1.
EVALUATING AND
TESTING WEB APIS
Ole Lensmar – SmartBear Software

2.
the goal of this presentation…

3.
Web APIs – what’s the fuss?

4.
Aysnc /
WebSockets
REST /
JSON
SOAP /
XML
Technically speaking…
but that’s missing the point…

5.
20 Years Ago
ACME Corp
(does monolithics)

6.
10 Years Ago
ACME Corp
(does SOA)
Web
app
Corp

7.
Corp
Corp
Now!
ACME Corp
(does APIs)
Web
app
Corp
App
+ API
API
API
API
Devi
ce
APP
API
Devi
ce
Devi
ce
Devi
ce
API
API

8.
API Quality – Who needs it?

9.
API Hierarchy of Needs
www.apiux.com

10.
API Usability rules!

11.
Who is your target persona?

12.
User Experience
=
Developer Experience

13.
Align with their API technology
SOAP / REST / etc…
XML / JSON / etc…
QoS / Security

14.
Help them understand your API
vs

15.
Provide API Metadata
Validation
Code Generation
Coverage
Understanding
Simulation
wsdl, swagger,
wadl, hal, json
schema, apiary.io,
xml schema, ws-*,
apiary, api-docs,
iodocs, etc

16.
Align your API with their domain
Process / Workflow
Nomenclature
Related APIs

17.
A 3:30:3 Litmus test for APIs
3 Minutes to understand what an API does
30 seconds to sign up
3 minutes to the first request
(Ori Pekelman)

18.
APIs need to work

19.
Expected Results

20.
Expected Results
Values

21.
Expected Results
Values
Datatypes

22.
Expected Results
Values
Datatypes
Formatting

23.
Expected Results
Values
Datatypes
Formatting
Consistency

24.
Expected Results
Values
Datatypes
Formatting
Consistency
Errors

25.
Bad Error Messages…
Change unexpectedly
Don’t match their status code (HTTP)
Don’t tell users what they did wrong
Don’t tell users what they need to do right
Show clients stuff that could be misused

26.
APIs are global from day 1
Dates & Timezones
Regional Formatting
Localized Messages / Errors

27.
ConsistencyConsistencyConsistencyCon
sistencyConsistencyConsistencyConsist
encyConsistencyConsistencyConsistenc
Formatting
Nomenclature
Metadata Compliance

28.
API Functional Test Automation
TestCase API 1 API 2

29.
TestCase API 1 API 2
Request 1
Response
validate
API Functional Test Automation

30.
TestCase API 1 API 2
Request 1
Response
Transfer parameters
Request 2
Response
validate
validate
API Functional Test Automation

31.
TestCase API 1 API 2
Request 1
Response
Request 3
Response
Transfer parameters
Request 2
Response
Transfer parameters
validate
validate
validate
API Functional Test Automation

32.
Pre vs Post-Deployment Quality
Continuous
Integration
(Agile)
Automated
Test Execution

33.
Pre vs Post-Deployment Quality
Continuous
Integration
(Agile)
Continuous
Deployment
(DevOps)
Automated
Test Execution
months/weeks/d
ays/hours

34.
Pre vs Post-Deployment Quality
Continuous
Integration
(Agile)
Continuous
Deployment
(DevOps)
Automated
Test Execution
Production
Monitoring
months/weeks/d
ays/hours
Test asset re-use

35.
no
wi
gg
ler
oo
m

36.
Customers rely on your API

37.
Your API is key to their success
Is your API available?
Is your API consistent?
Is your API transparent?

38.
Is your API Secure?
Do you handle identity?
Do you maintain integrity?
Do you assess vulnerabilities?

39.
API Performance
Does the API perform consistently?
Does the API recover?
Does the API scale?

40.
Usability Functionality
Core elements of API Quality
Reliability

41.
so – let’s get back to that goal…

42.
Thank you!
@olensmar
ole.lensmar@smartbear.com