Applying API testing frameworks: real-world code examples

In modern software development, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are at the heart of communication between services. Ensuring that these APIs work correctly, are secure, and are fast is crucial. This is where API testing frameworks come in, tools designed to automate, simplify, and strengthen the testing of your endpoints.

In this article, we will explore how to apply API testing frameworks using Postman and real-world code examples, showing you how to validate and automate your APIs step by step.

Why use an API testing framework?

API testing frameworks offer several advantages:

Automation: They allow repetitive tests to be run without manual intervention.

Data validation: They verify that endpoints return the expected data.

Continuous integration (CI/CD): They facilitate the execution of tests in pipelines such as Jenkins or GitHub Actions.

Collaboration: Teams can easily share test collections and scripts.

Among the most popular frameworks, Postman stands out for its intuitive interface, support for JavaScript scripting, and ease of integration into CI/CD pipelines.

Postman Configuration

1. Download and install Postman from getpostman.com.
2. Create a Collection to organize your API requests.
3. For our examples, we will use JSONPlaceholder, a free test API.

Example 1: Testing a GET Request

Let's say we want to retrieve a list of users:

1. Create a new request in Postman called Get Users.
2. Set the URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users
3. Send the request and observe the JSON response.
4. In the Tests tab, add this script to validate the response:

Example 2: Testing a POST Request

Now, we simulate the creation of a new post:

1. Create a Create Post request using the POST method.
2. URL: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts
3. In the Body tab, select raw > JSON and add:

1. Add tests in the Tests tab:

Example 3: Automation with Collections and Newman

To integrate tests into CI/CD pipelines:

Group your Get Users and Create Post requests into a Collection called

1. JSONPlaceholder Tests.
2. Export the Collection as a .json file.
3. Install Newman (Postman CLI): npm install -g newman
4. Run the collection from the terminal: newman run JSONPlaceholder_Tests.json

Conclusion

API testing frameworks, such as Postman, are essential for any team developing modern services. Their ease of use, automation capabilities, and CI/CD compatibility make them indispensable tools.

Testing APIs with real-world examples, such as those presented here, helps detect errors early, ensure data integrity, and optimize software delivery.