APIs and testing

By the end of this track you can read and send any HTTP request, build a pretend API with Mock Studio, test a real or mock API with ApiWorkbench, and plan a test suite that catches real bugs. No coding experience is needed.

Who it is for: anyone starting out with APIs: testers, students, front-end developers, product people who want to read what the back end really says. Time: about 2 hours for the lessons, then as much testing practice as you like.

Lessons

Lesson 1What is an API?The idea, in everyday terms, and why testers and developers care.→Lesson 2HTTP basicsRequests, responses, methods, status codes and headers.→Lesson 3JSON basicsHow to read the format most APIs speak, and point at any value.→Lesson 4Your first API callSend a real request with ApiWorkbench, read the answer, add a test.→Lesson 5Your first mock serverBuild a pretend API with Mock Studio and call it.→Lesson 6How APIs know who you areAPI keys, Basic auth, Bearer tokens and OAuth, without the fog.→

Then: test APIs properly

The API testing guides teach the method: what to check in every response, how to plan, and a guide for each kind of test.

GuideTesting fundamentalsWhat a test is, the five things to check, and where to start.→GuideNegative testingSend bad input on purpose and check the API refuses it properly.→GuideWorkflow testingChain requests into real user journeys with captures.→GuideLoad testingMany users at once: percentiles, throughput and errors.→

Labs

Each lab is a Mock Studio project and an ApiWorkbench collection that work together. Import both and follow the steps.

BeginnerTodo API labYour first test suite: 8 requests, 22 checks.→IntermediateShop API labSign in, carry a token, chain requests, run from a data file.→IntermediateFlaky Payments labRandom errors, rate limits, slow and broken answers.→IntermediateRecipes labPaging, ETags, token refresh, webhooks, polling and more.→

The apps

App	What it does in this track
ApiWorkbench	The client: sends requests, checks answers with tests, runs collections, load tests, runs in CI
Mock Studio	The server: answers with responses you design, and misbehaves on demand
Developer Toolbox	Decode a JWT, format JSON, convert Base64 while you test

See ApiWorkbench and Mock Studio together for six ways the two apps work as a pair.

Related tracks

• Networking and SSH: what is underneath every request
• Security and safe habits: keeping tokens and keys out of trouble
• Databases: checking what an API really wrote