Book Image

API Testing and Development with Postman

By : Dave Westerveld
1 (1)
Book Image

API Testing and Development with Postman

1 (1)
By: Dave Westerveld

Overview of this book

Postman enables the exploration and testing of web APIs, helping testers and developers figure out how an API works. With Postman, you can create effective test automation for any APIs. If you want to put your knowledge of APIs to work quickly, this practical guide to using Postman will help you get started. The book provides a hands-on approach to learning the implementation and associated methodologies that will have you up and running with Postman in no time. Complete with step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, practical examples, and self-assessment questions, this book begins by taking you through the principles of effective API testing. A combination of theory coupled with real-world examples will help you learn how to use Postman to create well-designed, documented, and tested APIs. You'll then be able to try some hands-on projects that will teach you how to add test automation to an already existing API with Postman, and guide you in using Postman to create a well-designed API from scratch. By the end of this book, you'll be able to use Postman to set up and run API tests for any API that you are working with.

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Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Preface
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Download the example code files
Download the color images
Conventions used
Get in touch
Reviews
1
Section 1: API Testing Theory and Terminology
Section 1: API Testing Theory and Terminology
Free Chapter
2
Chapter 1: API Terminology and Types
Chapter 1: API Terminology and Types
What is an API?
Types of API calls
Installing Postman
The structure of an API request
Considerations for API testing
Different types of APIs
Summary
3
Chapter 2: Principles of API Design
Chapter 2: Principles of API Design
Technical requirements
Start with the purpose
Creating usable APIs
Document your API
Designing an API
Summary
4
Chapter 3: OpenAPI and API Specifications
Chapter 3: OpenAPI and API Specifications
Technical requirements
What are API specifications?
Creating OASes
Using API specifications in Postman
Summary
5
Chapter 4: Considerations for Good API Test Automation
Chapter 4: Considerations for Good API Test Automation
Technical requirements
Exploring and automating
Organizing and structuring tests
Creating maintainable tests
Summary
6
Section 2: Using Postman When Working with an Existing API
Section 2: Using Postman When Working with an Existing API
7
Chapter 5: Understanding Authorization Options
Chapter 5: Understanding Authorization Options
Understanding API security
API security in Postman
Security testing with Postman
Summary
8
Chapter 6: Creating Test Validation Scripts
Chapter 6: Creating Test Validation Scripts
Technical requirements
Checking API responses
Setting up pre-request scripts
Using environments in Postman
Summary
9
Chapter 7: Data-Driven Testing
Chapter 7: Data-Driven Testing
Technical requirements
Defining data-driven testing
Creating a data-driven test in Postman
Challenge – data-driven testing with multiple APIs
Summary
10
Chapter 8: Running API Tests in CI with Newman
Chapter 8: Running API Tests in CI with Newman
Technical requirements
Getting Newman set up
Understanding Newman run options
Reporting on tests in Newman
Integrating Newman into CI builds
Summary
11
Chapter 9: Monitoring APIs with Postman
Chapter 9: Monitoring APIs with Postman
Technical requirements
Setting up a monitor in Postman
Viewing monitor results
Summary
12
Chapter 10: Testing an Existing API
Chapter 10: Testing an Existing API
Technical requirements
Finding bugs in an API
Automating API tests
An example of automated API tests
Sharing your work
Summary
13
Section 3: Using Postman to Develop an API
Section 3: Using Postman to Develop an API
14
Chapter 11: Designing an API Specification
Chapter 11: Designing an API Specification
Technical requirements
Creating an API specification
Adding the API to Postman
Understanding API versioning
Summary
15
Chapter 12: Creating and Using a Mock Server in Postman
Chapter 12: Creating and Using a Mock Server in Postman
Technical requirements
Different approaches to testing with mocks
Setting up a mock server
Creating good mock responses
Using mock servers
Summary
16
Chapter 13: Using Contract Testing to Verify an API
Chapter 13: Using Contract Testing to Verify an API
Understanding contract testing
Setting up contract tests in Postman
Running and fixing contract tests
Summary
17
Chapter 14: Design and Create an API
Chapter 14: Design and Create an API
Technical requirements
Designing an API
Setting up the API in Postman
Creating tests and documentation for the API
Sharing what you have done
Summary
Why subscribe?
18
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Creating a data-driven test in Postman

Postman provides tools for running data-driven tests, but in order to use them, you will need a test. This section will show you how to create an actual input file that you can use, and it will then teach you how to create the kind of test that you need for this in Postman. It will also show you how to get data from a file and use that data to compare it to the results of your request.

I will show this all to you with a practical example. The example will use the API provided by JSON Placeholder (http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com). This is a sample API that you can use to get fake data. Before creating a data-driven test, follow these steps:

  1. Add a collection called JSON API.
  2. Add a request to the collection called Users.
  3. Set the request URL to http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/1 and send the request. You should get back a response with a bunch of data for a user.

Now that you have a working request, let&apos...

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