The evolution of the digital environment has made all tech enthusiasts realize the potential of cloud technology. Especially, when the cloud serves all the highly dynamic and rapidly changing needs of the IT industry, it becomes natural for businesses to lean on cloud migration.
And if it is one thing that has helped smoothen the entire process of cloud migration for organizations of all sizes and kinds, it would be the effective use of APIs (Application Programming Interface). The API technology not only allows the software to interact with other software easily but helps making cloud migration automation an affordable, scalable, and secure process.
Besides, every organization that needs to foster sustainable cloud infrastructure using the best of APIs has shifted their focus on automated API testing. Especially, when automated API testing has the potential to deliver great savings on time and cost with improved data security and performance.
Since we at BugRaptors have been working on cloud testing services for quite a long time, this blog is meant to help our readers have a detailed understanding of automated API testing when working on a cloud migration project. Also, we will try to highlight the benefits and importance of automating API testing when aiming to achieve successful cloud migration.
Benefits of Automating API Testing
APIs are meant to enhance the communication between various applications, improving the exchange of data and services. It not only allows improved support on cloud data testing but aid digital assets to combine smoothly across systems or environments like On-prem or in the cloud.
In other words, API testing is an essential component in cloud deployment which is meant to bring all the internal and external operations closer. Thus, cloud API testing has everything that allows integration of legacy systems with the present generation technology, while offering bandwidth to accommodate advanced AI or ML solutions.
Besides, manual testing in APIs can turn out to be an extremely tricky process for an organization that has a large volume of APIs. The approach even slows the pace.
Moreover, it even affects the implementation of the iterative approach that most agile development teams and the continuous delivery demands of DevOps practices. Automating your API testing enables you to power up your migration to the cloud by letting you:
- Run tests more frequently and faster.
- Provide feedback to your developers more frequently and faster.
- Identify bugs and defects earlier.
- Create test suites that are easy to maintain and reuse.
- Simplify validation of the business logic, security, compliance and performance aspects of your apps and assets.
- Cut the number and severity of faults passed on to end-users.
Summing it up, automated API testing brings you huge savings on time and resources leaving no stress of regression. Though APIs do not run on any GUI, automating streamlines the test process for APIs and can even complement any efforts made on cloud migration testing.
Automating API Tests: The Process
When it comes to the test automation process for APIs complementing the cloud migration, testers usually focus on driving speed and quality to the process while saving additional cost. The standard API test process generally involves three steps:
- Unit tests to focus on small components of functionality
- Integration tests to validate interactions between application, database, and external services.
- End-to-end testing to ensure the end product offers a pleasing experience to real-time users.
However, the automation suite made to test APIs in the cloud migration process begins at the second step where automation allows working on integration testing and creating an overall pleasing user experience.
Purpose of API Testing
API testing is meant to validate the functionality, performance, reliability, and security of the system under test. Whether it is the transactions of data done during integration testing or checking on isolated components of the cloud-based solution, API testing helps to ensure smooth operation. The process even involves checking on systems requests worked through API endpoints to ensure the required output is achieved.
API testing even keeps a check on the system for returning the required response for multiple response requests to accelerate cloud migration while considering the edge cases or extreme inputs. Also, API testing helps testers to find out that the given system returns the output within a defined timeframe and is capable of taming potential security threats.The basic idea behind API testing is to validate the business logic of the system as APIs do not include GUI in the architecture.
Understanding APIs: Definition & More
APIs are meant to smoothen communication between apps and services that need frequent sharing of the data and functions. APIs used in cloud technology aid in processing user request by defining calls and data formats that are easily understood for both systems.
In a nutshell, APIs help developers to stick with an ideal mechanism to merge different components within a single software. Besides, developers when need to create an integrated cloud solution that demands calling data and functions from some other end of the infrastructure could use APIs to simplify the process.
How An API Functions?
In its simplest form, APIs serve as a mediator between the input request and the output result. APIs help to ensure that users receive the perfect result on the requested input while preventing the user from all the hassle of how a particular result is called.
All in all, APIs are meant to simplify the programming requirements of the developers as it does not need any additional efforts by the developers to call any information. Also, APIs allow a smooth and easy integration between two software while allowing an efficient return on functional output.
Wondering How Automating API Testing Could Benefit You?
Here Is A Quick Read: API Automation Testing, Benefits, Types and Tools
How APIs Compliment Cloud Migration?
When thought over the capabilities offered by APIs, most of the time it becomes difficult to establish the relationship between API testing and automated cloud migration. However, modern-day technology is designed using the cloud contains APIs as building blocks. APIs not only help to maintain the operation of the software while giving the ease to update and scale when required.
APIs enable developers to take use of micro-services which are the part of architectural approach to cloud applications. These can also be called as a collection of small and self-contained pieces of business functionality.
Also, APIs work as key to modernizing the legacy assets of business related to data and technology. In other words, APIs retain and liberate the legacy functionality of the system while giving ease of integrating all the siloes in the form of repackaging to the cloud systems, allowing both private and on-prem workflows.
All in all, automating the task of API testing could help improve the cloud services used for day-to-day operations. Test Automation in cloud not only adds speed to the test process but even helps to identify any issues that may cause the failure of the system due to bugs or faults that may cause costly consequences.
The Crux
The ever-changing digital landscape has a lot at stake when it comes to cloud technology. The relevant and efficient integration of APIs allows business organizations to progress on the path of digital transformation with intelligent cloud migration. Whether public or private, hybrid or multi-cloud environment, APIs help to streamline the microservices approach.
On the other hand, most modern-day companies that are working on advanced operational approaches like agile and shift-left approach have determined the need for rapid test feedback. With the same being valid for the API integration during the migration process, cloud automated testing seems to be the only way out. More importantly, automated API testing has all the potential that developers and testers need to thwart their CI/CD goals.
All in all, when you need to have greater test coverage and rapid utilization on cloud systems, API automated testing helps you to simplify the process while giving you a save on time and other resources.
Good Luck!
Need help aligning with your test automation services requirements? Our team at BugRaptors has got all the expertise you need to work on API testing, cloud testing, or any of your software testing objectives.
For more information, reach us through info@bugraptors.com
