Rapid digitalization worldwide has made people dependent on apps for everything, be it conducting business transactions or communicating with people. Statista reports that 27 million apps were downloaded by users at the beginning of 2023. App developers are releasing software products in huge numbers to meet this ever-growing demand.
With software applications becoming more interconnected, APIs or Application Programming Interfaces are assuming greater importance than before. Considered the backbone of applications, APIs enable communication between a software’s different components. Hence, it is crucial for APIs to be reliable and robust if an application has to function optimally. Achieving this is possible only through conducting thorough automated API testing on applications before release.
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Significance of API testing in software development
API testing is indispensable in the development process since it verifies the functionality, performance, reliability, and security of applications. The technique helps detect issues earlier in the development cycle, enabling the production and release of stable and reliable software applications. Let us discover the key benefits that API testing provides.
Benefits of API Testing
● Ensures that APIs follow the rules, function correctly, and give accurate responses.
● Enables smooth communication between different software components, speeding up development and fostering teamwork.
● Allows organizations to deliver high-quality software, satisfy customers, and prevent big failures.
● Catches bugs early before they spill into the final product.
● Evaluates performance metrics, such as response time, ensuring the application can handle a lot of users and run efficiently.
To derive these advantages of API testing, you need to leverage a reliable and efficient automated API testing tool with the features you need for your project requirements. Now that we have explored the fundamentals of API testing let us look at the top API testing tools that are predicted to make waves in 2024 with their exceptional features and benefits.
Top API Testing Tools To Look Out For In 2024
Compare the features of these tools to make an informed decision:
1. TestGrid
Among API testing platforms, TestGrid is one of the most preferred solutions for its ability to help organizations achieve greater efficiency and enable them to significantly enhance the quality of their applications. In addition to accelerating the speed of your testing process, TestGrid reduces your overall testing efforts and expenses.
Key features that TestGrid offers:
● Helps detect potential bugs in servers, user interfaces, and databases, improving your test coverage and overall product quality.
● The platform’s test automation features let you test applications repeatedly without writing a single line of code or rerunning test cases.
● Lets you write test cases that validate against API calls.
● No need to write additional test cases to create API tests.
● Provides comprehensive reports of the number of source types, duration, speed, request data, and more.
● Perform all types of API testing you need, including API security testing, API functional testing, API performance testing, data-driven testing, or API mocking.
● Test on any platform, be it mobile, web, custom hardware, or IoT.
● Get 24×7 support in the form of an experienced technical team for all the queries you have.
● Helps you scale your testing efforts by conducting parallel tests and enables you to shorten release cycles without compromising on quality.
2. Katalon
This automation tool is popularly used for API testing by many companies since it offers unique features like combining UI and API/web services for different environments like Windows, MacOS, or Linus.
Key features that Katalon offers:
● Integrate with CI/CD like CircleCI, Jenkins, and Dockers.
● Offers support for SOAP requests, REST, and SSL client certificates.
● Has a built-in reporting platform that centralizes reports and activities.
● Simple UI with features that are suitable for all project sizes.
3. APigee
It is a widely used cross-cloud API testing tool that is used to test API performance and build APIs. It is suitable for data-rich, mobile-driven APIs. Its new version offers features like TLS security and self-healing.
Key features:
● Lets you build, manage, and secure APIs for any scale or use case.
● Helps define performance issues by monitoring error rate, API traffic, and response time.
● Supports styles like REST, SOAP, and GraphQL.
● Allows you to easily create an API proxy based on open API specifications and deploy it on the cloud.
4. Assertible
It is an automation API testing tool that organizations trust for its reliability. It has unique capabilities like the Encrypted Variables feature, which offers a new solution to store tokens, passwords, and secret data fields.
Key features that Assertible offers:
● Offers support for automating API tests throughout your CI/CD pipeline.
● Use the Sync feature to update tests when their specifications change.
● Integrates with popular tools like Slack, Zapier, and GitHub.
● Provides support for validating HTTP responses using turn-key assertions.
5. SoapUI
It is a well-known functional testing tool that is specifically used for API testing. The tool lets users easily test SOAP and REST APIs and web services. It is mainly used for verifying API performance, security testing, and mocking.
Key features that SoapUI offers:
● Verifies API stability under heavy user loads.
● Lets you analyze performance data and generate test simulations.
● Facilitates easy creation of tests using drag-and-drop or point-and-click features.
● Offers a reusability of scripts feature that lets testers reuse tests and security scans.
Conclusion
While all the above API testing tools have unique features and advantages, you need to choose a tool that meets your budget and the test project’s specific requirements.
TestGrid, with its AI-powered codeless testing features, assures you of a superior automated API testing experience. It lets you access the application without a user interface or interactions with the system, and it allows you to execute API tests without even using the software application. This helps testers identify flaws and issues early and resolve them before they affect the user interface.
With TestGrid, you can effortlessly verify that all components of your application will function as expected and ensure that the product is of the highest quality. The platform transforms your API testing process and achieves a 70% increase in efficiency. Supercharge your API testing with TestGrid and get a competitive advantage in the software industry.
