⃣DELETE request: As the name suggests, it is used to delete some data from the API.
3️⃣POST request: It sends some data to the API.
The client sends a request to the server. The server interprets the request, performs the necessary actions, and then sends the data to the user as a result. The request has an HTTP request method and URL of the API endpoint. These methods tell the server what actions it has to perform.
How to Attach Files To Your Request in Ready API🙄
Now, that we have a basic knowledge of APIs and other concepts associated with them. In this part of the blog, we will explore about how you can easily attach files to your request in Ready API.
Now that we have a basic knowledge of APIs and other concepts associated with them. In this part of the blog, we will explore how you can easily attach files to your request in Ready API.
For a better understanding, we will address the following topics-
1️⃣REST attachments
2️⃣SOAP attachments
3️⃣Attachments panel
Let us discuss them one by one✍
What is the Difference Between REST and SOAP❓
Before moving to learn about REST and SOAP attachments, let us first go through the REST and SOAP attachments. SOAP and REST are commonly used web design models.
SOAP
REST
SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol.
REST stands for Representational State Transfer.
It is language and platform independent.
It relies on HTTP.
It makes use of XML for messages.
It makes use of JSON for messages.
It is slower than REST.
It is faster than SOAP.
It is complex to understand as compared to REST.
It is easier to understand.
REST Attachments💻
The media type in which REST sends its attachments is multipart/form-data.
One important thing to note here is that the request that the user sends must be associated with a payload to send an attachment. Before proceeding, let us have a look at what a payload is. While the user makes a request, some data is sent to the server. This data is the payload. Some requests do not have this data associated with them, so they cannot have attachments. One typical example is a GET request.
Steps For REST Attachments 📍
1️⃣Click the Attachments panel and go to the + Add Attachment option.
2️⃣Choose the file that you want to send as an attachment.
3️⃣Go to the Request editor. You will be asked to set the media type of the request. As already mentioned above, REST sends its attachments in the form of multipart/form-data. Hence, set the media type in the request editor as multipart/form-data.
In case you have to send your request in the form of the formData parameter, follow these steps⭕
1️⃣Go to REST services.
2️⃣Click the Attachments panel and go to the + Add Attachment option.
3️⃣Select the file that you want to send as an attachment.
4️⃣Enable the Post QueryString option.
5️⃣Do not forget to set the QUERY type. Set the file parameter value in the following form, file:filename.txt.
6️⃣Finally, go to the Attachments panel, go to the ContentID column and type the name of the parameter there.
SOAP Attachments🤷♀️
In this part, we will see how you can attach files to your request in Ready API and SOAP attachments. You can add attachments to your SOAP requests using the Ready API by inlining the attachment or by MTOM (Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism). Every file will be given a ContentID when the user attaches it. This ID will be unique.
Steps for attaching files by ContentID📌
1️⃣Open Attachment panel and click on + Add Attachment option.
2️⃣Choose the file that you want to send.
3️⃣Choose the element that you want to attach the file to. Now write its cid:<Sample.xml>
Adding Attachments Directly to Request😎
You can also directly add attachments to request by converting your file to Base64 encoding. Right-click where you want to insert the attachment and select the Insert file as Base64 option. Now, select the file to be added to the request.
This is used , so that the user can access the response of the current message.This panel has all the attachments in the response. The attachments and there specifications are as follows.
Size
It gives the size of the file that is attached. This size is obtained in bytes.
Type
This indicates the type of the attachment of the response.
Cached
It tells whether the attachment is cached or not.
Content-Type
It gives the attachment MIME(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type.
Name
It simply tells about the name of the file attached.
Part
This gives the part of the response that the attachment is connected with.
ContentID
It gives the ContentID of the attachment.
Finally, to export your attached file, click on the right arrow on the toolbar.You will be prompted with a dialog box. In this, specify the location where you want your file to be saved.
We hope you are now well versed with how you can attach files to your requests in Ready API🎯
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some examples of the API?
Some common API examples are Twitter bots, weather snippets, travel booking, etc.
Why is REST faster than SOAP?
REST is faster than SOAP, as it uses the JSON format, which is lightweight compared to the XML format that SOAP uses.
Why is XML used in SOAP if it is slow?
XML makes the SOAP a bit slower. But it also has some advantages. XML is software and hardware independent. Storing and exchanging files is easier in the XML format.
Which one out of REST and SOAP is more reliable and safe?
SOAP is more secure than REST as SOAP also supports Web Service Security.
Which is better, REST or SOAP?
Both of them are used according to the situation. If you want more security, go for SOAP. If the user wants more convenience and flexibility, he should choose REST.
Conclusion
In this blog, we explored everything about API, requests in API, and other basic concepts. We then explored the differences between REST and SOAP. We finally proceeded with learning how you can attach files to your requests in Ready API. We saw the SOAP and REST attachments for the same.
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