Ole Lensmar, co-creator of soapUI and Chief Architect at SmartBear Software, gave this presentation at STARWEST 2012. We are working, he says, in the "Golden Age of APIs."

1. More Coverage, Better Diagnostics
Including API Testing Into the Continuous
Integration and Deployment Process
Ole Lensmar, SmartBear Software

2. Why should you care about API Testing?

3. Because today, APIs are at the
core of everything!

4. Mobile
Mashups
Devices
Game Web
Consoles Apps
APIs
Cloud
Social Media
Services
B2B
Appliances
Partners
Other APIs

5. APIs are at the core of business strategies –
not just technology strategies

6. APIs are showing extreme growth in all industries
(from programmableweb.com)

7. We are in the Golden Age of APIs!

8. What do we actually mean by “API”?

9. …
WOA
SOAP
REST
JSON
WSDL
XML
JMS
Thrift
Buzzwords? Check! HTTP
SOA
OAuth
Protocol Buffers
WADL
WS-*
POX
SPDY
WebSockets
…

10. An API is data or a service that is available over
the network using a standard protocol and format
for example…
An HTTP search request returning
results in JSON format
A SOAP request for authorizing
access to a secured system

11. Common characteristics of APIs
 APIs are consumed by software, not end users
 APIs do not have a UI – there is nothing to “look” at or
interact with
 APIs expose business logic or functionality, mostly for
integration purposes
 APIs can be both private or public

12. How do APIs fit into an architecture?
Business A Business B
Mobile / Web App
Web App Desktop App
REST
SOAP
Public REST Public
API API
REST
JMS
SOAP Thrift
Service Service Service Service
API 1 API 2 API 3 API

13. Quality Aspects of an API
 Functionality – does it work as expected?
 Performance – does it perform as required?
 Security – is it secured for common attacks?
 Usability – is it usable?
 Compliance – does it follow common practices?

14. How do you test an API?
APIs generally implement a request-response
model for exchanging messages or data
Parameterized Request
Test API
Response
A simple test sends a request message and validates
that the response message has the expected content

15. Single vs Multi-Request Tests
Request
API 1
Response
Multi- Request
Request API 2
Test
Response
Request
API 1
Response

16. the “short” demo

17. How does API Testing relate to
other types of testing?
UI Tests
Web / Mobile / Desktop
(automated or manual)
API Tests API
Unit Unit Unit
Unit Tests
Unit Unit Unit

18. Automated API Testing – what do we mean?

19. “Running preconfigured API Tests
automatically using a test execution
framework or scheduler”
Functional – Performance - Security

20. In Agile you have
“Continuous Integration”
API Tests should be run automatically and
continuously for every build of the software

21. In DevOps you have
“Continuous Deployment”
API Monitors run continuously to
ensure operations and production quality

22. Opportunity : Reuse of API Test Assets
Development :
Continuous Integration / Deployment
API Tests and
Quality Assets
Operations : API Monitoring

23. Benefits of Test Asset Reuse
 Realistic monitoring
Development
 Feed-forward
– how it’s supposed to
work Automated
Tests / Assets
 Feedback
– Comprehensive error
information Operations

24. Wrapping up -
How should you treat your APIs?

25. R-E-S-P-E-C-T your APIs!
Design for usability
Test Early
Create Dedicated API Tests
Automate your tests
Assert performance and security

26. Thanks!
ole.lensmar@smartbear.com