Behat’s WebAPIExtension was a simple and effective way to test JSON-based APIs using Gherkin steps. On July 14, 2025, the repository was archived by its owner and became read-only, meaning it’s no longer maintained, but not abandoned in purpose.
At Webship.co, we saw great value in the extension’s structured API-testing approach. So instead of letting it fade away, we rebuilt all of its step definitions in Node.js and integrated them directly into Webship-JS.
Now, teams can use the same clear BDD style, but with modern JavaScript tooling and active support.
Why WebAPIExtension was worth reviving
- It made API testing readable and easy to understand.
- It supported setting headers, sending JSON bodies, checking status codes, and validating responses.
- It helped teams describe API behavior in a simple Given/When/Then format.
We kept all these strengths, and enhanced them.
What’s new in Webship-js
Our rebuilt API steps now support:
- Setting headers and request bodies
- Sending all HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE…)
- Validating status codes
- Matching JSON responses, including nested fields
- Checking response headers
- Using matcher patterns (regex, array length, JWT, etc.)
*Example: *
Sends a request (POST, PUT, etc.) to the given endpoint, using the values listed in the table as the JSON request body.
When I send a POST request to "/users" with values:
| name | John Doe |
| email | john@example.com |
| age | 30 |
Full documentation of the steps is available here:
https://webship.co/docs/webship-js/1.0.x/api-step-definitions
Conclusion
Although the original WebAPIExtension is now archived, its value continues.
With our Node.js rebuild, Webship-JS brings it back — cleaner, faster, and actively maintained.
The same familiar BDD API experience, but modern and ready for real projects today.
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