name: testing-apis description: Test REST API endpoints like a QA expert. Supports Bearer tokens, connectivity checks, and backend database verification via managing-databases skill.

Testing APIs

Automate and document API endpoint testing with a focus on Quality Assurance.

Quick Start

1. Read Credentials: Read resources/credentials.json in this skill's folder to get authentication details (email, password, roles).
2. Connectivity Check: Before testing, verify the backend is active.
   • Run curl -I <base_url> or use the test script on a health endpoint.
   • If it fails, STOP and ask the user: "The backend appears to be inactive. Please activate it before proceeding with API tests."
3. Login (if needed): If the API requires authentication:
   • Use credentials from resources/credentials.json to call the login endpoint.
   • Extract the token from the login response.
   • Use that token for subsequent authenticated requests.
4. Run Test:

   python scripts/test_api.py <URL> [METHOD] [DATA_JSON] [BEARER_TOKEN]
   

5. Database Sync: If an API call modifies data (POST/PUT/DELETE), use the managing-databases skill to verify the database state.

Core Workflow

1. Pre-test Verification

• Read resources/credentials.json in this skill's folder for authentication credentials.
• Check for .env or configuration files in the target project to find API base URLs.
• Ping the server to ensure it's reachable.
• If authentication is required, login first and obtain a bearer token.

2. Execution (QA Expert Persona)

• Test valid inputs, boundary cases, and invalid inputs.
• Verify status codes (e.g., 200 OK, 201 Created, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 500 Server Error).
• Validate response body structure and data types.

3. Database Verification

• If the API (e.g., POST /users) should create a record, trigger the managing-databases skill to:
  • Connect to the DB.
  • Query the relevant table.
  • Confirm the change exists.

4. Reporting

Generate a summary of the results in the following format:

<endpoint> => <status (working/error)>
[Additional details if error]

Credentials File

The resources/credentials.json file stores authentication details:

{
  "role": ["user", "admin", "super_admin"],
  "token": "",
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "password": "password123"
}

• role: Available roles to test with (use appropriate credentials per role if needed).
• token: Pre-stored token (optional). If empty, login to obtain one.
• email/password: Login credentials for authentication endpoints.

Features

• Bearer Token Support: Pass tokens directly to the script.
• JSON Handling: Automatically handles JSON payloads and responses.
• Cross-Skill Integration: Works with managing-databases for end-to-end testing.

References

• Usage Examples: See examples.md
• Database Management: See managing-databases/SKILL.md