Robot Framework test library for (RESTful) JSON APIs
- RESTinstance relies on Robot Framework's language-agnostic, clean and minimal syntax, for API tests. It is neither tied to any particular programming language nor development framework. Using RESTinstance requires little, if any, programming knowledge. It builts on long-term technologies with well established communities, such as HTTP, JSON (Schema), Swagger/OpenAPI and Robot Framework.
- It validates JSON using JSON Schema, guiding you to write API tests to base on properties rather than on specific values (e.g. "email must be valid" vs "email is foo@bar.com"). This approach reduces test maintenance when the values responded by the API are prone to change. Although values are not required, you can still test them whenever they make sense (e.g. GET response body from one endpoint, then POST some of its values to another endpoint and verify the results).
- It generates JSON Schema for requests and responses automatically, and the schema gets more accurate by your tests. Output the schema to a file and reuse it as expectations to test the other methods, as most of them respond similarly with only minor differences. Or extend the schema further to a full Swagger spec (version 2.0, OpenAPI 3.0 also planned), which RESTinstance can test requests and responses against. All this leads to reusability, getting great test coverage with minimum number of keystrokes and very clean tests.
Three installation methods are supported. Pick the one that suits you best.
On 3.x and 2.7, you can install or upgrade from PyPi:
pip install --upgrade RESTinstance
The RESTinstance Docker image contains Python 3.6 and the latest Robot Framework:
docker pull asyrjasalo/restinstance docker run --rm -ti --env HOST_UID=$(id -u) --env HOST_GID=$(id -g) \ --env HTTP_PROXY --env HTTPS_PROXY --network host \ --volume "$PWD/tests":/home/robot/tests \ --volume "$PWD/results":/home/robot/results \ asyrjasalo/restinstance tests
If already using rfdocker,
add RESTinstance to requirements.txt and remove the commented lines
in Dockerfile. It will be installed next time ./rfdocker is ran.
To pass the proxy settings to the container and run it on the host network:
RUN_ARGS="--env HTTP_PROXY,HTTPS_PROXY --network=host" ./rfdocker
There is a step-by-step tutorial in the making, best accompanied with the keyword documentation.
Tip: Run this README.rst as a test suite with Robot Framework.
*** Settings ***
Library REST https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
Documentation Test data can be read from variables and files.
... Both JSON and Python type systems are supported for inputs.
... Every request creates a so-called instance. Can be `Output`.
... Most keywords are effective only for the last instance.
... Initial schemas are autogenerated for request and response.
... You can make them more detailed by using assertion keywords.
... The assertion keywords correspond to the JSON types.
... They take in either path to the property or a JSONPath query.
... Using (enum) values in tests optional. Only type is required.
... All the JSON Schema validation keywords are also supported.
... Thus, there is no need to write any own validation logic.
... Not a long path from schemas to full Swagger/OpenAPI specs.
... The persistence of the created instances is the test suite.
... Use keyword `Rest instances` to output the created instances.
*** Variables ***
${json} { "id": 11, "name": "Gil Alexander" }
&{dict} name=Julie Langford
*** Test Cases ***
GET an existing user, notice how the schema gets more accurate
GET /users/1 # this creates a new instance
Output schema response body
Object response body # values are fully optional
Integer response body id 1
String response body name Leanne Graham
[Teardown] Output # note the updated response schema
GET existing users, use JSONPath for very short but powerful queries
GET /users?_limit=5 # further assertions are to this
Array response body
Integer $[0].id 1 # first id is 1
String $[0]..lat -37.3159 # any matching child
Integer $..id maximum=5 # multiple matches
[Teardown] Output $[*].email # outputs all emails as an array
POST with valid params to create a new user, can be output to a file
POST /users ${json}
Integer response status 201
[Teardown] Output response body ${OUTPUTDIR}/new_user.demo.json
PUT with valid params to update the existing user, values matter here
PUT /users/2 { "isCoding": true }
Boolean response body isCoding true
PUT /users/2 { "sleep": null }
Null response body sleep
PUT /users/2 { "pockets": "", "money": 0.02 }
String response body pockets ${EMPTY}
Number response body money 0.02
Missing response body moving # fails if property moving exists
PATCH with valid params, reusing response properties as a new payload
&{res}= GET /users/3
String $.name Clementine Bauch
PATCH /users/4 { "name": "${res.body['name']}" }
String $.name Clementine Bauch
PATCH /users/5 ${dict}
String $.name ${dict.name}
DELETE the existing successfully, save the history of all requests
DELETE /users/6 # status can be any of the below
Integer response status 200 202 204
Rest instances ${OUTPUTDIR}/all.demo.json # all the instances so farBug reports and feature requests are tracked in GitHub.
We do respect pull request(er)s. Please mention if you do not want to be listed below as contributors.
For simplicity, Docker is required for running the library's own tests. No other requirements are needed.
To spin up the environment and run the tests:
scripts/test
To run them on Python 2.7:
BUILD_ARGS="-f Dockerfile.python2" BUILD_NAME="restinstance-python2" scripts/test
The test API is implemented by mounterest, which in turn bases on mountebank.
In the scope of library's tests, mounterest acts as a HTTP proxy to Typicode's live JSON server and uses mountebank's injections to enrich responses slightly, so that they better match to this library's testing needs. Particularly, it allows to test the library with non-safe HTTP methods (POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE) by mimicking their changes, instead of trying to issue them on the live server. The changes are cleared between the test runs.
To generate keyword documentation:
scripts/genlibdoc
To build and release Python package to PyPi:
scripts/release_pypi
To release the Docker image to private Docker registry:
scripts/release https://your.private.registry.com:5000/restinstance
To release the Docker image to DockerHub:
scripts/release {{organization}}/restinstance
RESTinstance is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and was originally written by Anssi Syrjäsalo.
It was presented at (the first) RoboCon 2018.
Contributors:
- jjwong for helping with keyword documentation and examples (also check RESTinstance_starter_project)
- Przemysław "sqilz" Hendel for using and testing RESTinstance in early phase (also check RESTinstance-wrapper)
We use the following Python excellence under the hood:
- Flex, by Piper Merriam, for Swagger 2.0 validation
- GenSON, by Jon "wolverdude" Wolverton, for JSON Schema generator
- jsonpath-ng, by Tomas Aparicio and Kenneth Knowles, for handling JSONPath queries
- jsonschema, by Julian Berman, for JSON Schema draft-04 validation
- pygments, by Georg Brandl et al., for JSON syntax coloring, in terminal Output
- requests, by Kenneth Reitz et al., for making HTTP requests
See requirements.txt for all the direct dependencies.