RESTest: automated black-box testing of RESTful web APIs
Alberto Martin-Lopez, Sergio Segura, Antonio Ruiz–Cortés
Abstract
Testing RESTful APIs thoroughly is critical due to their key role in \nsoftware integration. Existing tools for the automated generation \nof test cases in this domain have shown great promise, but their \napplicability is limited as they mostly rely on random inputs, i.e., \nfuzzing. In this paper, we present RESTest, an open source black box testing framework for RESTful web APIs. Based on the API \nspecification, RESTest supports the generation of test cases using \ndifferent testing techniques such as fuzzing and constraint-based \ntesting, among others. RESTest is developed as a framework and can \nbe easily extended with new test case generators and test writers \nfor different programming languages. We evaluate the tool in two \nscenarios: offline and online testing. In the former, we show how \nRESTest can efficiently generate realistic test cases (test inputs and \ntest oracles) that uncover bugs in real-world APIs. In the latter, we \nshow RESTest’s capabilities as a continuous testing and monitoring \nframework. Demo video: https://youtu.be/1f_tjdkaCKo.