Relaible and Secure API: How to Test with Hoppscotch

In this blog, we will study how API Testing is done in Hoppscotch by writing pre-request scripts and test scripts to make sure the API is highly secured and reliable because if our API is not secure & reliable, it will crash just like Tom.

Flying Tom

What’s API

API stands for Application-Programming-Interface. It is the middle layer between User Interface and the Backend Server. You can take API as a waiter in a restaurant, where User requests are customers and Server is the Chef in the Kitchen. When a customer has a specific request, it is taken to the chef by the waiter. In the same way, When a user makes a specific request, it is requested to the server through API.

Hoppscotch

Hoppscotch is a tool that helps us to build HTTP requests that we send to Servers. It is a tool that allows us to work easily with APIs. It is an HTTP Client using which we can make HTTP requests using a GUI for validating the responses we retrieve using those API requests.

How it works

The Best way of learning is by working on it practically. We will test some APIs and will write tests for them. Go to Hoppscotch.io. Let’s start creating HTTP requests. Let’s make our first HTTP GET Request on Hoppscotch using the URL:

https://api-client-1122.herokuapp.com/

Copy this URL and paste it into the URL box in Hoppscotch. And start with a simple GET Request and press Send button.

GET Request

{ "Message": "HI THERE" }

That’s super cool! Now save the response by clicking on Save button. A new dialog box appears.

Save Button

Collections

So what are Collections in Hoppscotch? With the help of Collections, we can group together all the HTTP Requests of the single API Endpoint to organize it in a well-mannered way. Click on Add new button to create a new Collection and name it Users API and click on save button.

User API

User API

Now we will try to fetch the Users list from the API. Paste the below URL for fetching the Users list from the server.

https://api-client-1122.herokuapp.com/users

Using GET Method send the request.

Unauthorized

And change Content Type to application/json because we are providing our data in json format.

{
  "username": "sankee",
  "password": "IplayGTA5"
}

Add your data to the request body which you want to send with the request.

Response

{
 "status": 201, 
   "result": {
      "_id": "6151b7499602b70004d674f2",
      "username": "sankee",
      "password": "$2b$10$kcNFDQnfkewy.tT6TQtgVOICyeHFbT4B0rzMXVfPVuzdlGFK4htJW",
      "__v": 0
             }
 }

Let’s move forward and generate an auth token by sending our credentials to the login route. Add the same JSON data to the request body to generate auth token.

Auth token

Login Route

Authz

Users List

Error

Users route

Copy ID

https://api-client-1122.herokuapp.com/users/6151a8649602b70004d674f1

Change the method to PUT and add this data to the request body.

{
  "username": "sankalp123"
}

Send the request.

Environments

Our URL is getting a bit lengthy, No worries, Environments are here for rescue. We can create variables to store data and we can use those variables in our requests. Let’s make a variable baseURL and store our API Endpoint in it. Click on Environment icon button next to our workspace and click on Add new button and name it User API.

ENV VARIABLE

Delete

Verify

We have gone through all the common Request Methods and also organized our all requests using Collections and created variables by using Environments.

TESTS

Tests are scripts written in javascript which execute after the response is received? Let’s start writing tests for our API Requests. Go to our 1st Request and then go to the Tests section. We have some pre-written tests on the right side of the workspace.

snippets

snippet200

Test Result

pw.test(name, func()=>{});

Syntax is pretty much simple, we start with pw.test followed by name and function for the test.

// Check for HI THERE
pw.test("Response is HI THERE", () => {
  pw.expect(pw.response.body).toBe('{"Message":"HI THERE"}')
})

Add this code to Tests and let’s check if this fails or Passes.

Conclusion

Yep! We worked on the complete practical use of the Hopscotch HTTP Client. We learned how to make different HTTP Requests along with the 4 most common Request Methods - GET, POST, PUT & DELETE. We worked on how to organize all of our API requests using Collections and creating & using variables by using Environments.

Let’s connect

• Twitter

Thanks for reading, Peace and Bubbyeye, and yeah keep learning no matter how sleepy you are..!

Sleepy Tom