API Testing: A Complete Guide for Developers
APIs are the backbone of modern software. Every time you log into an app, load a dashboard, or submit a form, there is an API call happening behind the scenes. If that API breaks, everything downstream breaks too. API testing is how you make sure that does not happen.
This guide covers everything you need to know about API testing, from foundational concepts to hands-on techniques you can start using today. Whether you are building your first REST endpoint or managing a fleet of microservices, you will find practical, actionable advice here.
1. What Is API Testing?
API testing is the process of sending requests to an API endpoint and verifying that the response is correct. Unlike UI testing, where you interact with buttons and forms, API testing works directly at the data and logic layer. You send an HTTP request, receive a response, and check whether the status code, headers, response body, and timing meet your expectations.
A simple example: you send a GET request to /api/users/42 and verify that you receive a 200 OK response containing a JSON object with the correct user data. That is an API test.
API testing operates at the service layer, which sits between the UI and the database. This gives it a unique advantage: it can catch bugs that UI tests miss (because the UI might mask backend errors) and that unit tests miss (because unit tests do not cover the interaction between components).
2. Why API Testing Matters
There are several reasons why API testing deserves a central place in your testing strategy:
- Speed: API tests execute in milliseconds, compared to seconds or minutes for UI tests. You can run thousands of API tests in the time it takes to run a few dozen browser-based tests.
- Reliability: API tests are not flaky. There are no race conditions from waiting for elements to render, no timing issues from animations, and no browser-specific quirks.
- Early bug detection: Since APIs are built before the UI, you can start testing earlier in the development cycle. Bugs caught at the API layer are cheaper to fix than bugs caught in production.
- Contract enforcement: When multiple teams depend on the same API, tests serve as a living contract. If a response field changes unexpectedly, the tests catch it before consumers break.
- Security validation: API tests can verify that authentication is enforced, authorization rules work correctly, and sensitive data is not leaked in responses.
3. Types of API Tests
Not all API tests serve the same purpose. A well-rounded testing strategy includes several different types, each catching a different class of bug.
Unit Tests
Unit tests verify individual functions or methods within your API code. They do not make actual HTTP requests. Instead, they test the logic in isolation, mocking external dependencies like databases and third-party services.
// Example: Unit testing a validation function
function validateEmail(email) {
const regex = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/;
return regex.test(email);
}
// Test cases
assert(validateEmail("user@example.com") === true);
assert(validateEmail("invalid-email") === false);
assert(validateEmail("") === false);
Unit tests are fast and pinpoint exactly where a bug is. But they do not tell you whether your API actually works end-to-end.
Integration Tests
Integration tests verify that your API works correctly when all its components are connected. They send real HTTP requests to a running server and check the full request/response cycle, including database interactions, authentication middleware, and serialization.
// Example: Integration test with a real HTTP request
const response = await fetch("http://localhost:3000/api/users", {
method: "POST",
headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
body: JSON.stringify({ name: "Jane", email: "jane@example.com" })
});
assert(response.status === 201);
const user = await response.json();
assert(user.id !== undefined);
assert(user.name === "Jane");
Integration tests are slower than unit tests but catch a wider range of bugs, especially issues in how components interact.
Contract Tests
Contract tests verify that an API conforms to a predefined specification. If your API documentation says GET /users returns an array of objects with id (number), name (string), and email (string), a contract test checks exactly that.
Tools like Pact and Dredd specialize in contract testing. They compare your actual API responses against an OpenAPI/Swagger specification and flag any mismatches. This is especially valuable in microservices architectures, where multiple teams need to stay in sync.
End-to-End (E2E) Tests
E2E tests verify complete user workflows that span multiple API calls. For example, testing a checkout flow might involve: create a user, add items to a cart, apply a coupon, and process a payment. Each step depends on the result of the previous one.
# E2E test: Complete order workflow
# Step 1: Create user
user=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/users \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "Test User", "email": "test@example.com"}')
user_id=$(echo $user | jq -r '.id')
# Step 2: Add item to cart
curl -s -X POST "http://localhost:3000/api/cart/$user_id/items" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"product_id": "SKU-001", "quantity": 2}'
# Step 3: Checkout
order=$(curl -s -X POST "http://localhost:3000/api/orders" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"user_id\": \"$user_id\", \"payment_method\": \"card\"}")
echo $order | jq -r '.status'
# Expected: "confirmed"
Load and Performance Tests
Load tests measure how your API performs under stress. They answer questions like: How many concurrent requests can the API handle? What is the 95th percentile response time? At what point does the server start returning errors?
Common metrics to track during load testing:
- Throughput: Requests per second the API can handle
- Latency: Response time (p50, p95, p99)
- Error rate: Percentage of failed requests under load
- Resource usage: CPU, memory, and connection pool utilization
Tools like k6, Apache JMeter, and Artillery are popular choices for load testing. Start with a baseline test, then gradually increase load to find your breaking point.
Security Tests
Security tests verify that your API is not vulnerable to common attacks. This includes testing for SQL injection, checking that authentication tokens are required, verifying that users cannot access other users' data, and ensuring sensitive fields like passwords are never returned in responses.
4. API Testing Tools
You do not need a complex setup to start testing APIs. Here are the most common tools, from simple to advanced.
curl (Command Line)
curl is the Swiss Army knife of API testing. It is pre-installed on virtually every Unix system and lets you make any type of HTTP request from the command line.
# Simple GET request
curl https://api.example.com/users
# GET with headers
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
https://api.example.com/users
# POST with JSON body
curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"name": "Alice", "email": "alice@example.com"}'
# See full response headers and body
curl -v https://api.example.com/health
# Save response to file
curl -o response.json https://api.example.com/data
The -v (verbose) flag is especially useful for debugging. It shows you the full request/response cycle, including TLS negotiation, request headers, and response headers.
Postman
Postman is the most popular graphical API testing tool. It provides a visual interface for building requests, organizing them into collections, writing test scripts, and sharing them with your team. Postman also supports environment variables, pre-request scripts, and automated test runs through its CLI tool (Newman).
Key features that make Postman useful for API testing:
- Visual request builder with history
- Collections for organizing related requests
- Environment and global variables
- Built-in JavaScript test runner
- Automated collection runs with Newman CLI
- Mock servers for frontend development
Browser-Based Tools
If you need to quickly test an endpoint without installing anything, browser-based HTTP testers let you send requests and inspect responses directly in your web browser.
Programming Language Libraries
For automated testing in CI/CD pipelines, you will use HTTP libraries within your test framework:
- JavaScript:
fetch(built-in),axios,supertest - Python:
requests,httpx,aiohttp - Java:
RestAssured,HttpClient - Go:
net/http(standard library)
5. Making Your First API Request
Let us walk through making API requests using three different approaches: curl, JavaScript, and Python. We will use a public API for the examples.
With curl
# GET request - fetch a list of users
curl -s https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users | head -20
# POST request - create a new resource
curl -s -X POST https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"title": "API Testing Guide",
"body": "This is a test post created via curl",
"userId": 1
}'
# PUT request - update a resource
curl -s -X PUT https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1 \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"id": 1,
"title": "Updated Title",
"body": "Updated body content",
"userId": 1
}'
# DELETE request
curl -s -X DELETE https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1 \
-w "\nHTTP Status: %{http_code}\n"
With JavaScript (fetch)
// GET request
async function getUsers() {
const response = await fetch("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users");
console.log("Status:", response.status);
console.log("Content-Type:", response.headers.get("content-type"));
const users = await response.json();
console.log(`Fetched ${users.length} users`);
return users;
}
// POST request with error handling
async function createPost(title, body, userId) {
try {
const response = await fetch("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"Accept": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({ title, body, userId })
});
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
}
const post = await response.json();
console.log("Created post with ID:", post.id);
return post;
} catch (error) {
console.error("Request failed:", error.message);
throw error;
}
}
// PATCH request - partial update
async function updatePostTitle(postId, newTitle) {
const response = await fetch(
`https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/${postId}`,
{
method: "PATCH",
headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
body: JSON.stringify({ title: newTitle })
}
);
return response.json();
}
With Python (requests)
import requests
import json
# GET request
response = requests.get("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users")
print(f"Status: {response.status_code}")
print(f"Users: {len(response.json())}")
# POST request
new_post = {
"title": "API Testing with Python",
"body": "Testing the requests library",
"userId": 1
}
response = requests.post(
"https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts",
json=new_post,
headers={"Accept": "application/json"}
)
print(f"Created: {response.status_code}")
print(json.dumps(response.json(), indent=2))
# PUT request with timeout
try:
response = requests.put(
"https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1",
json={"id": 1, "title": "Updated", "body": "New content", "userId": 1},
timeout=10
)
response.raise_for_status() # Raises exception for 4xx/5xx
print("Update successful")
except requests.exceptions.Timeout:
print("Request timed out")
except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
print(f"HTTP error: {e}")
# DELETE request
response = requests.delete("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1")
assert response.status_code == 200, f"Expected 200, got {response.status_code}"
6. HTTP Status Codes You Need to Know
When testing APIs, the status code is the first thing you check. It tells you whether the request succeeded, failed, or was redirected. Here are the codes you will encounter most often.
Success Codes (2xx)
| Code | Name | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
200 |
OK | Successful GET, PUT, or PATCH request |
201 |
Created | Successful POST that created a new resource |
204 |
No Content | Successful DELETE or update with no body |
Client Error Codes (4xx)
| Code | Name | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
400 |
Bad Request | Malformed request syntax or invalid data |
401 |
Unauthorized | Missing or invalid authentication credentials |
403 |
Forbidden | Authenticated but lacking permission |
404 |
Not Found | Resource does not exist at the given URL |
409 |
Conflict | Request conflicts with current state (e.g., duplicate) |
422 |
Unprocessable Entity | Valid syntax but semantically invalid data |
429 |
Too Many Requests | Rate limit exceeded |
Server Error Codes (5xx)
| Code | Name | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
500 |
Internal Server Error | Unhandled exception on the server |
502 |
Bad Gateway | Upstream server returned an invalid response |
503 |
Service Unavailable | Server temporarily overloaded or in maintenance |
504 |
Gateway Timeout | Upstream server did not respond in time |
7. Authentication Methods in API Testing
Most real-world APIs require authentication. Understanding how each method works is essential for writing effective API tests.
API Keys
The simplest form of authentication. An API key is a static token sent as a header or query parameter.
# API key in header
curl -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key-here" \
https://api.example.com/data
# API key as query parameter
curl "https://api.example.com/data?api_key=your-api-key-here"
API keys are easy to implement but offer limited security. They do not expire automatically, they cannot represent a specific user's permissions, and they are easily leaked if included in URLs (which get logged by servers and proxies).
Bearer Tokens (JWT)
Bearer tokens, especially JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), are the most common authentication mechanism in modern APIs. The client authenticates once (usually with username and password) and receives a token that is sent with subsequent requests.
# Step 1: Authenticate and get a token
TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.example.com/auth/login \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"email": "user@example.com", "password": "secret"}' \
| jq -r '.token')
# Step 2: Use the token for subsequent requests
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
https://api.example.com/protected/resource
When testing JWT-based APIs, always test these scenarios:
- Request with no token (should return
401) - Request with an expired token (should return
401) - Request with a token for a different user (should return
403) - Request with a malformed token (should return
401)
OAuth 2.0
OAuth 2.0 is a framework for delegated authorization. It is used when a user wants to grant a third-party application access to their data without sharing their password (e.g., "Sign in with Google").
Testing OAuth flows is more complex because it involves multiple steps: authorization request, user consent, callback with authorization code, and token exchange. For automated testing, most teams use service account credentials or pre-generated tokens to bypass the interactive consent flow.
Basic Authentication
HTTP Basic Auth encodes the username and password in a Base64 header. It is simple but insecure unless used over HTTPS.
# Basic auth with curl (curl handles encoding)
curl -u "username:password" https://api.example.com/data
# Equivalent manual encoding
curl -H "Authorization: Basic dXNlcm5hbWU6cGFzc3dvcmQ=" \
https://api.example.com/data
Basic auth is increasingly rare in new APIs but still common in internal tools, CI/CD integrations, and legacy systems.
8. Response Validation Techniques
Sending a request is only half the job. The other half is verifying that the response is correct. Here are the key aspects of a response to validate.
Status Code Validation
Always check the status code first. It is the quickest way to determine if a request succeeded or failed.
# Python: Check status code
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/users/42")
assert response.status_code == 200, f"Expected 200, got {response.status_code}"
# JavaScript: Check status code
const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/users/42");
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`Expected success, got ${response.status}`);
}
Response Body Validation
Check that the response body contains the expected data, with the correct types and structure.
# Python: Validate response structure
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/users/42")
user = response.json()
# Check required fields exist
assert "id" in user, "Missing 'id' field"
assert "name" in user, "Missing 'name' field"
assert "email" in user, "Missing 'email' field"
# Check types
assert isinstance(user["id"], int), "id should be an integer"
assert isinstance(user["name"], str), "name should be a string"
assert "@" in user["email"], "email should contain @"
# Check specific values
assert user["id"] == 42
assert len(user["name"]) > 0, "name should not be empty"
Header Validation
Response headers carry important metadata. Check content type, caching directives, rate limit information, and CORS headers.
