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14 Open Source API Testing Tools For REST & SOAP Services

I wanted to share this great post from Joe Colantonio because he put together a great mashup of API testing tools that is quite extensive and exhaustive. This area of testing is becoming a bigger and bigger part of test automation and needs to be continue to be refined as the demand for API testing continues to grow.

One thing that I will be focussing on as we post more and more on this blog is not only good information about testing tools but how they can be applied for different scenerios. Check out Joe’s top 14 API testing tools below.

As we move towards more Agile shift-left software development processes like continuous integration and delivery, the need to quickly give test feedback to our developers is increasing.

One downfall to UI tests is they are slow, making them a poor choice for letting developers know quickly if their code has broken the latest build or not. API tests, on the other hand, tend to be faster and run more reliably than GUI tests.

Before we take a closer look at the api testing tools, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page with what an API actually is.

What is an API?

Application Programming Interfaces (API) is a specification that acts as an interface for software components.

While most functional testing involves testing a user interface like a web page or a dot net form, API testing involves bypassing a user interface and communicating directly with an application by making calls to its APIs.

API testing allows you to test headless technologies like JMS HTTP, databases and Web services.

API testing is sometimes called “headless” testing. Most headless testing consists of bypassing the UI and sending a request directly to an application’s backend or service and receiving a response, while validating the response to ensure things are working as we expect them to.

This simple example is often referred to as a client/server relationship. A client makes a request by asking for a resource; the request then goes out and finds a server that can fill that request. The server locates the desired resource and sends a response back to the client.

What API Testing Tools Can I Use to Automate API Testing?

Since Selenium is just for browser based testing, you may be wondering which tool to use for Rest and Soap web service-based testing.

Here are some of the top API testing tools that can be used for Rest and Soap Web Service Testing.

Postman

Postman is a rest client that started off as a Chrome browser plugin but recently came out with native versions for both Mac and Windows.

At a high level, you can use it to send a post request to your web server and it gives you the response back. It allows you to set up all the headers and cookies your API expects, and then check the response when it comes back.

Can be used for both automated and exploratory testing

Can be run on Mac, Windows, Linux &Chrome Apps

Has a bunch of integrations like support for Swagger & RAML formats

Has Run, Test, Document and Monitoring Features

Doesn’t require learning a new language

Karate DSL

Karate allows you to create a test that can sequence calls to any kind of web-service and assert that the responses are as expected.

Build on top of Cucumber-JVM

Can run test and generate reports like any standard Java project

Test can be written without any Java knowledge required

Tests are easy to write even for non-programmers

Check out a quick example on how to get started using Karate with BDD.

SoapUI

SoapUI is a headless functional testing tool from SmartBear software. It comes in two flavors: Free open source version and Pro Version. Since the free version is open-source, you can actually gain access to the full source code and modify as needed. The pro version is user-friendlier, and has additional functionality including a form editor, an assertion wizard for Xpath, and SQL query builder. The free version lets you:

Can easily create custom code using Groovy

Drag and Drop Test Creating

Can create complex scenarios

Asynchronous Testing

SoapUI’s Mock Service lets you mimic web services before they are implemented

HttpMaster Express

HttpMaster describes itself as a web development and test tool to automate testing of web sites and services. It can be used to test RESTful web services and API applications. HttpMaster also allows you to and monitor API responses.

HttpsMaster project offers global options to customize your API request

Parameter capabilities enable you to include dynamic data with your request

You can use request chaining to leverage request items to include some data from previous request with the next request

Rest- Assured

Rest-Assured is an open-source Java Domain-specific language (DSL) that makes testing REST service simple. It simplifies things by eliminating the need to use boiler-plate code to test and validate complex responses. It also supports XML and JSON Request/Responses.

Removes need to create boilerplate code required to interact with a rest service

Support BDD Given/When/Then syntax

Integrated seamlessly with Java projects

RestSharp

RestSharp is a simple REST and HTTP API Client for .NET

Supports .NET 3.5+, Silverlight 5, Windows Phone 8, Mono, MonoTouch, Mono for Android

Easy installation using NuGet for most .NET flavors

GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, HEAD, OPTIONS, DELETE supported

Rest Console

HTTP Client and Request Visualizer and Constructor tool, helps developers build, debug and test RESTful APIs. Rest Console is a HTTP Request Visualizer and Constructor tool, helps developers build, debug and test RESTful APIs.

Easy query parameters creation

Syntax highlighting

Authentication support: Plain, Basic, OAuth + Custom

RoboHydra Server

RoboHydra is a testing tool for HTTP-based clients (ie. software that makes HTTP requests). The idea is, instead of connecting your clients-under-test to the real server, you connect them to RoboHydra and make RoboHydra respond with whatever you need for each request.

You can test many different kinds of clients

Written in Javascript, runs under Node

Hippie-Swagger

hippie-swagger is a tool for testing RESTful APIs. It’s also an API testing tool with automatic swagger assertions. In addition to validating API behavior, it will fail tests when swagger documentation is missing or inaccurate.

Can validate All aspects of swagger file validated; parameters, request/response body, paths, etc.

Accurate, human readable assertion messages

WebInject

WebInject is an open source solution for automated testing of web applications and web services. It can be used to test individual system components that have HTTP interfaces (JSP, ASP, CGI, PHP, AJAX, Servlets, HTML Forms, XML/SOAP Web Services, REST, etc).

Is a command line tool

Written in Perl can be installed on MS Windows, GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, MAC OS

Pyresttest

PyRestTest is a python based REST testing and API microbenchmarking tool

You can write your tests in basic YAML or JSON config files, no code needed

Returns exit codes on failure

Only works on Mac and Linux

Airborne

Airborne is an open source Ruby based RSpec driven API testing framework.

Works with Rack application like Sinatra and Grape

Works with APIs written in Rails

Unirest

Recommended by Unmesh Gundecha Unirest is a lightweight HTTP request client libraries.

Can be combined with xUnit, BDD runner to make it a test tool

Mockbin

Mockbin was recommended by Augusto Marietti. Mockbin allows you to generate custom endpoints to test, mock, and track HTTP requests & responses between libraries, sockets and APIs.

Mock Custom Endpoints

Create Custom HTTP Methods

Log and inspect incoming calls to your custom endpoints

Api Testing Tools Recap

These are the top API testing tools I’ve come across, but there are tons of API testing tools popping up everywhere, so I’ll definitely be adding to this list as time goes on.

If one of your favorite API test tools is not listed, please let me know and I’ll add it.

Initially shared on Joe’s Blog

Over time I will be adding additional comments on API Testing tools for sure. Be sure to be notified of future posts.

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