Introduction
Doing everything manually is tiring and time-consuming for developers. A work like testing multiple aspects every time you make changes would become a problem. As a solution to this, Katalon Studio offers Testing Automation. It has a rich set of features to allow test automation. This includes scaling, managing, and collaboration. You can perform the entire test cycle in Katalon Studio.
In detail, this article will discuss various aspects of API Testing in Katalon Studio. So, without further ado, let’s start.
API Testing in Katalon Studio
API Testing in Katalon Studio is an integral part of Automation Testing. It is a kind of Software Integration Testing performed at the message layer. It checks APIs based on certain parameters. It determines whether API is performing up to the expected level in terms of functionality, security, and performance.
You must have learned that applications consist of three layers- Presentation Layer, Business Layer, and Database layer. And API Testing is performed at the most vital layer, Business Layer. This layer handles business logic processing and transactions between the Database and UI.
Need for API Testing in Katalon
Testing is important at every stage of creating Applications. The reason why API Testing is preferred among developers is it tests at the unit or component level. Also, as per the Test Pyramid of Mike Cohn, 70% of testing efforts which is the maximum of all, are required at the task level. This makes API Testing even more necessary.
API Testing is furious as they do not have a User Interface (UI). It adapts to frequent changes and release cycles without even hampering the outputs. It has gained popularity because it is less expensive and low maintenance than UI Testing.
Advantages of API Testing in Katalon
There are numerous benefits of API Testing. Some of the most prominent ones are listed below.
- API Testing is language-independent. Users can easily exchange data over XML, JSON, or any other language.
- Since, in API Testing, you are not bound to work on the same language, you can switch to another language, making verification faster and more stable.
- API Testing is quicker than UI Testing. On the one hand, where vigorous UI testing takes 8-10 hours, API Testing takes only 1-2 hours.
- Almost every API or service comes with specifications that ease the testing process, increasing its coverage to functional and non-functional tests.
- API Testing is independent of UI Testing. You can test your application anytime for sooner feedback or faster results.
API Testing Types
There are eight common categories of API Testing. To learn about each one, in brief, refer to the following table.
Testing Type |
Description |
| Functional Testing | Functional Testing covers testing of some particular functions of the code block. It ensures that API functions run well during the final implementation. |
| Security Testing | It is the first part of the security auditing process. It ensures that the API is safe from any malicious activities. |
| UI Testing | As the name suggests, this testing covers the UI and other integral parts of the API. It is also known as end-to-end testing. |
| Penetration Testing | It is the second part of the security auditing process. The users attack their APIs from an outside perspective to ensure that their functions, resources, and components are well protected. |
| Load Testing | Load Testing is done after a certain amount of work is completed. We perform load testing in three scenarios- Baseline, Maximum Traffic, and Overload. |
| Fuzz Testing | It is the last step of the security auditing process. A large amount of random data is fed onto the system to try a forced crash and prepare the APIs for worst-case scenarios. |
| Runtime/Error Testing | It runs the complete API focusing on a few aspects- Monitoring, Execution Errors, Resource Leaks, and Error Detection. |
| Validation Testing | It is one of the final steps in the testing process. It validates products based on their behavior and efficiency. It confirms the accurate and expected development of the application. |
Challenges of API Testing in Katalon
The idea of API Testing is quite fascinating, right? However, there are some challenges associated with API Testing in Katalon Studio.
- The Initial Infrastructure Arrangement required for API Testing is quite hectic. API Testing covers both manual and automated testing. And creating infrastructure for both these tests is considered tricky.
- It becomes challenging for companies if APIs are to be tested in a particular order to work properly.
- Software Teams sometimes find it tedious to validate or invalidate the parameters. This is because there are numerous parameters with several test cases.
- The Schema is like a skeleton of every application. Hence, the schema must be updated every time you change your application.
- Sometimes, checking if the API testing is working appropriately with data tracking becomes difficult. This testing is a must because it examines calls and brings back suitable responses.
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