Three Vital Aspects of API Testing: Guide for Beginners
Application programming interfaces consist of a set of commands, protocols, and functions that programmers can use to interact with external systems. APIs enable developers to tap into various programs and perform different operations without needing to build a program from scratch. The most significant advantage of APIs is the level of extraction they allow. APIs only expose data that is required to communicate with another system. For instance, the Google Maps API is used by multiple organizations to provide Google Maps support, meaning those organizations do not need to build their own map applications.
In the same way, a free stock API works in the contrasting line and limits the tired full, manual efforts made by investors. These finance APIs play a backbone role at the backend of finance monitoring applications and make a prominent difference in the effective functioning of applications.
APIs are a game-changer in the world of virtual data, but developers must test them in the correct manner. If you are new to the world of APIs, here are three vital aspects of API testing for beginners.
API Testing Tools
Before handling the three most crucial aspects of API testing, beginners should first read a guide to API testing. You should also look at the various types of API testing tools on the market. Different tools have different capabilities and features, so it is important you compare various testing tools to find the right ones for your requirements. You can then begin testing.

Connectivity
There are three primary aspects of API testing. The first is connectivity. To test the connectivity of an API, simply make a call to it using its URL. If you receive a 200 response, it meansthe API is connected. If a response is not returned, or if you get a return like a connection failure, then your connection failed. That means the server did not receive the request.
Response
When testing APIs, you need to ensure the correct responses are returned for different API requests. Validating an API request includes making sure the correct values are returned in the response as well as the appropriate status code. The returned values are specific to the API type.Common status codes you could receive when testing an API include:
- 400: Bad Request. This is a generic error code that is returned when no other 4xx status code is relevant. Examples of bad requests include validation errors, improper API requests, and missing data.
- 401: Unauthorized. This is the error code for invalid or missing authentication.
- 403: Forbidden. This response is returned when a user is not authorized to perform the specific operation.
- 404: Not Found. This is returned when the resource you are requesting is not found or does not exist.
- 409: Conflict. This response is for resource conflicts, such as finding duplicate entries or attempting to delete root objects when cascade-delete is unsupported.
- 500: Internal Server Error. This error code is received when the user is unable to identify the exact error at his or her end.
Performance
Testing performance is the third most crucial aspect of API testing. Every time an API request is made, the response comes back in a matter of milliseconds. And with some applications, thousands or millions of API requests can be made. So, it is vital that the APIs can handle such large amounts of data without failing. Without fast response times, the API will be unable to handle the number of requests, making the API pretty much useless. By testing the performance of an API, you can avoid such problems.