Deck #1

Question 1

Name the essential parts of an application

Answer 1

• Data Layer
• Logic Layer
• Presentation Layer

Question 2

What is the data layer?

Answer 2

Where data is retrieved from the database and file system and then stored.

Question 3

What is the logic layer

Answer 3

The brain of the application, this processes the data between the layers, coordinating the application, processing commands, and making logical decisions. This layer is made of the API.

Question 4

What is the presentation layer?

Answer 4

This top layer of the app is the user interface, which translates tasks into something the user understands.

Question 5

What is an API?

Answer 5

Application Programming Interface:

- An API acts as an interface between two different applications so that they can communicate with each other.

Question 6

What is API testing?

Answer 6

testing that APIs and the integrations they enable work in the most optimal manner

Question 7

Techincal def of an API

Answer 7

Http based service that returns JSON or XML data by default

Question 8

How to test APIs?

Answer 8

make API calls in order to receive an output before observing and logging the system’s response.

Question 9

How to increase test coverage and accuracy of APIs?

Answer 9

Since APIs are the central hub of data for many applications, data-drive testing for APIs can help

Question 10

Why is API testing important?

Answer 10

The API is what gives value to the application.

• If any API doesn’t work efficiently and effectively, it will never be adopted, regardless if it is a free and open API or one that you charge per call or group of calls.
• if an API breaks because errors weren’t detected, it could not only break a single application but a chain of business processes hinged to it.

Question 11

Define a smoke test for an API

Answer 11

make a call and verify you receive a response

Question 12

What is the typical output of an API?

Answer 12

• A Pass or Fail status
• Data or information
• A call to another API

Question 13

Questions to ask yourself when testing an API

Answer 13

• Who is your target audience? Who is your API consumer?
• What environment/s should the API typically be used?
• What is defined as a Pass or a Fail? What data is the desired output? What is the chain of events?
• What other APIs could this API interact with?

Question 14

What is load testing of an API?

Answer 14

verify the API can handle a large amount of calls

Question 15

What is Creativity Test of an API?

Answer 15

the API can be used in different ways (Called by other APIs)

Question 16

What is Security Testing of an API?

Answer 16

verifying security requirements including authentication, permissions and access controls

Question 17

What is API documentation testing?

Answer 17

also called discovery testing, the API documentation easily guides the user.

Question 18

What are some test case examples for an API?

Answer 18

• Checking API return values based on the input condition.
• Verifying if the API doesn’t return anything at all or the wrong results.
• Verifying if the API triggers some other event or calls another API.
• Verifying if the API is updating any data structures.

Question 19

What types of testing of an API can be automated?

Answer 19

• Creating loads of dynamic data to throw into your API testing.
  .- Using multiple data sets at the same time to cover different test scenarios.
• Error testing, where you throw forced errors at the API to understand how it will react.
• Testing in multiple languages.

Question 20

Best Practices for testing an API?

Answer 20

• Test first for the typical or ordinary results, for what happens consistently and what doesn’t.
• Add stress to the system through a series of API load tests.
• Test for failure. Keep working and working until you get a Fail output, making sure the API fails consistently and gracefully.
• Prioritize API function calls so that it will be easy for testers to test in a timely fashion.
• Limit the tests from as many variables as possible by keeping it as isolated as possible.
• run through the documentation tests, making sure the documentation makes sense for all levels of user experience.
• Throw anything you can at the API to test for how it handles unforeseen problems and loads.
• Perform well-planned call sequencing.
  Later on, get creative! For complete test coverage, create test cases for all possible API input combinations.

Question 21

What is an API request?

Answer 21

A request to a resource on the server which is exposed via an API

Question 22

Give an example of an API request

Answer 22

I need to get list of all the users from a database and assume there is an API written in any language that pulls the required data, transforms it into either xml or JSON and returns it back. say :

http://host:port/api/users : here api/users is the endpoint which is deployed in a server and invokes the program to get the data and creates a response in JSON/XML format, once response is ready it can be sent back to caller.

When I call this API from a browser using it’s qualified URL (another term for the exact url) it would be called an API request, and as a result I would get a list of users as either JSON or XML format which can then be used as required, there are other formats as well but they are out of scope for this question.

Question 23

What is the URI in the request:

http://domain.com/path/to/resource

Answer 23

everything after http://domain.com

Question 24

What are the HTTP methods for RESTful Services?

Answer 24

• POST (Create)
• GET (Read)
• PUT (Update/Replace)
• PATCH (Update/Modify)
• DELETE (Delete)