API Testing vs. UI Testing (2024)

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Sachin Dhote

QA Operations(Test Planning|Design|Estimation| Coordination| Monitoring) | Agile Methodology |API Testing | Selenium | Karate |Jira | SCM Certified | SFPC | Google Project Management Certificate | Product Testing

Published Nov 3, 2023

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Scope of Testing:API Testing: API testing focuses on testing the backend of an application, specifically the APIs and the business logic that powers it. It verifies that the APIs work as expected, regardless of how the data is presented to users.UI Testing: UI testing, on the other hand, concentrates on the front-end or user interface of the application. It ensures that the user interface elements, such as buttons, forms, and screens, function correctly and provide a seamless user experience.
Granularity:API Testing: API testing is typically more granular and can test individual API endpoints, functions, or methods. It involves testing specific data input and output, status codes, and error handling. UI Testing: UI testing is broader in scope, focusing on the user's interactions with the application as a whole. It checks how different UI components interact with each other and the overall user flow.
Independence:API Testing: API tests can be executed independently of the user interface. This means that API testing can start early in the development process, even before the user interface is fully developed.UI Testing: UI testing is typically dependent on the user interface's availability and readiness, making it a later stage in the testing process.
Test Speed:API Testing: API tests are generally faster to execute because they don't involve rendering web pages or interacting with the graphical elements of the user interface.UI Testing: UI tests can be slower due to their involvement with the graphical elements and rendering of web pages.
Maintenance:API Testing: API tests tend to be more stable and require less maintenance because they are less affected by changes in the user interface design.UI Testing: UI tests can be fragile and require more frequent updates when there are changes in the UI, making them more maintenance-intensive.
Use Cases:API Testing: API testing is essential for verifying data integrity, security, performance, and integration between different components or services. It's also crucial for validating the functionality of an application's backend services.UI Testing: UI testing is mainly concerned with the user experience, ensuring that users can interact with the application's interface effectively and that it looks and behaves as expected.
Error Detection:API Testing: API tests can efficiently detect issues related to data validation, response codes, and error handling at the API level.UI Testing: UI tests are better suited for identifying user interface-related issues, such as layout problems, broken links, and visual inconsistencies.

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