Automation has worked as a catalyst in testing software. It has saved more than $2.9 million and has reduced bugs by 20% on average over all the companies. While it is implemented in testing predominately, the impact is seen across each of the teams including developers and business analysts. Its heavy usage and wide acceptance have made it complex leading to too many elements scattered around all the place. If this is how a tester would want to work, test automation would not be implemented in its most efficient form. All it needs is a little extra time to brainstorm and develop a test automation framework design that establishes finer details and provides a skeleton of what’s about to happen during the automation process. However, this step needs a thorough understanding of a few principles before starting the actual design process. We will try to understand these elements throughout this post with real-life examples.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_test_automation_framework_design">1 What is test automation framework design?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_design_an_effective_test_automation_framework">2 How to design an effective test automation framework?</a></li><li><a href="#Pre-requisites_for_Test_Automation_Framework_Design">3 Pre-requisites for Test Automation Framework Design</a></li><li><a href="#Top_design_patterns_for_test_automation_frameworks">4 Top design patterns for test automation frameworks</a><ul><li><a href="#Page_object_model_design_pattern">4.1 Page object model design pattern</a></li><li><a href="#Factory_design_pattern">4.2 Factory design pattern</a></li><li><a href="#Facade_Design_Pattern">4.3 Facade Design Pattern</a></li><li><a href="#Singleton_Design_Pattern">4.4 Singleton Design Pattern</a></li><li><a href="#Fluent_Page_Object_Model">4.5 Fluent Page Object Model</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Pitfalls_of_automation_testing_Frameworks_design">5 Pitfalls of automation testing Frameworks design</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Question">7 Frequently Asked Question</a><ul><li><a href="#What_is_the_best_design_pattern_for_test_automation">7.1 What is the best design pattern for test automation?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-what-is-test-automation-framework-design">What is test automation framework design?</h2>



Test automation framework design is the blueprint of the elements that make the test automation framework. The design part in the test automation framework is considered the most challenging work as the team takes a lot of time analyzing various requirements of the project. Once the test automation framework design is completed, creating a test automation framework is a quick and cost-effective part of the process.



Test automation framework design can be considered as a standard or go-to document where we know what strategies and protocols are being implemented. Since the test automation framework is a collection of a lot of elements, their work should be discussed and understood by the team members before starting the actual framework development part. Test automation framework design fills this gap and informs the testers about the elements, challenges, and expected output from the framework. This helps save a lot of time and money for each of the team members and hence for the organization overall.



<h2 id="h-how-to-design-an-effective-test-automation-framework">How to design an effective test automation framework?</h2>



To design an effective test automation framework, we need to follow a few steps in the same order as listed below:



<ul><li>Plan and lay down rules: The first step is to plan a design based on the project and team’s requirements. For instance, the <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">type of automation</a> (scripted or codeless) has to be finalized at this point as different approaches will yield an entirely different design.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Implement function wrappers: The technology we are using will come with its own set of libraries that contain the functions. For instance, Selenium (a popular web app testing framework) has a “click” function that clicks an element on the web page. These functions can be altered according to our requirements by creating a wrapper around them. It is a very efficient method of designing an effective test automation framework.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Implement logging facilities: The next important step is to implement logging facilities all across the framework for effective maintenance and debugging when testing is done. It should be finalized beforehand as there are many loggers and different testers will start to choose as per their convenience which will create confusion in later stages.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Incorporate a design pattern: The test automation framework has to follow a design pattern already established in the testing industry. They provide a skeleton to the framework and lay down set rules and protocols tested over time with scalable applications.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Isolate test scripts from the framework: Test automation framework and test scripts both can produce failed results and when kept intertwined with each other can prove to be extra time-consuming for the testers. It is therefore always advised to design the test automation framework by keeping test scripts and the framework separate from each other.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Implement testing plans: The next step is implementing the plans of testing and how the actual testing will be conducted. This is purely technical and should be left to the team members and their experience. The team can analyze the areas where automation will be implemented and where the manual will work and proceed accordingly.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Attach pipeline: Finally, the test automation framework design is completed by attaching the pipeline at the end. A framework should be able to integrate pipeline technologies and run the new code changes automatically before integration with the help of CI.</li></ul>



These points make sure the design of the test automation framework is efficient and robust and does not break even if the team members change, technologies change, or the architectural elements are altered.



