Karate API Example: A Comprehensive Guide to Automated Testing | Karate Mojo (2024)

Karate is an open-source testing framework for web services that simplifies the process of testing APIs. It’s an easy-to-learn tool that allows you to write API tests in a BDD (Behavior Driven Development) format, making it an ideal testing framework for both developers and testers.

In this blog post, we will provide an example of how to use the Karate API to test a sample REST API. We’ll cover how to set up the environment, write tests using BDD syntax, and run the tests. So let’s get started.

Setting up the Environment

Before we dive into writing the Karate API tests, we need to set up the environment. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download and install Java 8 or higher version on your machine.

2. Download the Karate JAR file from https://github.com/intuit/karate/releases.

3. Create a directory on your machine, where you want to keep your project folder, let’s call the folder ‚KarateAPI‘.

4. Extract the downloaded Karate JAR file into the ‚KarateAPI‘ folder.

5. With the Karate JAR file in place, you can now create a sample REST API to test. For this example, we will create a simple REST API using Spring Boot.

6. Create a Spring Boot project in your preferred IDE.

7. Add the following dependencies to your Maven POM file:

„`

org.springframework.boot
spring-boot-starter-web

„`

Writing Karate API Tests

With the environment set up, we can now start writing our Karate API tests. We will write a sample test for the REST API we created earlier. Here’s how to write tests using the Karate API:

1. Create a new file called ‚KarateTest.feature‘ in the ’src/test/java‘ folder of your project.

2. In the KarateTest.feature file, we need to define our Karate test in BDD syntax. Here’s an example test:

„`
Feature: Testing RESTful Service

Scenario: Get all customers
Given url ‚http://localhost:8080/api/v1/customers‘
When method get
Then status 200
And match response contains {name: ‚John‘, age: 30, city: ‚New York‘}
„`

3. In the above example, we have defined a test scenario called ‚Get all customers‘. In this scenario, we are making a GET request to the REST API endpoint ‚http://localhost:8080/api/v1/customers‘. We then check if the HTTP response status is 200, and we validate that the response contains specific customer details.

4. You can write more test scenarios to cover all the API functionalities. Karate supports most of the REST API testing scenarios including HTTP methods, Request Body, Headers, etc.

5. Save the ‚KarateTest.feature‘ file.

Running the Karate API Tests

With our Karate tests written, we can now run them to see if our REST API is delivering the right results. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open a command prompt or terminal window.

2. Navigate to the ‚KarateAPI‘ folder on your machine.

3. Run the following command to execute the Karate tests:

„`
java -jar karate.jar src/test/java/KarateTest.feature
„`

4. Karate will execute the test and provide you with the results.

5. If all the tests pass, you will see a message saying ‚All tests passed‘.

Frequently Asked Questions on Karate API Example

Karate is a popular open-source framework for testing APIs. It is built on top of Cucumber and uses the Gherkin syntax for writing tests. With Karate, you can write tests quickly and easily, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to improve their API testing workflow. In this blog post, we will answer some frequently asked questions about Karate API Example.

What is Karate?

Karate is an open-source testing framework used to test web services. It has a simple and expressive syntax, making it easier to write tests. Karate uses Cucumber’s Gherkin syntax, making it easy to write test cases in a human-readable format. You can use Karate to test REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs.

What is API testing?

API testing is the process of testing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). It involves sending requests to an API and evaluating the response. The goal of API testing is to check the functionality, reliability, and security of an API.

What is a Karate API example?

A Karate API example is a test written using the Karate framework. It is an example of how to use Karate to test an API. The test contains a series of steps that send requests to an API and verify the response. A Karate API example can be used as a starting point for testing your APIs.

What are the advantages of using Karate?

There are several advantages to using Karate for API testing. First, it is easy to learn and use. The syntax is straightforward, and you don’t need any programming skills to get started. Second, Karate supports multiple protocols, including REST, SOAP, and GraphQL. Third, Karate provides a wide range of built-in assertions, reducing the need for custom code. Finally, Karate integrates with other testing frameworks like JUnit and TestNG.

