Web APIs are the foundation of nearly all cloud apps these days. Selenium automates browsers. It is a widespread test automation tool for web and mobile application testing powered by the cloud. Selenium testing allows software developers to interact with browsers to test their apps automatically.
But here, the question arises: can we use Selenium for API testing? Is it feasible to conduct API testing with Selenium?
Read on to know.
What is an API?
An API (Application Programming Interface)is a software intermediate, or go-between, that allows two applications to communicate. For instance, when you check the news on your phone, purchase something on Amazon, or interact on Facebook, APIs are at work.
An API functions in the following manner: when you employ an application on your computer or mobile device, the application establishes a connection to the internet, transmitting your data to the server. The server downloads the data, interprets it as required for the application, and then returns a response to the computer or phone in an understandable and usable way.
What is API Testing?
API testing helps determine whether test scripts meet security, performance, functionality, and reliability expectations. API functional testing is crucial because APIs are the primary interface in application logic. GUI tests can be challenging to maintain and deliver limited coverage considering the recurrent agile and DevOps software changes and abbreviated release processes. API testing significantly expands the application test coverage.
In other words, testers test APIs directly in isolation as a part of end-to-end testing in integration testing. In addition to RESTful APIs, transactions encompass a range of endpoints, such as:
- ERPs
- Web UIs
- ESBs
- Mainframes
- Web services
Testers are responsible for thoroughly testing the APIs developed by the development team. Additionally, they test the APIs used in the app, including any third-party APIs. These tests help determine whether the APIs produce the appropriate responses in the proper format for various conceivable requests. Also, if the APIs react appropriately to unusual or extreme inputs and failures.
Testing incorporates REST APIs or SOAP web services with JSON or XML message loads with the system sending over HTTP, HTTPS, JMS, and MQ. Testers also utilize various message formats, such as EDI, FIX, and SWIFT, during the testing process.
Standard API automated testing implicates the following:
- Fuzz testing
- Unit testing
- Functional testing
- Web UI testing
- Load testing
- Detection of runtime errors
- Security testing
- Penetration testing
Why is API Testing Important?
It is vital to test software applications thoroughly to provide a successful user experience. It implies verifying the underlying function of the code and its interactions with other services and systems. There must be more than user interface testing to ensure the software performs as expected. API testing evaluates the application’s performance, reliability, and functionality, guaranteeing high-quality software products.
API testing focuses on the following:
- Identifying potential security risks.
- Validating business logic.
- Assessing performance issues.
- Ensuring accurate data responses.
All of these are critical for the proper operation of the app. Insufficient API testing can result in:
- Production downtime
- Release delays
- Loss of revenue
- High rework costs
Extensive and proactive API testing produces better software products.
Selenium for API Testing
Selenium and API testing have gained notable popularity in the software testing community. Selenium, an open-source automation tool, and API testing, which involves testing the communication between different software components, work hand in hand to achieve comprehensive test coverage.
Here are a few ways to achieve comprehensive test coverage using Selenium and API testing:
Ensure Compatibility Across Browsers
To effectively implement the test coverage using Selenium testing, it is essential to ensure that compatibility is effective across all the browsers available. With a broad range of browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari browser online. the users’ preferences are diverse regarding online applications. The functionality and performance of the application must be tested consistently across these browsers.
Compatibility issues can be identified and rectified by cross-browser testing, ensuring that the application works fine with all browsers. It increases user satisfaction and shows the dedication to creating a sustainable and user-friendly web application running on all platforms.
Accelerate Test Execution Time
One key aspect of achieving comprehensive test coverage in Selenium and API testing is to focus on accelerating test execution time. In the era of fast-release software systems growing increasingly complex and interdependent, accelerating test execution time becomes pivotal. By adopting adequate test approaches and using tools and technologies that are designed for quick execution, including parallel testing, optimized test scripts, and test automation frameworks, organizations save test execution time considerably.
It allows for quicker feedback on the quality of the software and enables teams to iterate and make necessary improvements promptly. Accelerating test execution time ultimately contributes to comprehensive test coverage while maintaining efficiency and agility in software development.
Validate Complex User Workflows
To achieve comprehensive test coverage in Selenium and API testing, it is essential to validate complex user workflows. User workflows often involve multiple steps and interactions within a software system, making them prone to potential errors and issues. By thoroughly validating these complex workflows, organizations can ensure that their software functions seamlessly and meets end-users’ expectations. It involves carefully designing test cases that simulate realistic user scenarios and cover all possible paths and variations within the workflow.
