Getting Started with API Testing

Welcome to API Testing in Maeris! This guide will help you understand the fundamentals of API testing and how to get started with testing your APIs.

What is API Testing?

API (Application Programming Interface) testing is the process of verifying that your APIs work correctly, return expected responses, and handle errors appropriately. In Maeris, API testing allows you to send HTTP requests, validate responses, chain multiple API calls together, and monitor API performance.

Why API Testing Matters

Reliability: Ensures your APIs work as expected and handle edge cases
Performance: Validates response times and throughput
Integration: Verifies that different services communicate correctly
Documentation: Serves as living documentation of your API behavior
Early Detection: Catches bugs before they affect end users

Key Concepts in Maeris API Testing

API Collections

Collections are containers that organize your API requests. They help you group related endpoints together and manage shared settings like authentication and base URLs.

API Requests

Individual HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) that you send to your API endpoints to test functionality.

Environments

Environments store variables and configuration settings that can be reused across multiple requests, making it easy to switch between different environments (dev, staging, production).

API Flows

Sequences of API requests that are executed in order, where data from one request can be used in subsequent requests.

Assertions

Validations that check if API responses meet your expectations, such as status codes, response times, and data values.

Getting Started Steps

Create Your First API Request: Learn how to create and configure your first API request
See our Create Your First API Request guide for detailed instructions.
Set Up Environments: Configure environments to manage variables and settings
Learn more in our Working with Environments guide.
Organize Collections: Create and organize API collections for better management
Follow our guide on API Collections and Organization.
Add Assertions: Validate your API responses with assertions
Check out API Assertions and Validations to learn more.
Review Results: Analyze test results and understand API performance
Explore API Test Results and Analysis for insights.

Best Practices

Use Environments: Store variables and configuration in environments for easy management
Organize Collections: Group related API requests together in collections
Add Assertions: Always validate responses to ensure APIs work as expected
Document Requests: Add descriptions and examples to make your tests self-documenting
Use Variables: Parameterize your requests to make them reusable and maintainable
Test Error Cases: Don't just test happy paths—test error scenarios too

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics of API testing in Maeris, continue your journey:

Create Your First API Request - Build your first API test
Working with Environments - Configure environments
API Collections and Organization - Organize your tests
API Assertions and Validations - Validate responses