Streamline Your API Tests: Less is More TL;DR: Use primitive steps to verify API behavior instead of direct requests. Problems Unnecessary API calls
Slow test performance
Overcomplicated validations
Fragile tests
Slow feedback loops
Maintainability
Misleading test results Solutions Test primitive outcomes
Validate responses directly
Avoid extra API steps
Simplify test logic Context When you test an API, you might fall into the trap of using multiple API requests to verify a single operation. Making a POST and immediately making a GET to check the existence of the resource with the payload is a straightforward solution. This pattern adds complexity and makes your tests slower. Also, if your GET operation breaks, you will have many tests failing not relating to the test GET operation. The epitome of testing is a single broken test for a wrong behavior. Instead of verifying resource creation through a GET and inspecting the JSON response, you can focus on primitive steps. Check if the POST succeeded by validating the status code or checking the resource's existence. Sample Code Wrong Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I send a POST request to "/movies" with the following data:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    When I send a GET request to "/movies/Klendathu"
    Then the response status should be 200
    And the response should contain:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 | Right Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I create a movie with the following details:
      | title      | director          | year |
      | Klendathu  | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    Then the movie "Klendathu" should exist in the system
    ## This is a low level existance postcondition
    ## Without relying on a GET request Detection [x]Semi-Automatic You can detect this smell when you see test steps that use a GET request to verify the success of a POST. Tags Testing Level [x]Intermediate AI Generation AI generators often create this smell when generating API tests, defaulting to chaining requests and validating the entire resource, rather than focusing on the operation's outcome. AI Detection AI tools can potentially detect this smell with proper instructions. You could train an AI to identify patterns of consecutive POST and GET requests in scenarios and suggest consolidating them into more abstract, primitive steps. Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Conclusion Focus your acceptance tests on the direct results of operations like POST. Avoid making a GET request afterward to verify what you already know. Relations https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-259-control-your-environment-to-avoid-test-failures?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-vi-cmj31om?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xi-sit35t1 More Info https://hackernoon.com/fail-fast-philosophy-explained-si963vk9?embedable=true Disclaimer Code Smells are my opinion. Credits Photo by Dmitriy Demidov on Unsplash As a rule, software systems do not work well until they have been used, and have failed repeatedly, in real applications. Dave Parnas https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code Streamline Your API Tests: Less is More Streamline Your API Tests: Less is More TL;DR: Use primitive steps to verify API behavior instead of direct requests. TL;DR: Use primitive steps to verify API behavior instead of direct requests. Problems Unnecessary API calls Slow test performance Overcomplicated validations Fragile tests Slow feedback loops Maintainability Misleading test results Unnecessary API calls Slow test performance Overcomplicated validations Fragile tests Fragile tests Slow feedback loops Slow Maintainability Misleading test results Solutions Test primitive outcomes Validate responses directly Avoid extra API steps Simplify test logic Test primitive outcomes Validate responses directly Avoid extra API steps Simplify test logic Context When you test an API, you might fall into the trap of using multiple API requests to verify a single operation. Making a POST and immediately making a GET to check the existence of the resource with the payload is a straightforward solution. POST GET This pattern adds complexity and makes your tests slower. Also, if your GET operation breaks, you will have many tests failing not relating to the test GET operation. GET GET The epitome of testing is a single broken test for a wrong behavior. Instead of verifying resource creation through a GET and inspecting the JSON response, you can focus on primitive steps. GET Check if the POST succeeded by validating the status code or checking the resource's existence. POST Sample Code Wrong Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I send a POST request to "/movies" with the following data:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    When I send a GET request to "/movies/Klendathu"
    Then the response status should be 200
    And the response should contain:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 | Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I send a POST request to "/movies" with the following data:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    When I send a GET request to "/movies/Klendathu"
    Then the response status should be 200
    And the response should contain:
      | title     | director          | year |
      | Klendathu | Christopher Nolan | 2010 | Right Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I create a movie with the following details:
      | title      | director          | year |
      | Klendathu  | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    Then the movie "Klendathu" should exist in the system
    ## This is a low level existance postcondition
    ## Without relying on a GET request Feature: Movie Management
  Scenario: Create a movie and verify
    When I create a movie with the following details:
      | title      | director          | year |
      | Klendathu  | Christopher Nolan | 2010 |
    Then the movie "Klendathu" should exist in the system
    ## This is a low level existance postcondition
    ## Without relying on a GET request Detection [x]Semi-Automatic [x] Semi-Automatic [x] You can detect this smell when you see test steps that use a GET request to verify the success of a POST . GET POST Tags Testing Testing Level [x]Intermediate [x] Intermediate [x] AI Generation AI generators often create this smell when generating API tests, defaulting to chaining requests and validating the entire resource, rather than focusing on the operation's outcome. AI Detection AI tools can potentially detect this smell with proper instructions. You could train an AI to identify patterns of consecutive POST and GET requests in scenarios and suggest consolidating them into more abstract, primitive steps. POST GET Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT Claude

Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Conclusion Focus your acceptance tests on the direct results of operations like POST . POST Avoid making a GET request afterward to verify what you already know. Relations https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-259-control-your-environment-to-avoid-test-failures?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-259-control-your-environment-to-avoid-test-failures?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-vi-cmj31om?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-vi-cmj31om?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xi-sit35t1 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xi-sit35t1 More Info https://hackernoon.com/fail-fast-philosophy-explained-si963vk9?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/fail-fast-philosophy-explained-si963vk9?embedable=true Disclaimer Code Smells are my opinion . opinion Credits Photo by Dmitriy Demidov on Unsplash Dmitriy Demidov Unsplash As a rule, software systems do not work well until they have been used, and have failed repeatedly, in real applications. As a rule, software systems do not work well until they have been used, and have failed repeatedly, in real applications. Dave Parnas Dave Parnas https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code

Code Smell 273 - Overengineering

Code Smell 271 - The Hollywood Principle

Buy My Book

Share your ideas with me!

Read My Stories

Buy Me a Coffee

Too Long; Didn't Read

Make resilience your competitive advantage

Code Smell 272 - API Chain

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

Code Smell 309 - Query Parameter API Versioning

100 Days of AI Day 1: From Newsletter to Podcast, Leveraging AI for Audio Transformation

10 Threats to an Open API Ecosystem

10 Indications That You Should Invest in Automation Via APIs

10 Best Practices for Securing Your API

Code Smell 309 - Query Parameter API Versioning

100 Days of AI Day 1: From Newsletter to Podcast, Leveraging AI for Audio Transformation

10 Threats to an Open API Ecosystem

10 Indications That You Should Invest in Automation Via APIs

10 Best Practices for Securing Your API

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps