6 Essential Types of API Testing

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API testing is crucial for ensuring reliability, security, and performance. Below are the six essential types of API testing with practical commands and steps.

1. Smoke Testing

A quick test to verify basic API functionality.

Example (Using cURL):

curl -X GET "https://api.example.com/users" -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Expected Output:

{
"status": "success",
"data": [...]
}

2. Regression Testing

Ensures new changes don’t break existing functionality.

Automated Test (Postman + Newman):

newman run api_regression_test.json --reporters cli,json

3. Integration Testing

Checks API interactions with other services.

Example (Testing Database Integration):

psql -h db.example.com -U user -d testdb -c "SELECT  FROM users;"

4. Functional Testing

Validates API behavior against expected results.

Python (Using `requests`):

import requests 
response = requests.post("https://api.example.com/login", json={"user":"test", "pass":"123"}) 
assert response.status_code == 200

5. Load Testing

Measures performance under traffic.

Using `k6`:

k6 run --vus 100 --duration 60s load_test.js

6. Stress Testing

Pushes API beyond limits to find breaking points.

Using `Apache Benchmark (ab)`:

ab -n 10000 -c 1000 https://api.example.com/data

You Should Know:

  • API Security Testing:
    nikto -h https://api.example.com
  • Log Analysis (Linux):
    grep "500" /var/log/api/error.log
  • Rate Limiting Test:
    siege -c 50 -t 1M https://api.example.com/limited
  • Dockerized API Testing:
    docker run -p 8080:8080 your-api-image

What Undercode Say:

API testing ensures robustness, security, and scalability. Automation (Postman, k6, Newman) and Linux tools (curl, ab, siege) streamline validation. Always test:
– Input Validation (SQLi, XSS checks)
– Rate Limiting (Prevent DDoS)
– Error Handling (Log analysis)

Expected Output:

  • Successful API Response: `200 OK`
  • Load Test Metrics: `Requests/sec, Latency`
  • Security Vulnerabilities: `Nikto/Wireshark Reports`

Further Reading:

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Aaronsimca 6 – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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