Sprint-0 — API Understanding & Analysis

Complete these onboarding and analysis exercises before writing a single API automation test.

Exercise 1: Identify All APIs

  • Identify every API used by the application.
  • Refer to API documentation or Swagger.

Exercise 2: Categorize APIs

Group APIs by module, such as:

  • Authentication
  • User
  • Order
  • Product
  • Payment
  • Cart

Exercise 3: Identify Public vs Secured APIs

Determine:

Advertisement
  • Public APIs
  • Authentication-protected APIs

Exercise 4: Identify Dependent APIs

Examples include:

  • Login → Token → Protected APIs

Identify every dependent workflow.

Exercise 5: Identify Business-Critical APIs

Determine which APIs are essential for business functionality.

Exercise 6: Identify Smoke APIs

Select APIs that validate the application's core health.

Exercise 7: Identify Regression APIs

Identify APIs that require complete regression coverage.

Exercise 8: Identify APIs Not Suitable for Automation

Determine APIs that are currently:

  • Out of scope
  • Unsuitable for automation

Exercise 9: Identify API Boundaries

Define the testing boundaries for every API.

Exercise 10: Prepare the API Test Scope Document

Document:

  • Scope
  • Objectives
  • Modules
  • Coverage

Exercise 11: Analyze UI Network Calls

Map UI actions to backend APIs.

Exercise 12: Identify API-Level Validations

Determine validations that should only be performed through API testing.

Exercise 13: Identify Data Ownership

Understand which API owns which business data.

Exercise 14: Identify API Ownership

Identify the responsible teams or services for each API.

Exercise 15: Prepare the API Coverage Matrix

Create a coverage matrix showing:

  • APIs
  • Modules
  • Automation Status
  • Test Coverage

FakeStore Sprint-0 Activities

Apply the same exercises to the FakeStore application by:

  • Categorizing Auth, User, Product, and Cart modules.
  • Identifying CRUD operations.
  • Finding dependent APIs.
  • Identifying business-critical APIs.
  • Preparing the API Test Scope Document.

Sprint-1 — Framework Setup & Architecture

Complete these framework setup exercises.

Exercise 1: Create the Maven Project

Create a Maven project dedicated to API automation.

Exercise 2: Define the Folder Structure

Organize the framework with a proper project structure.

Exercise 3: Configure Dependencies

Add required libraries:

Exercise 4: Configure Base URI & Base Path

Set up:

  • Base URI
  • Base Path

for reusable API execution.

Exercise 5: Configure Environment Switching

Externalize the Base URI.

Support multiple environments:

  • DEV
  • QA
  • PROD

Exercise 6: Configure Logging

Enable request and response logging.

Exercise 7: Create the BaseTest Class

Build a reusable BaseTest class for all API tests.

Exercise 8: Create Utility Classes

Develop common:

  • Utility Classes
  • Helper Classes

for framework reuse.

Exercise 9: Create a Reusable Request Builder

Implement reusable:

  • RequestSpecification

for common request configuration.

Exercise 10: Create a Reusable Response Validator

Implement reusable:

  • ResponseSpecification

for standard response validation.

Exercise 11: Maintain Execution Configuration

Manage framework execution settings.

Exercise 12: Validate Framework Execution

Verify successful execution:

  • Locally
  • In CI

Exercise 13: Secure Configuration Secrets

Store sensitive configuration securely.

Exercise 14: Configure Version Control

Push the framework to Git.

Exercise 15: Maintain Documentation

Maintain:

  • README Documentation
  • Team Onboarding Documentation

Share the framework with the team.

Sprint-1 — Smoke API Automation

Once the framework is operational, automate the initial smoke suite.

Exercise 1: Execute a Sample API Test

Run a sample API test to verify the framework setup.

Exercise 2: Validate Product List API

Verify the Product List endpoint.

Exercise 3: Validate Product Detail API

Verify Product Details.

Exercise 4: Validate Login API

Verify user authentication.

Exercise 5: Validate Create Cart API

Verify successful cart creation.

Exercise 6: Validate Delete Cart API

Verify successful cart deletion.

Smoke Suite Purpose

These APIs become the application's primary smoke suite and execute with every build.

Demo-API Mapping

API Understanding

Practice using:

  • ReqRes

Identify:

  • Login
  • Register
  • Users
  • Secured APIs
  • Public APIs
  • Dependencies

Analyze API documentation using:

  • petstore.swagger.io

Framework Setup & Smoke Testing

Practice using:

  • fakestoreapi.com
  • dummyjson.com

For CRUD and booking workflows, use:

  • restful-booker.herokuapp.com

FAQs

What Should You Do Before Automating Any API?

Complete Sprint-0 activities:

  • Identify APIs.
  • Categorize modules.
  • Identify dependencies.
  • Identify business-critical APIs.
  • Select Smoke APIs.
  • Select Regression APIs.
  • Identify out-of-scope APIs.
  • Prepare the Test Scope Document.
  • Prepare the API Coverage Matrix.

How Do You Identify Smoke vs Regression APIs?

Smoke APIs

  • Business-critical.
  • High-level health checks.

Examples:

  • Login
  • Product List

Regression APIs

  • Complete CRUD operations.
  • Edge cases.
  • Dependent workflows.

What Does a REST Assured Framework Include?

A complete framework includes:

  • Maven Project
  • Dependencies
  • Base URI
  • Base Path
  • Environment Switching
  • Logging
  • BaseTest
  • Utility Classes
  • Request Specification
  • Response Specification
  • Secret Management
  • Git
  • README Documentation

Why Should Base URI Be Externalized?

Externalizing configuration allows the same automation suite to execute against:

  • DEV
  • QA
  • PROD

without modifying source code.

What Should Be Included in the Initial Smoke Suite?

Core application health checks, including:

  • Product List
  • Product Details
  • Login
  • Create Cart
  • Delete Cart

These APIs should execute for every build.