30 Days of API Testing Day 11 : Learn about different types of API’s, share your findings

[kanwar_dusaj (Kanwar)]

Creating this thread for Day11 of the challenge #30-days-of-testing:30-days-of-api-testing

Do share about different types of API’s, share your findings.

[ilya.lychkou]

This is a good article - the comparison between REST and SOAP API https://nordicapis.com/rest-vs-soap-nordic-apis-infographic-comparison/

[nagesh.joy (Nagesh)]

There are different types of API:

• SOAP
• XML-RPC
• JSON-RPC
• REST (Most famous by name)

Each type of API offers different strengths and weaknesses, some are shown in this chart.

For more info, refer A Guide to Designing the Perfect API

[oceannguyen (Duong)]

I found an article describes quite detail about types of API. They are:

• Web service APIs
  • SOAP
  • XML-RPC
  • JSON-RPC
  • REST
• WebSocket APIs
• Library-based APIs
  • JavaScript
  • TWAIN
• Class-based APIs (object orientation)
  • Java API
  • Android API
• OS Functions and routines
  • Access to file system
  • Access to user interface
• Object remoting APIs
  • CORBA
  • .NET remoting
• Hardware APIs
  • Video acceleration
  • Hard disk drives
  • PCI buses

For full article you can refer here

[testerawesome (Luke Liu)]

Thanks for sharing, this is a very comprohensive list about types of APIs

[dkotschessa (David)]

I read the same article as @oceannguyen. Very helpful! I have been focusing on REST API’s and was vaguely aware of SOAP, but this article broke it down nicely.

[heather_reid]

From the Twitter folks:

Conor Fitzgerald (conorfi)

Helena Barmer (psNoBugs)

[kmstuanhnguyen (Tu Anh Nguyen - KMS)]

Thanks @oceannguyen for your sharing API types, it is very detailed.

I found some articles which categorize APIs into 3 groups:

• Open APIs (aka Public APIs)
• Partner APIs
• Internal APIs – aka private APIs

What are the different types of APIs?

[srinivasskc (srinivas)]

Day 11 : Learn about different types of API’s, share your findings. #30DaysofAPITesting

Day 11: Learn about different types of API’s, share your findings.

[kanwar_dusaj (Kanwar)]

Thanks for sharing

[kms_trangta (Trang Ta)]

Types of API:

• TCP/IP Sockets

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

• Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)

• Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs)

• Microsoft Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) – also known as ActiveX

• Web Services (SOAP then REST)

[kms_thanhhuynh (Thanh)]

My findings of different types of API’s:

Web service APIs. Most often-used types of web service:

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
• XML-RPC
• JSON-RPC
• REST (Representational state transfer)

Source Code APIs

• Library-based APIs
• Class-based APIs (object-oriented) – a special type of library-based API

Functions or routines in an OS
Object remoting APIs
Hardware APIs

[tuanatran (Tuan Tran)]

Before this thread, I did assume there are 02 types of API are: SOAP then REST.

But thanks god. After reading this article, I realize SOAP and REST are apart of Web service API

So I would like to share my finding after reading this article.

• Web service APIs
  – SOAP
  – XML-RPC
  – JSON-RPC
  – REST

• Library-based APIs
  Google Maps JavaScript API

• Class-based APIs
  Android API

• OS Functions and routines
  APIs interact with the Operating systems like Windows…

• Object remoting APIs
  API works by implementing local proxy objects to represent the remote objects, and interacting with the local object. The same interaction is then duplicated on the remote object, via the protocol.

• Hardware APIs
  To interact with the hardware like Graphic Cards, the Printer…

[kms_namnguyen]

My findings of different types of API’s:

Web service APIs

• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)

• XML-RPC

• JSON-RPC

• REST (Representational state transfer)

• Library-based APIs

• Class-based APIs (object-oriented) – a special type of library-based API

OS Functions or routines: APIs interact with the Operating systems like Windows…

Object remoting APIs: API works by implementing local proxy objects to represent the remote objects, and interacting with the local object. The same interaction is then duplicated on the remote object, via the protocol.

Hardware APIs: To interact with the hardware like Graphic Cards, the Printer…
Or learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjuLNpFHnkU. This will helpful to the newbies.

[kms_thaotnguyen (Thao)]

Types of APIs:

1. Web Services API: include REST, SOAP, XML-RPC and JSON-RPC. REST stands for Representational State Transfer and SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. These APIs provide services through the World Wide Web.

2. Source Code APIs: includes Library based APIs and Class based APIs.

• Library based APIs: In these type of APIs, an application will reference a library of code and use the functions/routines from that library to perform actions and exchange information

• Class based APIs: These APIs provide data and functionality organized around classes as defined in object oriented languages. Each class offers a discrete set of information

3. Object Remoting APIs: These types of APIs use a remoting protocol such as CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture)

4. Hardware APIs: These hardware APIs helps to access the hardware level of devices such as reading temperature, access inventory information like model number, serial number, etc.

[restertest (Ioan Solderea)]

While I do agree with all of the links posted until now and without saying I know what Rest is since I am Rester Test on YouTube I will add a different link based on experience.

On a Project I did last year I needed to check the API. So my first though was ok REST API, I got this. It turned out to be GraphQL, so I did not have it.

Therefore I will say in general for APIs we kind of have REST and the rest. But to clarify how to start with GraphQL have a look at the below link

GraphQL vs REST: putting REST to rest

[m.zn (Maksim Zinovev)]

Here is a mindmap I created using some of the mentioned resources