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name: API Testing description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "test an API", "write API tests", "mock API responses", "validate API endpoints", or needs guidance on REST API testing strategies.

API Testing

This skill provides guidance for testing REST APIs effectively.

Quick Start

Test a simple endpoint:

Copycurl -X GET https://api.example.com/users \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Testing Workflow

1. Identify endpoints - List all endpoints to test
2. Set up test environment - Configure base URL, auth tokens
3. Write test cases - Cover success, error, edge cases
4. Run tests - Execute and collect results
5. Validate responses - Check status codes, body, headers

Common Test Cases

Success Cases

• Valid request returns expected data
• Pagination works correctly
• Filtering/sorting produces correct results

Error Cases

• Invalid auth returns 401
• Missing required fields return 400
• Non-existent resource returns 404
• Rate limiting returns 429

Edge Cases

• Empty results return empty array, not null
• Large payloads handled correctly
• Special characters in inputs escaped properly

Response Validation

Check these elements:

• Status code: 200, 201, 400, 401, 404, 500
• Response body: JSON structure matches schema
• Headers: Content-Type, pagination headers
• Timing: Response within acceptable limits

Additional Resources

For detailed testing patterns and advanced techniques:

• references/detailed-guide.md - Comprehensive testing patterns, authentication strategies, and mock server setup