Think about the last time you used your smartphone to check the weather, booked a flight somewhere, used your device for directions, or made a payment using PayPal. While you were doing each of these activities, the only way you were able to complete the task was through the help of an API.
Maybe your business uses APIs, maybe you have users that rely on APIs to access your services. Regardless of why you use it, this technology is an extremely important aspect that not only determines how we interact with technology but allows us to do so. As you may have guessed then, developing an API is certainly not an overnight or one-and-done process.
It starts with visualizing how the API will perform and benefit those who use it, every software project begins with this kind of vision. Now, yes, you could take this vision, go through the planning process, implement the API, and hope to see some ROI relatively quickly. However, without any planning for proper maintenance measures, you can expect to see issues down the line.
Consequences of Not Testing
Testing your API is just as important as implementing it. As a business, you must have clear standards for how you want your system to perform, and testing to ensure that your API consistently meets these standards is critical.
We can keep emphasizing the importance of API testing but without providing any logic as to why, what good will that do? Here are 3 issues you can expect with a lack of API testing:
Unexpected Bugs: These usually come with their own set of several issues including failed tasks, incorrect data, and overall slow performance. As a user, this is highly frustrating and can detract users from your platform.
Costs Down The Line: The sooner you can detect and mitigate issues with your API, the better off your system will be. When issues that arise reach a later stage, they often become far more costly and difficult to resolve.
Losing User's Trust: As we’ve said before, your users may rely on APIs to access your services. If they are suddenly unable to access those services, or if the system isn’t providing accurate information, this will hurt your company's image.
An example we could say is similar to this is the recent Rogers outage, where over 12 million users were impacted. Of course, the cause was an anomaly but nonetheless, it goes to show how important your IT systems performance is for your customers.
Why Isn’t Everyone API Testing?
Clearly, there’s plenty that can go wrong which would make anyone question why API testing isn’t standard practice. Let’s make this clear, testing an API is not as simple as clicking a button; it’s one of the most difficult parts of quality testing in addition to software in general.
It requires knowledgeable developers who can allocate the necessary time and resources to provide accurate results. This is why some may not prioritize testing or do it at all, and in those cases, these are some of the benefits they’d be missing out on:
Quality Experience: The standards you’ve set out should not be compromised. Testing to make sure your API is consistently meeting your standards will benefit the user experience. Also, it shows consistency which will benefit the company's trust in the eyes of its users.
Platform Access Without UI: Whoever’s running QA testing on the platform will be able to access it without needing to use the application. As a result, this allows programmers to go in and detect bugs early as well as any other defects and fix them before users run into them.
Security Benefits: API testing can identify vulnerabilities in your security system and take the appropriate measures to solve them. In an age where IT systems are highly targeted, it’s critical to make sure your system is protected as much as possible.
Deciding to prioritize API testing is sure to give you an advantage when it comes to long-term success. However, acting in the best interest of your business will look different for everyone depending on the priorities.
The Takeaway
You’ll never see higher levels of success without consistently raising the bar for the way your business performs. Custom software development is a critical aspect of this journey as it allows businesses to outline, target, and meet their unique requirements.
Written By Ben Brown
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ISU Corp is an award-winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost-effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.
Our unique owners’ mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.
