Sprint 0 – API Understanding & Analysis

Before writing a single automation script, the following analysis activities are performed.

Identify All APIs

  • Review API Documentation
  • Review Swagger Documentation
  • List all available APIs

Categorize APIs

Group APIs by business modules such as:

  • Authentication
  • Users
  • Products
  • Orders
  • Payments
  • Cart

Identify Public & Secured APIs

Determine which APIs:

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  • Can be accessed publicly
  • Require authentication
  • Require authorization

Identify Dependent APIs

Identify workflows such as:

 
Login
   ↓
Generate Token
   ↓
Access Protected APIs
 

Identify Business-Critical APIs

Determine which APIs are most important for business functionality.

Examples include:

  • Login
  • Product APIs
  • Cart APIs
  • Order APIs

Identify Smoke Test APIs

Select APIs required for quick application health verification.

Identify Regression APIs

Identify APIs that require complete validation during regression testing.

Identify APIs Not Suitable for Automation

Mark APIs that should remain outside the automation scope.

Identify API Boundaries

Understand:

  • API responsibilities
  • Integration boundaries
  • Module ownership

Prepare the API Test Scope Document

Document:

  • Scope
  • Modules
  • Automation Coverage
  • Exclusions

Analyze UI Network Calls

Observe browser network activity and map UI operations to backend APIs.

API-Level Validations

Identify validations that can only be performed at the API layer.

Identify Data Ownership

Determine which API owns each business object.

Identify API Ownership

Identify the responsible development team or module owner.

Prepare the API Coverage Matrix

Create an API Coverage Matrix documenting:

  • APIs
  • Modules
  • Automation Status
  • Smoke Coverage
  • Regression Coverage

FakeStore Sprint-0 Activities

The same onboarding process is applied to the FakeStore project by:

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

Sprint 1 – Framework Setup & Architecture

After completing API analysis, the framework development begins.

Create a Maven Project

Create a REST Assured Maven project for API automation.

Define the Project Structure

Organize the framework into reusable packages and folders.

Configure Dependencies

Add required dependencies including:

Configure Base URI & Base Path

Configure common request settings used across all API tests.

Environment Configuration

Externalize configuration values.

Support environments such as:

  • DEV
  • QA
  • PROD

without changing automation code.

Configure Logging

Enable request and response logging for debugging.

Create BaseTest

Develop a reusable BaseTest class for common framework initialization.

Create Utility Classes

Develop reusable helper classes for:

  • Common Methods
  • Configurations
  • Utilities

Configure Request Specification

Create a reusable RequestSpecification.

Configure Response Specification

Create a reusable ResponseSpecification.

Test Execution Configuration

Maintain centralized execution settings for the framework.

Validate Framework Execution

Verify execution:

  • Locally
  • Through CI/CD

Secure Configuration

Store sensitive configuration values securely.

Version Control

Push the project to Git for source code management.

Documentation

Maintain:

  • README Documentation
  • Framework Usage Guide
  • Team Onboarding Documentation

Sprint 1 – Smoke API Automation

After the framework is ready, automate the initial smoke suite.

Sample Framework Validation

Run a sample REST Assured API test to verify framework setup.

Smoke APIs

Automate the following APIs.

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

These APIs become the smoke suite executed during every build.

Demo API Mapping

The practical exercises use multiple public APIs.

API Understanding

Recommended APIs

  • ReqRes
  • Swagger PetStore

Practice:

  • Login
  • Register
  • User APIs
  • Authentication
  • API Dependencies

Framework Setup

Recommended APIs

  • FakeStore API
  • DummyJSON
  • Restful Booker

Practice:

  • CRUD Operations
  • Smoke Automation
  • Framework Development

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be done before automating any API?

Complete Sprint 0 activities:

  • Identify APIs
  • Categorize APIs
  • Find dependencies
  • Identify business-critical APIs
  • Prepare the API Scope Document
  • Create the API Coverage Matrix

How are Smoke APIs selected?

Smoke APIs are the business-critical APIs that verify whether the application is functioning correctly.

Typical examples include:

  • Login
  • Product List
  • Product Details
  • Cart Creation

What does a REST Assured framework include?

The framework contains:

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

Why should Base URI be externalized?

Externalizing Base URI allows the same automation suite to run against:

  • DEV
  • QA
  • PROD

without modifying the automation scripts.

Which APIs should be included in the first smoke suite?

The first smoke suite should cover:

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

These APIs verify the application's core functionality after every deployment.