# Python: Validate headers
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/users")
# Check content type
assert "application/json" in response.headers["Content-Type"]
# Check rate limiting headers
remaining = int(response.headers.get("X-RateLimit-Remaining", 0))
print(f"Rate limit remaining: {remaining}")
# Check caching
cache_control = response.headers.get("Cache-Control", "")
print(f"Cache policy: {cache_control}")
JSON Schema Validation
For thorough validation, use JSON Schema to define the exact shape of your expected response. This is more robust than checking individual fields because it validates the entire structure in one step.
# Python: JSON Schema validation
from jsonschema import validate
user_schema = {
"type": "object",
"required": ["id", "name", "email", "created_at"],
"properties": {
"id": {"type": "integer", "minimum": 1},
"name": {"type": "string", "minLength": 1},
"email": {"type": "string", "format": "email"},
"created_at": {"type": "string", "format": "date-time"},
"role": {"type": "string", "enum": ["admin", "user", "viewer"]}
},
"additionalProperties": False
}
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/users/42")
validate(instance=response.json(), schema=user_schema) # Raises on failure
Response Time Validation
Performance matters. Set acceptable thresholds and fail tests when the API is too slow.
# Python: Check response time
import time
start = time.time()
response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/users")
elapsed_ms = (time.time() - start) * 1000
print(f"Response time: {elapsed_ms:.0f}ms")
assert elapsed_ms < 500, f"Response too slow: {elapsed_ms:.0f}ms (limit: 500ms)"
# curl: Measure response time
# curl -o /dev/null -s -w "Time: %{time_total}s\n" https://api.example.com/users
9. API Testing Best Practices
Following these practices will make your API tests more reliable, maintainable, and useful.
Test Both Happy and Sad Paths
It is tempting to only test the successful case. But most bugs hide in error handling. For every endpoint, test:
- Happy path: Valid request with correct data
- Invalid input: Missing required fields, wrong data types, out-of-range values
- Edge cases: Empty strings, very long strings, special characters, zero, negative numbers
- Unauthorized access: No credentials, expired credentials, wrong permissions
- Not found: Request a resource that does not exist
# Test matrix for POST /api/users
# Happy path
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{"name": "Alice", "email": "alice@test.com"}' → 201
# Missing required field
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{"name": "Alice"}' → 422
# Invalid email format
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{"name": "Alice", "email": "not-an-email"}' → 422
# Duplicate email
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{"name": "Alice", "email": "existing@test.com"}' → 409
# Empty body
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{}' → 422
# No auth
curl -X POST /api/users -d '{"name": "Alice", "email": "a@test.com"}' → 401
Keep Tests Independent
Each test should be able to run on its own, in any order. Tests that depend on each other are fragile and hard to debug. If a test needs a user to exist, create the user in the test setup, do not rely on another test having created it.
Use Environment Variables for Configuration
Never hardcode URLs, API keys, or credentials in your tests. Use environment variables so the same tests can run against different environments (development, staging, production).
# Python: Use environment variables
import os
BASE_URL = os.environ.get("API_BASE_URL", "http://localhost:3000")
API_KEY = os.environ["API_KEY"] # Fail loudly if missing
response = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}
)
Clean Up After Tests
Tests that create data should delete it when finished. This prevents test data from accumulating and interfering with other tests. Use setup and teardown functions in your test framework.
# Python: pytest fixture for cleanup
import pytest
@pytest.fixture
def test_user():
# Setup: create a user
response = requests.post(f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Test User", "email": f"test-{uuid4()}@example.com"})
user = response.json()
yield user
# Teardown: delete the user
requests.delete(f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/{user['id']}")
Version Your API Tests
If your API has versions (/v1/users, /v2/users), maintain separate test suites for each version. When you deprecate a version, do not delete the tests immediately; keep them running until the old version is fully decommissioned.
Test Rate Limiting
If your API has rate limits, write tests that verify the limits work correctly. Send requests until you get a 429 Too Many Requests response, then verify the Retry-After header is present.
Automate in CI/CD
API tests should run automatically on every pull request and deployment. Integrate them into your CI/CD pipeline so broken APIs never reach production.
# GitHub Actions example
name: API Tests
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Start API server
run: docker-compose up -d
- name: Wait for API to be ready
run: |
for i in $(seq 1 30); do
curl -sf http://localhost:3000/health && break
sleep 1
done
- name: Run API tests
run: pytest tests/api/ -v --tb=short
env:
API_BASE_URL: http://localhost:3000
10. Common API Testing Mistakes
These are the mistakes developers make most often when testing APIs. Avoiding them will save you hours of debugging.
Only Testing the Happy Path
If your test suite only sends valid requests, you have no idea how your API handles bad input. In production, users will send every imaginable combination of invalid data. Test for it.
Ignoring Response Headers
The response body is not the only thing that matters. Headers like Content-Type, Cache-Control, X-Request-Id, and CORS headers are all part of your API's contract. If they change unexpectedly, it can break clients.
Not Testing Concurrency
What happens when two users update the same resource at the same time? Race conditions in APIs can cause data corruption, duplicate records, or lost updates. Test concurrent access to shared resources.
Hardcoding Test Data
Using hardcoded IDs like user_id: 1 makes tests brittle. The data might not exist in every environment. Generate unique test data or use fixtures instead.
Forgetting to Test Pagination
APIs that return lists usually have pagination. Test that:
- The first page returns the correct number of items
- Page navigation works (next page, last page)
- Requesting a page beyond the last returns an empty result, not an error
- The total count is correct
Not Validating Error Response Format
Error responses should follow a consistent format. When your API returns an error, verify that the response body contains a structured error message, not a stack trace or generic HTML page.
# Good error response format to test for
{
"error": {
"code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
"message": "Email is required",
"details": [
{
"field": "email",
"message": "This field is required"
}
]
}
}
11. Building a Complete API Test Suite
Here is a practical example of a well-structured API test suite in Python that you can adapt for your own projects. It demonstrates the patterns discussed throughout this guide.
"""
API Test Suite - User Management Endpoints
Run with: pytest test_users_api.py -v
"""
import os
import pytest
import requests
from uuid import uuid4
BASE_URL = os.environ.get("API_BASE_URL", "http://localhost:3000")
API_KEY = os.environ.get("API_KEY", "test-key")
HEADERS = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
"Accept": "application/json"
}
@pytest.fixture
def unique_email():
"""Generate a unique email for each test."""
return f"test-{uuid4().hex[:8]}@example.com"
@pytest.fixture
def created_user(unique_email):
"""Create a user and clean up after the test."""
response = requests.post(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Test User", "email": unique_email},
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 201
user = response.json()
yield user
# Cleanup
requests.delete(f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/{user['id']}", headers=HEADERS)
class TestCreateUser:
"""Tests for POST /api/users"""
def test_create_user_success(self, unique_email):
response = requests.post(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Alice", "email": unique_email},
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 201
user = response.json()
assert user["name"] == "Alice"
assert user["email"] == unique_email
assert "id" in user
# Cleanup
requests.delete(f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/{user['id']}", headers=HEADERS)
def test_create_user_missing_email(self):
response = requests.post(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Alice"},
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 422
def test_create_user_invalid_email(self):
response = requests.post(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Alice", "email": "not-valid"},
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 422
def test_create_user_no_auth(self, unique_email):
response = requests.post(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users",
json={"name": "Alice", "email": unique_email}
)
assert response.status_code == 401
class TestGetUser:
"""Tests for GET /api/users/:id"""
def test_get_existing_user(self, created_user):
response = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/{created_user['id']}",
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 200
assert response.json()["id"] == created_user["id"]
assert "application/json" in response.headers["Content-Type"]
def test_get_nonexistent_user(self):
response = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/999999999",
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 404
def test_response_time(self, created_user):
response = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users/{created_user['id']}",
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.elapsed.total_seconds() < 0.5
class TestListUsers:
"""Tests for GET /api/users"""
def test_list_users_returns_array(self):
response = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/api/users", headers=HEADERS)
assert response.status_code == 200
assert isinstance(response.json(), list)
def test_pagination(self):
response = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/users?page=1&limit=10",
headers=HEADERS
)
assert response.status_code == 200
assert len(response.json()) <= 10
This test suite follows all the best practices discussed above: tests are independent, data is cleaned up, authentication is tested, both happy and sad paths are covered, and configuration uses environment variables.
Summary
API testing is not optional for professional software development. It catches bugs early, runs fast, and gives you confidence that your services work correctly under real-world conditions.
Here is what to remember:
- Start simple. A curl command that checks the status code is better than no test at all.
- Cover multiple test types. Unit tests for logic, integration tests for the full stack, contract tests for stability, and load tests for performance.
- Test failures, not just successes. Invalid input, missing authentication, and nonexistent resources should all return appropriate error responses.
- Validate the complete response. Status code, headers, body structure, data types, and response time.
- Automate everything. Run your API tests in CI/CD so regressions are caught before they reach users.
- Use the right tool for the job. curl for quick checks, Postman for exploration, programming libraries for automated suites.
https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1. Then format the response with our JSON Formatter.