API integrity plays a vital role in ‘The API Economy’. Yet many are confused about the kind of testing required to ensure secure and reliable APIs. Discover the truth about API testing and the negative impact businesses face when APIs are not tested properly. Download the whitepaper from http://alm.parasoft.com/api-testing-myths

1. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 1
2015-03-24
"5 Myths about API
testing: There's more than
meets the UI"

2. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 22
APIs Everywhere and Here to Stay
A few years ago, we entered the era of mobile computing
API failure means your apps fail, and your quality and reputation take a direct
hit that flows to your bottom line
But that came with some challenges:
API Testing reduces the business risk of faulty APIs
Many devices,
many networks and
many connections.
Apps connect
devices to vast
amounts of servers
and data through
complex APIs.
How do you ensure
that the APIs work
as planned?

3. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 33
Every App Has its API…to Test
The fact that an API is published does not decrease the test scenarios required;
it increases test scenarios in all dimensions
Enterprise apps rely on a myriad of internal, external and public APIs
Testing APIs must include different networks, end-points and interfaces
Test Scenarios
NowThen

4. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 44
Myth #1 about Testing APIs
Public APIs, even the few with SLAs, are the responsibility of third parties – you may trust
them, but you must verify them, with API Testing
If it’s a published API, it’s been tested and
guaranteed. No further testing required.
Just because an API is “published” does not mean that the API has been tested with anything,
particularly your custom applications
You cannot afford to overlook the gaps
in testing APIs with your applications
1#
MIND THE GAP

5. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 55
Myth #2 about Testing APIs
GUI tests are extremely fragile and are not designed to
exercise the integration layer
Tested through the GUI of your applications does not mean
you have fully tested the API and its other interactions
Assuming that you’ve tested the API from the GUI means
on average 10% test coverage
We’ve tested the API through our application’s
graphical user interface testing.2#

6. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 66
Myth #3 about Testing APIs
End-user experience is dependent upon everything working
together flawlessly, not a single message transaction
While direct testing may provide validation of connectivity, it
will not exercise the end-to-end logic of the API and its
interactions with dependent systems
Composite applications are dependent upon multiple
transactions
Our GUI testers can exercise the API directly…
It seems pretty straightforward.
You thought you
could manage simple
transactions…
…until you realized the API was
more complicated (with multiple
operations and elements)
3#

7. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 77
Testing modern composite applications requires access to
an average of 30 dependent applications (APIs, mainframes,
web services and other systems dependencies), yet only
20% can be accessed easily for testing
Myth #4 about Testing APIs
This complexity does not mean end-to-end testing
cannot be performed
Technologies like service virtualization (test
environment simulation), when coupled with API
Testing, provide for comprehensive testing across all
application dependencies
End-to-end tests are not feasible, because
there are too many dependencies involved.4#

8. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 88
…doesn’t mean you’ve tested this!
Myth #5 about Testing APIs
Methodologies like Agile Development require that
application logic changes, improves and evolves
Because you tested this…
APIs that were tested once and worked will
continue to work as long as the API hasn’t changed.
In order to ensure the integrity of the API, any material
change to the API requires a re-validation of the API
and its system dependencies
Creating a regression test suite that exercises
dependent APIs consistently is required for API
integrity
5#

9. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 99
The Costs of not Testing APIs
If you’re leveraging APIs to enhance your
customer’s experience, you must ensure that
the APIs can meet or exceed your business
expectations
If software is the interface to your business,
then the customer’s experience is only as
good as the weakest link in your software
Switching costs for software are at an all-time
low; subscription models and common interfaces
mean that loyalty has to be earned with quality
and innovation

10. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 1010
Parasoft API Testing: Real Results
Parasoft API Testing has helped accelerate and transform application
testing for many leading companies and agencies

11. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 1111
Parasoft Leadership
Over 7,000
companies
trust Parasoft
Rock-solid,
profitable since
the 1990s
IP war chest
with 32 defect
prevention patents
Service
Virtualization
API
Testing
Development
Testing
SHIFT LEFT
Test early, test often, with the leader in Continuous Testing: Parasoft

12. Copyright © 2014 Parasoft 12
2015-03-24
Download Whitepaper
www.parasoft.com