<h2 id="h-pre-requisites-for-test-automation-framework-design">Pre-requisites for Test Automation Framework Design</h2>



Before starting the design of the test automation framework, there are certain characteristics of the framework that the designers need to keep in mind for a better quality product.



<ul><li>Maintainable: The test automation framework should be highly maintainable as maintaining the software takes the majority of the time of testers.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Technology friendly: The test automation framework will be designed according to certain technologies. In such cases, it should facilitate methods used in that technology and not just merely support it.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Works within design model/pattern: The final design model and pattern selected for the test framework should guide the testers working on it during testing. It should create boundaries to establish protocols that constantly remind the testers about their efficiency with respect to the design model.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Reliable: The test automation framework should be reliable and designers should keep this in mind while designing any element of the framework.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Reusable: The design should facilitate reusability inside the test automation framework. This will help save time and costs that mount up to a big number in the long term as the application scales.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Test data support &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/data-driven-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data-driven testing</a> will be a part of the software testing process no matter what kind of application we are building (except maybe simple gaming applications). Even if we are not, we cannot always keep designing newer frameworks for new projects. Test data support will help a test automation framework attach data in various formats and facilitate testing on it. It is an important prerequisite for designing the framework.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Integration-enabled: A final pre-requisite for designing a test automation framework is the knowledge of wide areas of integrations and accepting it into the framework. Integration is a powerful feature of a framework and has definitely become a set standard among all.</li></ul>



Working on these prerequisites before starting the actual design process will help in constructing a robust and quality automation framework for the future.&nbsp;



<h2 id="h-top-design-patterns-for-test-automation-frameworks">Top design patterns for test automation frameworks</h2>



We started this post by mentioning how test automation has expanded to various domains today and how it all has become unstructured and unorganized due to that. It is only obvious that when some problem happens at such a large scale with so much at stake, it becomes a focal point of research and innovation. The solution to those problems is the design patterns for test automation frameworks that provide a fixed set of standards to follow and eliminate all standard and conventional problems from the mix.



<h3 id="h-page-object-model-design-pattern">Page object model design pattern</h3>



The page object model, as it sounds like, creates objects from the page elements to target them from a single space while testing. These objects help separate the test code from the page code and increase the maintenance and reusability of the framework. The most popular framework that uses page object design patterns is Selenium.



<h3 id="h-factory-design-pattern">Factory design pattern</h3>



Another extremely popular method to generate tightly coupled code in test automation is the factory design pattern. The factory design pattern designates a class, called the factory class, that has a responsibility to instantiate the objects or create subclasses through inheritance. This enables all the code to be connected and dependent which helps us separate the code logically and avoid multiple impact points overall.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/6E9K2p2a0Ij0T44GI_FvQPTzpOLyg_3AV5z7J2JbfHmW5MSbF-O8Fkdp2plAbLsPHGSGvpG-XDgQQInl3XBzm0ziG_PsMFR-cFmT2SJijmiKjxVFZFUklbeuoYAqNrFrH0sOd6W1mDAbs1pfCceHcu4" alt="Factory design pattern" /></figure>



<a href="https://www.startertutorials.com/patterns/factory-method-pattern.html">Source</a>



<h3 id="h-facade-design-pattern">Facade Design Pattern</h3>



A facade in architecture is the front part of the building visible to the people. Similarly, in a facade design pattern, the developers create a simpler object (a facade) that connects the messy and complex source code beneath it. All that the user sees is this simpler mechanism and everything else is hidden from him. It is a great design pattern when there are too many interdependent classes and the code is confusing to understand.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/TskepVN7N-bLSqoGxgBKOf_twt8RVZLQP8BKg2civPdZjgBWHnbpsbYz96A_tPtRm3ZKwC-0dad76mEmxJCqmMwp_UgeQkR_0CPKuqof_wNQEGMvqsqy4GWMVBDz64Hvm-c5QH6osPK7SngzuPFilu4" alt="Facade Design Pattern" /></figure>



Source: starter tutorials



<h3 id="h-singleton-design-pattern">Singleton Design Pattern</h3>



The singleton design pattern aims to keep the <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test automation</a> methods in the simplest form. In this design pattern, the testers (or developers) are allowed to instantiate a single class and a single object out from it (hence the name singleton). This keeps the complexity to a minimum because we need to track only a single object. It will also enhance the reusability of the code in the framework.