What are the basic steps to create a Karate API test?

To create a Karate API test, you need to follow these basic steps:

1. Define the endpoint – Specify the URL of the API endpoint you want to test.

2. Write the request – Create a request and include any parameters, headers, or a request body.

3. Verify the response – Validate the response from the API to ensure it meets your expectations.

4. Repeat until all endpoints are tested.

How do you run a Karate API test?

To run a Karate API test, you need to use the Karate command-line interface (CLI). Here’s an example:

„`
java -jar karate.jar myapi.feature
„`

This command runs the `myapi.feature` file using the Karate CLI. You can also run Karate tests using a build tool like Maven or Gradle.

What are the different types of assertions in Karate?

Karate has several built-in assertions that you can use to test your API responses, including:

– `match` – to compare JSON or XML responses to a pattern or value.
– `contains` – to check that a response contains a specific key or value.
– `match each` – to verify that each item in an array matches a given pattern.
– `not` – to negate an assertion.

Can I use Karate for load testing?

Yes, you can use Karate for load testing. Karate has built-in support for load testing using Gatling, an open-source load testing tool. You can simulate high volumes of HTTP traffic and analyze the performance and stability of your APIs using this integration.

Is Karate suitable for testing microservices?

Yes, Karate is suitable for testing microservices. Because Karate is designed to test APIs, it can be used to test microservices that provide APIs. Karate’s support for multiple protocols also makes it useful for testing microservices built using different technologies.

How to Use Karate API for Automated Testing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Karate is an open-source tool that enables you to easily automate API tests. It can be used for functional, acceptance, and regression testing, as well as performance testing. This guide will give you a step-by-step tutorial on how to use Karate API and its features.

Step 1: Set Up the Karate API

The first step in using Karate API is to install it on your local machine. This can be done by following these instructions:

1. Download the Karate API from the official website (https://intuit.github.io/karate/).
2. Extract the files to a location of your choice.
3. Set the environment variables by adding the bin folder path to your PATH variable.

Step 2: Create a Karate Project

Once you have set up the Karate API, you can create a Karate project using the following instructions:

1. Create a new folder for your project.
2. In the folder, create a file named „karate-config.js“.
3. Inside „karate-config.js“, add the following code:

„`javascript
function() {
var config = {
baseUrl: ‚https://your.api.url‘
};
return config;
}
„`

Replace „https://your.api.url“ with the API endpoint you want to test.

4. Create a new file in the same folder, named „test.feature“. This file will contain the test scenarios.

Step 3: Define Test Scenarios

After creating the „test.feature“ file, you can define the test scenarios you want to run. A test scenario in Karate API is defined using the Gherkin syntax. Here’s a sample feature file:

„`gherkin
Feature: Sample API Tests

Background:
* configure ssl = true

Scenario: Test GET Request
Given path ‚/api/users‘
When method get
Then status 200
And match response contains ‚John Doe‘

Scenario: Test POST Request
Given path ‚/api/users‘
And request { „name“: „Jane Smith“, „email“: „jane.smith@example.com“}
When method post
Then status 201
And match response.name == ‚Jane Smith‘
And match response.email == ‚jane.smith@example.com‘
„`

Step 4: Run the Test Scenarios

To run the test scenarios, open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the project folder. Then, run the following command:

„`
karate test test.feature -T 10
„`

Here, „test.feature“ is the name of the file containing the test scenarios. „-T 10“ specifies the time-out for each request.

Step 5: Analyze Test Results

Once the tests have finished running, Karate API will generate a report in HTML format. This report will display the results of each scenario, along with any errors or failures that occurred. To view the report, navigate to the „target/surefire-reports“ folder and open the „index.html“ file in your web browser.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have learned how to set up and use Karate API for automated testing. By following these steps, you can easily create and run API tests using the Karate framework. With Karate API, you can save time and resources, while ensuring the quality and reliability of your APIs.