Tony Harris - February 10, 2021
automation being achieved through an API

The applications that are crucial to running almost any type of business often face a variety of challenges. Connecting applications and data with IT systems is necessary for keeping your business running successfully. Automation is critical to a variety of modern business processes and functions – having this automation achieved via APIs is becoming an ever increasing popular solution used by IT departments. DreamFactory offers expert IT assistance to keep your business running as smoothly as possible. When you need to complete a project quickly and effectively, DreamFactory can help you reach your goals such as creating secure and reusable REST APIs.

Did you know you can generate a full-featured, documented, and secure REST API in minutes using DreamFactory? Sign up for our free 14 day hosted trial to learn how! Our guided tour will show you how to create an API using an example MySQL database provided to you as part of the trial!

Create Your No-Code REST API Now

What Are APIs?

API is the acronym for ‘Application Programming Interface’. An API is sometimes thought of as the “brain” behind our connected world. An API is basically the main hub for many of the applications you use daily. According to DZone, the API system is best understood in three layers.

  • Presentation: This is the user interface.
  • Business: This is where code and algorithms reside.
  • Database: This is where the application data is.

Applications, especially mobile applications, continually communicate with one another. It’s necessary to understand and implement the correct RESTful API status code to make sure APIs are functioning well.

What Are the Benefits of Automation Through APIs?

Without automation through APIs your organization may face increasing maintenance costs, automation solutions that lack flexibility, and altered workflows. The following are several benefits of automating through the creation of APIs.

  • Improves costs and overall stability
  • Helps DevOps team manage all APIs
  • Eliminates problems that occur when integrating new systems
  • Stabilizes your entire software ecosystem
  • Gives the ability to manage all APIs from one location

According to ITBusinessedge, API strategies can also improve mobile apps, accelerate your business reach, and drive internal innovation.

Why Are APIs Important for Test Automation?

An API facilitates the interaction between different applications using a variety of communications. API tests are increasingly becoming a crucial component of the testing process when improving communication between applications. APIs help applications more effectively communicate with one another. The primary strength of APIs is how they provide connectivity options to many types of legacy systems. An API allows a seamless connection that will ensure smooth and secure communications between distinct applications in your business.

Whether your organization needs low code or more complex customized code to keep apps and automation running, you need IT experts to keep your business operating as effectively as possible. You can easily integrate legacy technology into newer applications when using the expertise of DreamFactory. DreamFactory can help you merge data from several databases into a single API. DreamFactory can merge data from several databases into a single API.

Why Is Automation Testing Important?

Since there is a need to repeat certain tests on a frequent basis, it’s important to automate the testing process. API testing provides more testing coverage, increases the speed, and improves continuous integration. Automation engineers use different testing strategies that produce different outputs. The output options are normally one of the following:

  • Information or data
  • Pass or fail
  • The call for another API

Making sure our digital lives run as seamlessly as possible relies on how successful automation testing is. Developers test functioning on an individual level as well as how a process works together on several levels.

What Are the Types of Testing?

There is a variety of software testing you’ll need to know about and possibly implement.

  • Functional Test: This type primarily tests the functionality of a particular API. This might include testing to verify different HTTP responses, error codes, or validation of a response.
  • Load Test: Load testing is necessary when an API is managing large amounts of data. It should handle the data effectively without crashing.
  • Penetration Test: This type of testing checks for vulnerabilities to an API from an external source. This is sometimes a type of security test.
  • Security Test: Security is critical since an API links two separate applications. Besides penetration testing, authorization checks are part of the testing process.
  • Unit Test: A unit test is useful for validating portions of code from other parts of your application.

Validating any test results is as important as actual testing and the testing tool you may use.

Did you know you can generate a full-featured, documented, and secure REST API in minutes using DreamFactory? Sign up for our free 14 day hosted trial to learn how! Our guided tour will show you how to create an API using an example MySQL database provided to you as part of the trial!

Create Your No-Code REST API Now

How Can DreamFactory Help Your Organization?

DreamFactory is your solution for no code API automation. DreamFactory can provide all the features you need without all the extras you don’t. You can get all your data put together into a single platform and create an agile web service for clients and customers. There are several specific services DreamFactory can provide for your organization.

  • Combine Databases
  • Turn SOAP into REST
  • API Publishing
  • Wide Range of Authentication Support
  • Reuse REST API

DreamFactory can run anywhere, in public, private, and even hybrid infrastructures. While benefitting from unlimited scalability and robust security, you’ll also receive 24/7 support, custom development, and customized onsite and remote training. Whether you need JSON, XML, JavaScript, or other types of coding, take your business to the next level with the best technological support available. DreamFactory can provide performance testing, continuous testing with expert front-end and endpoint testers. Contact DreamFactory today to start your free trial and receive the software development and business logic you need.