<h3 id="h-fluent-page-object-model">Fluent Page Object Model</h3>



To simplify the working and development of the page object model, a new API called Fluent API was released. It makes the code more readable and reusable and hence becomes the basis of the Fluent page object model. The model uses page objects but through method cascading (or method chaining) to relay the instruction contexts of the current page to the called method.



While these are just a few design patterns, there are around 23 in total that can be considered for designing the test automation framework. However, since these are the most popularly used, they are good for a start and would definitely yield fruitful results.



<h2 id="h-pitfalls-of-automation-testing-frameworks-design">Pitfalls of automation testing Frameworks design</h2>



A poor design will create a poor test automation framework in the end which in turn will not perform testing efficiently. In a way, the quality of every process including the quality of the end product depends on how well the framework is designed. Hence, it is important to know about the pitfalls of automation testing frameworks to avoid committing these mistakes.



<ul><li>Inexperience: The inexperience of the people working on the design in any way will make the framework and the quality suffer. The most important pieces to look at here are a programmer’s inexperience in programming languages and in designing a framework according to the requirements in the past. For instance, a <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile test automation framework</a> will have entirely different requirements and procedures than a web app automation framework. It is always better to work under experienced designers first and then move on to handle the critical jobs later.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Misjudgments about the project: Making wrong predictions about the project’s scale and other future prospects can twist the design into something that will not support it when the time comes. Some irreversible changes can force the team to start the process again from scratch which would waste a lot of time and money.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Short time frame: Designers should be given ample time to conduct their business. A deduction in this part can make them take shortcuts and other decisions that will impact the quality of the framework. Hence, to save time in the future, the design time should depend on the team designing the framework only.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Hurrying to get things done: Finally, if the team itself is hurrying to start the actual testing and not focusing well enough on the design, the framework is set to suffer from this. The process requires complete focus and dedication in each step for a fruitful result.</li></ul>



Pitfalls are an important part of design (or planning) or anything that initiates a series of processes after its completion. These should be managed under experienced supervision and analyzing each step as we go through.



Sometimes its advisable to use a pre-built test automation tool, considering it fulfils your test automation needs.



Here is a blog that throws light on how to choose a test automation tool that meets your needs: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/10-points-to-help-you-choose-the-right-test-automation-tool/">https://testsigma.com/blog/10-points-to-help-you-choose-the-right-test-automation-tool/</a>



 <button class="btn bg-primary cta-btn" style="margin: auto"><a href="https://testsigma.com/newsletter//////////////" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:#fff">To join our QA community and stay up to date with such resourceful blogs, subscribe to our monthly newsletter</a></button> 



<h2 id="h-conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



Test automation frameworks cut down costs, time, errors, repetitiveness, and a lot more elements that could prove harmful to the software and the business. It would not be wrong to say that a lot of responsibilities ride on the quality of the test automation framework itself as its quality impacts the quality of the software. Therefore, teams design the test automation framework beforehand to analyze all the parameters and determine the best tool according to their project and requirements. This involves understanding the design process, the design models, and of course, the pitfalls that challenge us at each step. This post highlights all these ingredients to collectively provide a guide that helps in each phase of testing. We hope this will help the testers in their future projects.



<h2 id="h-frequently-asked-question">Frequently Asked Question</h2>



<h3 id="h-what-is-the-best-design-pattern-for-test-automation">What is the best design pattern for test automation?</h3>



While it has been a popular question whether one design pattern is the best one, practically, there are none of them. Each design pattern brings something to the table that others don’t and vice-versa. I believe each of them works towards reusability and simplicity, but technically they do tend to differ in the process of achieving that. It is recommended to go through either “Gang of Four” design patterns or the 23 most popular listed patterns to understand which one suits the most according to your project.

How to Create a Test Automation Framework Design?

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Back To Back Testing: What it is & How to Perform?

Test optimization techniques in software testing

Configuration Testing: How to Perform?

Ever wondered how computers interact with each other, what happens behind the visible screen when systems process the user request. The answer is simple and interesting, we humans use verbal and non verbal communication to communicate with one another, similarly the computers use&nbsp; Application Programming Interface to interact with one or more computers that are connected over the internet without user intervention. The <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/api-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">API testing</a> methods help validate the API set-up of the application.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_an_API">1 What is an API?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_API_Methods">2 What are API Methods?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_API_Testingnbsp">3 What is API Testing?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Why_test_API_methodsnbsp">4 Why test API methods?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_meant_by_Testing_API_Methodsnbsp">5 What is meant by Testing API Methods?&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_test_different_API_methodsnbsp">6 How to test different API methods&nbsp;</a><ul><li><a href="#Manual_ways_to_test_APIsnbsp">6.1 Manual ways to test APIs&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Automated_ways_to_test_APIsnbsp">6.2 Automated ways to test APIs&nbsp;</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Challenges_in_testing_different_API_methodsnbsp">7 Challenges in testing different API methods&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">8 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-what-is-an-api">What is an API?</h2>



Application Programming Interface commonly called as API, is an integral part of software testing. It deals with testing the application interface from the backend layer based on the application’s logic. It follows a request and response protocol for communication, the&nbsp; request is from the client and response is from the server side. Here the client is usually the front end software and the server is the backend logic.&nbsp;



The application interface holds the information of the internal details of how the system functions. These are not directly accessed or visible to the end users, the programmers can build tailored API for the specific system or a shared one that allows others systems to access supporting interoperability.&nbsp; Which is why the design of the API highly depends on the software architecture.&nbsp;



At a high level we can say that both systems and softwares use APIs for accessing and executing purposes. The API specifications either showcase its behavior or the way in which it links with other APIs. It helps in standardizing the data flow and data exchange between web services. When the specifications are met and are used, making it available for customer interface then that is implementing or exposing the API.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/IKlWhMjGbfq1PiXVGZ2qoLU4nN2lCtSSho63DYKl0JUbSuEOA6B5D_fmN3ImrVIz7uQX8zqhOx9eEqGLZE52F2o-cjOHZaE2TmQZHsnCA-W_5ofG4sKEJhl50G8qt_gEjEzuCfka_2D7Raf8fB47tbo" alt="How API Works" width="600" height="360" /></figure></div>



There are different types of APIs :&nbsp;



<ul><li>Private APIs : It is built and assessed specifically for a particular organization and only used in-house.&nbsp;</li><li>Partner APIs : The company provides access to potential customers or partners based on agreement&nbsp;</li><li>Public APIs: The access is open to public developers and used for commercial purposes.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-what-are-api-methods">What are API Methods?</h2>



When we speak of API methods, the Web APIs use HTTP protocol for communication. As we know it follows the client server model, where the client sends the request and the server responds. There are many ways in which HTTP sends requests,which are the HTTP verbs and referred to by the value of their request method property.&nbsp; The important and most commonly used API methods&nbsp; are:&nbsp;



GET request&nbsp;



<ul><li>This is most common request and it is used to request data from the server&nbsp;</li><li>It retrieves and represents the exact data present and does not modify or perform task</li><li>Even if multiple identical requests are made, it returns the same result, this is called Idempotent&nbsp;</li><li>The Get request follows the read method from the CRUD operations&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



Example:&nbsp;



<ul><li>Get API used to load a website or navigate to a landing page&nbsp;</li><li>To get the popular items in a particular category, say latest filter applied&nbsp; for new products under home decor section on a ecommerce website&nbsp;</li></ul>



POST&nbsp; request&nbsp;



<ul><li>It is used to send the data to the server to create or update a resource, therefore data mutation happens.&nbsp;</li><li>When same request is sent twice, it leads to duplication, it is called&nbsp; Non-Idempotent</li><li>The Post request follows the create method from the CRUD operations&nbsp;</li></ul>



Example:&nbsp;



<ul><li>When creating a new user account in gmail, it sends a Post request.&nbsp;</li><li>While registering for a webinar on a site, the Post API is used. All the data entered in the field are put in the response body of the request and sent to the server&nbsp;</li></ul>



PUT request&nbsp;



<ul><li>It is used to send data to the API for creating or updating an existing resource.</li><li>The difference between Put and Post is that the Put API is Idempotent.</li><li>Put will replace the resource in its entirety&nbsp;</li></ul>



Example:



<ul><li>Editing an existing students record in the student&#8217;s portal&nbsp;</li></ul>



DELETE request&nbsp;



<ul><li>It is used to delete a single or list of resources, more commonly found in RESTful API. It has to be used with caution.&nbsp;</li><li>Multiple identical requests for deleting the same resource will return a 404.&nbsp;</li></ul>



Example:



<ul><li>Delete API is used to remove the irrelevant user data from the records&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-what-is-api-testing">What is API Testing?&nbsp;</h2>



Software testing is done to check the quality of the software. Since API is the code that enables connection and communication between two software programs, the presentation layer and the backend database. It is important to check whether or not the APIs are connected properly.



API testing is one of the software testing practices where we test the APIs directly for its functionality, on its reliability, the performance, and most importantly the security. APIs are also tested as a part of integration testing, since the design of the software architecture and design of API are highly interdependent.



An overview of the process flow to conduct API testing is as follows:&nbsp;



Step 1: Understand and review API specification&nbsp;



Step 2: List down the API testing requirements&nbsp;



Step 3: Build the API testing strategy and API testing methods&nbsp;



Step 4: Set up the API testing environment&nbsp;



Step 5: Run tests using both positive and negative scenarios&nbsp;



Today most companies follow the concept of shift left testing, testing from the early stage to avoid bottlenecks. So testing starts from the bottom of the pyramid and goes all the way to the top. The bottom layer is the unit layer, where the developers perform code tests by writing unit test cases. Moving to the second level which is the server level where the API testing is done. It is then followed by the UI testing using GUI tests.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/PuuRMpUOlKuAp_nii5QDpnM2q_5cgAthTma6YoaHouh55u54KZyYZK37SShMR6G92Qn4Jpbbh0ewDhhPxety_WLUelH2aeUXYKJCeaS2VOHYwgqZ8e7YegzFT7mur3rz2x8gQfojTXGqMoVrEgcqp_Q" alt="API Layer" width="431" height="369" /></figure></div>



<h2 id="h-why-test-api-methods">Why test API methods?&nbsp;</h2>



With a huge number of API requests churned out each day, API testing is needed because it helps in validating if the API setup performs as expected and returns output as intended. The tests will cover API functionality, reliability, performance and security.&nbsp;



The reason why <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/sanity-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">API testing is important</a> is because of the following reasons:&nbsp;



<ul><li>API testing process is done before UI testing and it helps identify and eliminate most of the server level errors. Also, API testing consumes less testing time and testing cost than GUI testing</li><li>Since the API testing process helps in code-level functionality validation, it helps in identifying the small bugs before it turns into a critical one.&nbsp;</li><li>It helps in securing and optimizing the communication between servers and systems. It also focuses on checking if the business logic laid down is correct at the API level. Since it also includes dealing with sensitive data, checking for API security is crucial. It checks the APIs for compliance and security.&nbsp;</li><li>By ensuring the APIs perform as expected it helps to safeguard the business reputation for quality assurance in the minds of the customer and help them develop trust.&nbsp;</li><li>Checking and aligning the API testing strategy with CI/CD pipeline is important as&nbsp; it provides room for faster release cycle with reduced number of errors.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-what-is-meant-by-testing-api-methods">What is meant by Testing API Methods?&nbsp;</h2>



Once the API set up is ready, it is tested based on the&nbsp; API testing methods. There are several ways to test the APIs and that can be done both manually and automated. From developer to testers to the DevOps engineers all create API testing strategy to conduct crucial tests in order to check and validate the API setup and its integration from end to end. Testing individual services or endpoint can be easy, but what is more important is to test the framework completely and eliminate errors in the setup at the earliest



<h2 id="h-how-to-test-different-api-methods">How to test different API methods&nbsp;</h2>



<h3 id="h-manual-ways-to-test-apis">Manual ways to test APIs&nbsp;</h3>



In Manual testing, the testing is done manually without the use of test scripts.



