Testing APIs: Overview

You've built and deployed your User API. It's running, it works, and you can call it from anywhere. But here's the thing: just because it works doesn't mean it's reliable. How do you know it will keep working when you add new features? How do you catch bugs before your users do?

This is where professional API testing comes in. In this chapter, you'll learn how to build a comprehensive testing system that automatically verifies your API works correctly, handles edge cases properly, and performs well under load. And you'll do it all using Apidog's powerful testing features.

What We're Building

Throughout this chapter, you'll build a complete testing system for your Pet Store User API. This isn't just a few test cases—it's a professional testing suite that covers:

Functional Testing

Individual endpoint tests with proper assertions

Data validation and error handling

Authentication and authorization flows

Integration Testing

Complete user lifecycle workflows (register → login → update → delete)

Data passing between requests

Cross-module integration scenarios

Performance Testing

Load testing with concurrent users

Response time analysis

Throughput measurement

Automation

CI/CD integration for continuous testing

Scheduled tasks for regular health checks

Test reports and analysis

The end result is a testing system that gives you confidence. When you deploy a new feature, you'll know it works. When you fix a bug, you'll know you didn't break something else. And when something does break, you'll know immediately, not when a user reports it.

The Testing Workflow

Here's how it works: Create test scenarios with multiple API requests, add assertions to verify responses, use flow control for complex logic, run tests manually or automatically, and analyze results. Once your tests are solid, automate them with scheduled tasks or CI/CD integration.

Start simple with a few test scenarios, and gradually build a comprehensive test suite. Each test you add makes your API more reliable.

Apidog's Testing Features

Apidog provides a unified platform for professional API testing, eliminating the need for separate tools.

Test Scenarios: Instead of isolated calls, organizing tests into scenarios allows you to simulate real-world usage patterns involving multiple requests. You can import these directly from your API specs.

Data Passing: You can automatically pass data between requests—for example, extracting an authentication token from a login response and injecting it into subsequent headers.

Assertions & Validations: Beyond simple status checks, you can visually assert response structures, field values, and even verify database entries to ensure data integrity.

Flow Control: For complex logic, you can add conditions, loops, and branching directly into your test steps.

Performance Testing: Switch seamlessly to load testing to simulate concurrent users and analyze response times and throughput.

CI/CD Integration: The Apidog CLI allows you to run these tests automatically within your existing pipelines.

All these features work together, so you don't have to context switch between a functional testing tool, a load testing tool, and a separate automation framework.

See details Automated Testing

What You Need to Know First

You'll need:

Completed "Developing APIs" chapter

Pet Store User API deployed and running (locally or in production)

Basic understanding of API concepts (HTTP methods, status codes, JSON)

Apidog installed and set up

You don't need:

Previous testing experience

Knowledge of testing frameworks

Understanding of CI/CD pipelines

Database expertise

If you've completed the Developing APIs chapter, you're ready. You already have an API to test, and you understand how it works. Now you'll learn how to test it professionally.

Ready?

Make sure you've completed the Developing APIs chapter and have your Pet Store User API running. That's really all you need.

Next up is creating your first test scenario, which takes about 20 minutes. You'll see how easy it is to get started, and you'll have your first automated test running before you know it.

Continue with → Getting Started: Your First Test Scenario

Testing APIs: Overview

What We're Building#

The Testing Workflow#

Apidog's Testing Features#

What You Need to Know First#

Ready?#

What We're Building

The Testing Workflow

Apidog's Testing Features

What You Need to Know First

Ready?