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Testing HTTP APIs

Testing HTTP APIs involves verifying that the API functions properly and that it can handle various types of input and output data

This typically involves sending requests to the API and examining the responses to ensure that they are correct and meet the expectations of the developer

Testing HTTP APIs is important for ensuring the reliability and functionality of the API and can help identify and fix any issues before the API is released to the public

Workflow

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts

Workflows contain meta information, tests and default configuration

A minimal Workflow should at least define a version and a name

Optionally, you can also specify reusables, such as env in this example, which you can use throughout the workflow

TIP

Your workflows will share a similar structure, think about a workflow like a LEGO-set that you assemble step-by-step

WARNING

By default, the test runner will skip subsequent steps after the previous ones have failed. Add continueOnFail to your workflow, if you want to continue test execution after a failed step

→ More workflow options

Tests

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
tests:
  example:
    name: Example test

Tests describe different test suites. Tests can have multiple steps. Tests are executed concurrently. Each test has a separate context, shared across steps

Tests can have their own configuration options, overwriting the options specified in the workflow

→ More tests options

Steps

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
tests:
  example:
    name: Example test
    steps:
      - name: Example step
        http:
          url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}
          method: POST
          headers:
            Content-Type: application/json
          json:
            title: Hello Step CI!
            body: This is the body
            userId: 1

Steps are the instructions to be executed by the runner. Steps contain the request parameters, captures and checks. Steps are executed in a sequence. If one step fails, all the following steps are skipped. Steps have access to shared context

Auth

Basic

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com/protected
    method: GET
    auth:
      basic:
        username: hello
        password: world

Bearer

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com/protected
    method: GET
    auth:
      bearer:
        token: hello

Certificate

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com/protected
    method: GET
    auth:
      certificate:
        ca:
          file: file.cert
        cert:
          file: file.cert
        key:
          file: file.key
        passphrase: password

Query Params

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com
    method: GET
    params:
      hello: world
      world: hello

Body

Plain

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/post
    method: POST
    body: {}

JSON

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/post
    method: POST
    json:
      hello: world

Forms

URL-encoded

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/post
    method: POST
    form:
      hello: world

Multi-part

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/post
    method: POST
    formData:
      email: hello@example.com      # simple field value
      example:
        file: file.txt              # file attachment
      idDocument:
        file: password.pdf          # file attachment with specific content-type
        type: application/pdf
      personInfo:
        value: '{ "name": "john" }' # form field with specific content-type
        type: application/json

File uploads

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/post
    method: POST
    body:
      file: file.txt

Cookies

Once set or received, the cookies are saved and reused throughout the test

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/cookies
    method: GET
    cookies:
      hello: world

Conditions

yaml
- if: captures.title != "Example Domain"
  http:
    url: https://example.com
    method: GET

→ More steps options

Captures

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
tests:
  example:
    steps:
      - name: Post a post
        http:
          url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}
          method: POST
          headers:
            Content-Type: application/json
          json:
            title: Hello Step CI!
            body: This is the body
            userId: 1
          captures:
            id:
              jsonpath: $.id

Steps can specify captures to capture data from responses into named variables that can later be used in consequent requests. Also known as "request chaining"

→ More captures options

Chaining requests

Template interpolation allows you to use captured data as a value

yaml
- http:
    url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}/${{captures.id}}
    method: GET

→ More about Templating

Checks

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
tests:
  example:
    steps:
      - name: Post a post
        http:
          url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}
          method: POST
          headers:
            Content-Type: application/json
          json:
            title: Hello Step CI!
            body: This is the body
            userId: 1
          captures:
            id:
              jsonpath: $.id
          check:
            status: 201

Steps can include checks to validate responses

Status code

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com
    method: GET
    check:
      status: /^20/

Headers

yaml
- http:
    url: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts
    method: GET
    check:
      headers:
        Content-Type: application/json

JSONPath

yaml
- http:
    url: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1
    method: GET
    check:
      jsonpath:
        $.id: 1

JSON Schema

yaml
- http:
    url: https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1
    method: GET
    check:
      schema:
        type: object
        properties:
          userId:
            type: integer
          id:
            type: integer
          title:
            type: string
          body:
            type: string
        required:
          - userId
          - id
          - title
          - body

CSS Selectors

yaml
- http:
    url: https://example.com
    method: GET
    check:
      selectors:
        title: Example Domain

Hash

yaml
- http:
    url: https://httpbin.org/image
    headers:
      accept: image/webp
    method: GET
    check:
      sha256: 567cfaf94ebaf279cea4eb0bc05c4655021fb4ee004aca52c096709d3ba87a63

→ More check options

Matchers

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
tests:
  example:
    steps:
      - name: Post a post
        http:
          url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}
          method: POST
          headers:
            Content-Type: application/json
          json:
            title: Hello Step CI!
            body: This is the body
            userId: 1
          captures:
            id:
              jsonpath: $.id
          check:
            status: 201
            jsonpath:
              $.id:
                - eq: 101
                - isNumber: true

Matchers can be used to match values against a pre-defined set of rules

→ More about Matchers

Reusables

yaml
version: "1.1"
name: My Workflow
env:
  host: jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
  resource: posts
components:
  credentials:
    example:
      basic:
        username: hello
        password: world
tests:
  example:
    steps:
      - name: Post a post
        http:
          url: https://${{env.host}}/${{env.resource}}
          method: POST
          auth:
            $ref: "#/components/credentials/example"
          headers:
            Content-Type: application/json
          json:
            title: Hello Step CI!
            body: This is the body
            userId: 1
          captures:
            id:
              jsonpath: $.id
          check:
            status: 201
            jsonpath:
              $.id:
                - eq: 101
                - isNumber: true

Reusables allow you to reuse content such as schemas and credentials without repetition

→ More about Reusables