Exploratory testing: Just like the name suggests the testers explore the application to identify bugs. Testers could do black box testing by sending the requests to API and check if the desired output is received. In case of white box API testing, the testers usually try to find out and validate the API functions using the source code.&nbsp;



Usability testing: This type of testing depends on the API structure, usability goal and user segment. The API structure has to be reliable and usable. This testing is majorly user-centric, and the testing is carried out mimicking how the target user group&nbsp; would use the software. It helps validate the product’s functionality from the end users perspective.&nbsp;



Ad.hoc testing: It is usually carried out after the formal testing is done. The testers randomly test the product to check for any loopholes. It is done to check the stability of the overall APIs integration. It is mostly done when minor tweaks or new features are added to the product, the testers will right away check the specific update without any pre-defined planning or documentation of test cases.&nbsp;



<h3 id="h-automated-ways-to-test-apis">Automated ways to test APIs&nbsp;</h3>



In automation testing the tests are automated using automation frameworks or tools.&nbsp;



Functional testing: It is performed to validate if the API performs as expected. The functionality of the API is tested using both positive and negative test scenarios to see if it returns the intended output. The API has to be well built to identify the valid and invalid requests&nbsp; Functional API testing can be a little challenging because of the lack of GUI. So the functional testing testing of API starts with verification of authentication process&nbsp;



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Load testing: This is mainly to see how the API functions under heavy traffic. Based on the requirements, it involves stimulating a large amount of request volume and checking the response output and response time (ranging from per second or per minute to per hour)&nbsp; and looking out for errors. It is to check how the API operates under load. Load testing is carried out in regular intervals to record the performance benchmarks and breaking point of the APIs.&nbsp;



Security testing: The APIs along with its basic functionality also have security requirements listed down, such as authentication and access control. It is to protect the data and application from hacker attacks.&nbsp;



Regression testing: Testers prefer regression testing when their application is updated at frequent intervals, for example if new features are added during every sprint, and when there is a need for repeated testing. It helps to save time and efforts in re-running the <a href="https://www.javatpoint.com/test-scenario" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test scenarios</a> multiple times.



Searching and selecting the right tool for API testing and forming an API testing strategy is a crucial step. Testsigma is a low-code test automation platform, where tests are created using NLPs . Since it is low-code it does not require any prior coding knowledge and also helps non-coders to perform testing with ease.&nbsp;



Testsigma also provides Integrated Automated API testing. Testsigma’s API testing capabilities helps automate API testing for web, mobile and desktop applications using Natural Language Programming. It&nbsp; becomes a one stop solution for test management, test authoring, test execution and reporting without expertise in coding languages.&nbsp;



It enables the creation of tests for REST API methods &#8211; GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH, thereby providing complete all inclusive test coverage for APIs. It also supports data driven API tests and validates expected vs actual responses in real time and reflects the errors in the test status and test reports.&nbsp;



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<h2 id="h-challenges-in-testing-different-api-methods">Challenges in testing different API methods&nbsp;</h2>



Aligning the Initial setup of APIs with the requirements and sequencing the API calls is a mandatory step and it takes time and effort. In order to reduce manual intervention in API testing, identifying, automating and validating the tests can be initially challenging.&nbsp;



<ul><li>Checking the system integration for APIs&nbsp; is a major task performed focusing more on the API design to evaluate its performance and validate each and every response to check if all the API calls are working properly.&nbsp;</li><li>Every time there are changes such as a new feature update or enhancements, it is necessary to keep track of the API tests and the impact on the API test automation process setup.</li><li>Validating the API parameters correctly and setting up required checkpoints is an important step to avoid security or stability issues.&nbsp;</li><li>Updating schema of API tests is a significant step, since schema provides the API syntax and grammar of the test documents, it is important to update the schema accordingly on every update and maintain it through the testing process.&nbsp;</li><li>It is a critical decision making process on choosing the right tool for testing API that fits the budget and also meets the API testing requirements.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



In today’s modern business environment, API testing is blooming and is an essential part of developing the application. Conducting the automated API testing not only helps in time and cost saving, it also makes it an integral part of the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/azure-ci-cd-pipeline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CI/CD pipeline</a>. It enables the business to provide quality applications and better user experience to the customers.

Testsigma Blog

Harish Rajora