api testing myths debunked
DESCRIPTION
Download Whitepaper from http://alm.parasoft.com/api-testing-myths API integrity plays a vital role in ‘The API Economy’. Yet many are confused about the kind of testing required to ensure secure and reliableAPIs. Discover the truth about API testing and the negative impact businesses face when APIs are not tested properly. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 1
2014-11-10
"5 Myths about API testing: There's more than
meets the UI"
Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 22
APIs Everywhere and Here to Stay
A few years ago, we entered the era of mobile computing
API failure means your apps fail, and your quality and reputation take a direct hit that flows to your bottom line
But that came with some challenges:
API Testing reduces the business risk of faulty APIs
Many devices, many networks and many connections.
Apps connect devices to vast
amounts of servers and data through
complex APIs.
How do you ensure that the APIs work
as planned?
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Every App Has its API…to Test
The fact that an API is published does not decrease the test scenarios required; it increases test scenarios in all dimensions
Enterprise apps rely on a myriad of internal, external and public APIs
Testing APIs must include different networks, end-points and interfaces
Test Scenarios
NowThen
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Myth #1 about Testing APIs
Public APIs, even the few with SLAs, are the responsibility of third parties – you may trust them, but you must verify them, with API Testing
If it’s a published API, it’s been tested and guaranteed. No further testing required.
Just because an API is “published” does not mean that the API has been tested with anything, particularly your custom applications
You cannot afford to overlook the gaps in testing APIs with your applications
1#
MIND THE GAP
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Myth #2 about Testing APIs
GUI tests are extremely fragile and are not designed to exercise the integration layer
Tested through the GUI of your applications does not mean you have fully tested the API and its other interactions
Assuming that you’ve tested the API from the GUI means on average 10% test coverage
We’ve tested the API through our application’s graphical user interface testing.2#
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Myth #3 about Testing APIs
End-user experience is dependent upon everything working together flawlessly, not a single message transaction
While direct testing may provide validation of connectivity, it will not exercise the end-to-end logic of the API and its interactions with dependent systems
Composite applications are dependent upon multiple transactions
Our GUI testers can exercise the API directly… It seems pretty straightforward.
You thought you could manage simple
transactions…
…until you realized the API was more complicated (with multiple
operations and elements)
3#
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Testing modern composite applications requires access to an average of 30 dependent applications (APIs, mainframes, web services and other systems dependencies), yet only 20% can be accessed easily for testing
Myth #4 about Testing APIs
This complexity does not mean end-to-end testing cannot be performed
Technologies like service virtualization (test environment simulation), when coupled with API Testing, provide for comprehensive testing across all application dependencies
End-to-end tests are not feasible, because there are too many dependencies involved.4#
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…doesn’t mean you’ve tested this!
Myth #5 about Testing APIs
Methodologies like Agile Development require that application logic changes, improves and evolves
Because you tested this…
APIs that were tested once and worked will continue to work as long as the API hasn’t changed.
In order to ensure the integrity of the API, any material change to the API requires a re-validation of the API and its system dependencies
Creating a regression test suite that exercises dependent APIs consistently is required for API integrity
5#
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The Costs of not Testing APIs
If you’re leveraging APIs to enhance your customer’s experience, you must ensure that the APIs can meet or exceed your business expectations
If software is the interface to your business, then the customer’s experience is only as good as the weakest link in your software
Switching costs for software are at an all-time low; subscription models and common interfaces mean that loyalty has to be earned with quality and innovation
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Parasoft API Testing: Real Results
Parasoft API Testing has helped accelerate and transform application testing for many leading companies and agencies
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Parasoft Leadership
Over 7,000 companies
trust Parasoft
Rock-solid, profitable since
the 1990s
IP war chest with 32 defect
prevention patents
ServiceVirtualization
APITesting
DevelopmentTesting
SHIFT LEFTTest early, test often, with the leader in Continuous Testing: Parasoft
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2014-11-10
Download Whitepaper
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