These complex workflows can also be automated by testers using Selenium and API testing, and hence, time and effort can be saved, and the results of such operations can also be ensured to be reliable and accurate. Validating complex user workflows leads to identifying and resolving any functional or usability flaws and improves the user experience and satisfaction with the software.
Perform Cross-Functional Testing
Cross-functional testing is crucial in guaranteeing software systems’ overall quality and stability. The behavior of involved components, modules, and subsystems is analyzed in such testing. Through cross-functional testing, organizations can discover integration errors, compatibility issues, or incompatibility between different functionalities.
This integrated approach allows one to detect anomalies not easily identifiable through independent component testing. Additionally, cross-functional testing validates the system behavior and ensures that all parts operate uninterruptedly to build a solid and coordinated software product.
Integrate with Continuous Integration Tools
CI tools allow developers and testers to automate the build, test, and deploy benefits that enable code integrations to occur often and quickly. By integrating with CI cloud tools, such as Jenkins, Travis CI, or Bamboo, organizations can streamline their testing operations and ensure that every code change is subjected to thorough testing before deployment.
It enhances software quality and eliminates the time and effort needed for manual testing. Moreover, incorporating cloud tools like LambdaTest helps create quick feedback loops, meaning that issues are identified and resolved in the early stages of the development cycle.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform to run manual and automated tests at scale. The platform allows you to perform real-time and automation testing across 3000+ environments and real mobile devices.
It is an advanced platform designed to streamline and optimize the execution of manual and automated tests. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, LambdaTest offers a comprehensive test orchestration solution that enables users to run tests on a large scale seamlessly. With its versatile testing environment, LambdaTest empowers users to perform real-time and automated testing across various configurations, including over 3000 options such as browsers and real mobile devices. Its goal is to provide an efficient and effective testing experience for users.
Utilize Parallel Test Execution
Parallel test execution can drastically improve the speed and performance of Selenium and API testing, thus allowing organizations to have accurate test coverage. With parallel tests, organizations can significantly reduce the overall test execution time and, therefore, have faster feedback and quicker identification of defects.
This approach is particularly beneficial when extensive test suites must be executed within tight deadlines. Furthermore, parallel test execution can also help identify any issues related to test data or test environments, as running tests in parallel increases the likelihood of uncovering such problems.
Capture and Compare Visual Changes
To further enhance test coverage and ensure a comprehensive testing approach, organizations can utilize the capability to capture and compare visual changes during Selenium and API testing. With this feature, testers can also capture screenshots or record videos of the application’s visual state before and after every test run.
Comparing these visual assets, organizations can easily spot any unintentional or unwarranted changes in the user interface, like layout deviations, missing elements, and wrong renderings. It aids in identifying possible defects and assures that the application remains visually consistent across various platforms and browsers.
Test APIs for Functional Correctness
Organizations should also focus on testing APIs for functional correctness to achieve comprehensive Selenium and API testing coverage. APIs play a crucial role in connecting and interacting with various components of an application or system. By testing APIs, organizations can verify that the communication between different software modules is functioning correctly and producing the expected results. It involves sending requests to the API endpoints and validating the corresponding responses based on predefined criteria.
Through API testing, organizations can uncover issues such as incorrect data processing, unauthorized access, or inconsistencies in API behavior. Organizations can improve their software systems’ overall reliability and performance by ensuring the functional correctness of APIs.
Enhance Overall Test Coverage
Taking a more holistic approach than functional tests is crucial to improve test coverage for Selenium and API testing. Along with verifying that individual components and APIs operate accurately, organizations must test edge cases, error handling, and performance under different conditions.
It encompasses verifying invalid inputs, unexpected situations, and stress testing to determine whether the application can endure high loads without sacrificing efficiency. Integrating these additional test strategies into the testing process, the organization can identify and resolve potential weaknesses in software systems, thereby improving application quality.
Conclusion
Selenium and API testing ensure that the applications perform and function adequately. It also assures that the application is reliable and secure. Selenium and automated API testing avoids drudgery and human error and is superior to manual testing. As technology evolves, testers must stay updated and utilize the best tools to provide thorough and efficient testing for their projects.
