Testing API Requests — Proposed Guide

Testing API Requests: Contract testing can verify a proposed request and response using local fixtures before any service exists. Tests should cover…

Overview

Contract testing can verify a proposed request and response using local fixtures before any service exists. Tests should cover invalid input and unfamiliar states, not only the successful example.

Key concepts

Check required fields, types, null handling and monetary units. Include stale-version and duplicate-operation cases.

Implementation considerations

Use fixture files or in-memory objects only. The language examples below are documentation text, not a testing client executing requests.

Illustrative data model

This local fixture shows a possible representation for the concepts above. It is not an endpoint response, production configuration or a claim that the described capability is implemented.

{
  "reference_only": true,
  "topic": "Testing API Requests",
  "fixture_id": "fixture_example_123",
  "version": 1,
  "error_code": "validation_error",
  "amount_minor": 12550
}

Design review checklist

• Document which organization owns the testing api requests representation and which actor may view or change it.
• Test the boundaries of fixture id, version, error code, amount minor using synthetic values, including missing or inconsistent references.
• Before future implementation, obtain an approved contract and review failure behavior. This documentation does not authorize production activation.

Proposed data types

Related documentation