5 Benefits of Service Virtualization for API Testing

Development teams have begun to rely more and more on APIs in order to cater to an increased demand for developing applications. API or Application Programming Interface consists of subroutines, protocols, functions and procedures as part of an underlying architecture that enables a developer to build software. This is similar to a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that helps a user to run an otherwise complex program. The underlying architecture hides complexities from the developer and instead presents objects, functions and actions in an easy to use form that are needed to build the application. APIs bring together disparate software systems by enabling communication and data exchange.

API represents the core architecture or business logic of software that helps integrate it with a third party application. Interestingly, users of any third party application interact with the application through a GUI, which in turn interacts with the API to get the desired outcome. Thus, API Testing assumes significance as it involves testing the integration of an end to end system. 

In a business environment where agile methodologies, cloud computing and Internet of Things are becoming the buzzwords, API Testing helps in increased automation of the testing process. This has a bearing on lesser turnaround time for the software to hit the market. In API Testing standard modes of entering inputs like using a keyboard are skipped, and instead, test automation from the software are made to register responses from the system. 

Benefits of API Testing

• It enables increased synergy among multiple development teams.
• Component developers can validate system responses for error cases and address them.
• Verify functionality of components in different environments such as operating systems, hardware, third party applications, etc.
• Isolating components while testing can reduce dependence on preconditions, thus generating quicker outcome.
• Automates testing, so that behaviour of individual components can be controlled.

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