A lot of people will talk about interface testing. What exactly is interface testing? How to conduct interface testing? This article will help you.
1. Front-end and back-end
Before talking about interface testing, let us clarify the two concepts of front-end and back-end.
The front end is the page we see in a web page or mobile application, it is written in HTML and CSS, lets us see the beautiful page, and does some simple validations, such as making sure that required fields are not empty. The backend implements the business logic and functions on the page, such as shopping and microblogging. When you perform these operations on the page, the backend will be responsible for deducting the balance or posting Weibo to the specified account. So how do the front end and the back end interact? This is done through interfaces.
Although these concepts may be a bit abstract, you just need to remember: the front end is responsible for making the page look beautiful, and the back end is responsible for realizing the function of the web page.
Whether it is a webpage or an Android/iOS client, or a WeChat applet, or a software on Windows/Mac, it is the same reason, and the front end and the back end will be distinguished. The front end is the software that runs on your phone or computer, and the back end is the software that runs on the server.
In companies, front-end and back-end are often divided into different positions, and the things they develop and implement are also very different.
2. Interface
After understanding the concepts of front-end and back-end, the next step is the interface.
An interface is a communication mechanism for exchanging information between a frontend and a backend. Think of it as a conversation between two people.
The front end is like the questioner, and the back end is like the answerer. When the front end needs some information or to perform some task, it sends a request to the back end through an interface. This request is like a question, telling the backend what needs to be done. The backend will perform corresponding operations according to the request and return the result to the frontend. This result is like an answer, telling the front end what tasks were completed or what information was provided.
This interaction is like a question-and-answer game. The front-end and the back-end constantly ask and answer through the interface, so as to realize the function and data exchange of the application. For example, when you click the "Add to Cart" button on a shopping website, the frontend sends a request to the backend telling it to add the item to the cart. The backend will perform the appropriate action and return the result to the frontend, telling it whether the item was successfully added.
In summary, an interface is like a "dialogue" between the frontend and the backend for exchanging information and performing tasks.
The interface is also called API (Application Programming Interface). When we generally talk about interfaces or APIs, we mean the same thing. So interface testing is the same thing as API testing.
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qq群号：1106850363. Interface test
As we all know, the interface is used for front-end pages or applications to interact with the back-end. So many people will ask: "I have tested the function, why do I need to test the interface?" Before answering this question, let's give an example:
For example, when testing user registration functionality, usernames must be 6-12 characters, including letters (case sensitive), numbers, and underscores. In functional testing, username rules will definitely be tested, such as entering 20 characters or special characters, etc. But these might only be validated on the frontend, not the backend. What would happen if someone bypassed the frontend validation and sent information directly to the backend?
For example, you get the registration interface of WeChat, use Postmon or Apifox tools to directly simulate client access, and send a registration request. If there is no username and password validation on the backend, that means anyone can enter whatever username and password they like, it can be as long as it is, and it can be repeated with anyone.
As for the login function, if a complete interface test is not carried out, there may be vulnerabilities that can be used to log in using SQL injection, and even obtain administrator privileges. Isn't it scary?
Therefore, the necessity of interface testing is reflected in:
- Find many errors that cannot be found in page operation.
- Check the system's ability to handle exceptions.
- Check system security and stability.
- As long as the interface is well tested, if the front end makes a change, the back end does not need to change.
- On the basis of interface testing, interface automation testing can be carried out, which greatly improves the efficiency of testing.
Here is the update user profile interface of WeChat Work provided by Apifox, you can try it yourself to see if they have a limit on the length of the username.
You can also read the API documents of various major manufacturers in Apifox's API Hub to learn how they design and test APIs. Click to visit: https://apifox.com/apihub/
Why do API testing?
With the rapid increase in the number of APIs, the quality of APIs has become more and more important, and any wrong API may have a serious impact on the entire system.
API testing can detect API functional correctness, reliability, security and other issues, and help developers detect and fix potential problems before the code is deployed to the production environment, thereby improving the availability and reliability of the entire system. In addition, API testing can also help developers respond to business needs faster. Especially in the microservice architecture, different services may undergo frequent version iterations and updates. Compared with interface testing, API testing can start earlier, allowing the system to respond to business needs faster.
4. How to test the interface
The process of interface testing may include the following steps:
1. Determine the purpose and scope of the test: First, you need to read the product design document and interface document, clarify the functions and characteristics of the interface to be tested, and determine the scope of the test, such as which interfaces are tested, the test conditions and environment, etc. Interface documents are generally designed in Apifox.
2. Design test cases: According to the test data, design test cases, including test steps, expected results, etc. Test cases need to cover various functions and features of the interface, such as input validation, data storage, security, performance, etc. Test cases can be designed in Apifox's "Automated Test" function.
3. Prepare test data: According to the purpose and scope of the test, determine the data required for the test, including input data, expected results, boundary conditions, etc. Test data needs to cover different situations, including normal situations, abnormal situations, border situations, etc. Apifox can support the use of test data, and can also use the dynamic value function to automatically generate dynamic test data.
4. Execute test cases: execute test cases, record test results and problems found. If a problem is found, it is necessary to record the detailed information of the problem, such as description of the problem, time of occurrence, steps to reproduce, degree of impact, etc. In Apifox, a test report is automatically generated, which contains detailed information for each failed test case, making it easy to reproduce and find problems.
5. Analyze the test results: According to the test results, analyze the cause and impact of the problem, determine the priority of the problem and the repair plan. If the problem needs to be fixed, it needs to be fed back to the developer and track the progress of the problem.
When designing interface test cases, the following points need to be considered:
- Interface functions: Various functions of the interface need to be tested, such as input validation, data storage, security, performance, etc. Such as parameter verification: verify the correctness, integrity, legality, etc. of interface parameters, including parameter type, length, format, range, etc.
- Test data: It is necessary to prepare various test data to cover different situations, including normal situations, abnormal situations, boundary conditions, etc., such as interface return value verification: verify the correctness, integrity, legality, etc. of the interface return value, including the return value Type, length, format, range, etc.
- Test case design: It is necessary to design test cases covering interface functions and features, including test steps, expected results, etc.
- Abnormality test: Verify the processing capability of the interface in abnormal situations, including parameter errors, data exceptions, network exceptions, server errors, etc.
- Test environment: It is necessary to determine the test environment and conditions, including the test equipment, network environment, database environment, etc.
- Test result analysis: It is necessary to analyze the test results to determine the cause and effect of the problem, and optimize the test cases and test methods.
Finally, the interface test case design needs to be adjusted and optimized according to the actual situation and test requirements, so as to continuously improve the test efficiency and test quality.
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