What is an Interface Testing? Know Its Types, Strategy and Tools
When an application or a software or a website is developed, then there are several components of it. Those components can be server, database etc. The connection which integrates and facilitates the communication between these components is termed as an Interface.
In simple terms, an interface is a software comprising of a set of commands, messages etc.
Introduction
For a computer, an interface can be APIs, web services etc. The communication between the different components of a software or an application or a website can affect the overall performance hence this communication i.e. the interface also needs to be tested and verified.
The testing that is done to verify the interface functionality is called Interface testing.
The 2 common components of Interface testing include:
1.Web server and application server interface.
2.Database server and application server interface.
When and Why Should we Test an Interface?
Mentioned below are the 3 phases of Interface testing in an Interface lifecycle:
1) Configuration and development:
When the interface is configured, and once the development starts, the configurations need to be verified as per the requirement.
2) Validation:
When the development is completed, the interface needs to be validated and verified, this can be done as a part of unit testing also.
3) Maintenance:
Once the whole software is ready, deployed and working, then the interface needs to be monitored for its performance and any new issues introduced due to the changes made or deteriorating performance.
When we start developing an interface, we need to make sure that we are not introducing any defects in our code and hence tests need to be run on the interface to verify that adding new code is not injecting any new defects. This will help you to determine whether the interface is defect free and as per the requirement.
Once we are satisfied with the interface, we validate it for the intended workflow, data etc. We can run performance, huge data tests and check how well the interface responds. This will save a lot of time that will be spent on fixing the defects later.
In a nutshell, Interface testing is done to:
1.To check if the server execution is proper.
2.Error handling is done properly, and appropriate error messages are shown for queries made by the application or software.
3.To check the result when a connection to the server is reset.
4.To check the security aspect when the components communicate within themselves.
5.To check the impact of network failure on the communication between the components.
In a nutshell, Interface testing is done to:
1. To check if the server execution is proper.
2. Error handling is done properly, and appropriate error messages are shown for queries made by the application or software.
3. To check the result when a connection to the server is reset.
4. To check the security aspect when the components communicate within themselves.
5. To check the impact of network failure on the communication between the components.
Types of Interface Testing
Interface testing is basically done on the messaging layer of the system architecture. It mostly involves testing the REST API or SOAP web service with JSON or XML format.
Interface testing typically involves the following practices:
