Mocking APIs can help unblock testing and give you control over the data you need, without waiting for backend changes.
Using Mockoon, you can take a real request from a frontend and turn it into a mock using two methods. No code needed, just a bit of setup.
I’ve put together a small activity you can try if you want to get more hands-on with API mocking.
Your task!
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Download and install the latest version of Mockoon.
You’ll use it to create and run your mocked server locally. -
Create a new mocked server (environment) in Mockoon.
Give it a name and note the port number Mockoon assigns so you can point the frontend to it. -
Clone and run MERN test application locally.
Follow the instructions in the repo to run it with or without Docker. -
Mock the /api/category/list endpoint using both methods:
- Manually — create the route and paste in the response, and
- Through proxy mode — capture the response from the live backend and create the mock in one click.
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Go to the application UI and verify that categories are now getting the mocked response.
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Share your experience and thoughts in the thread:
- How did each method go for you — manual vs proxy?
- What differences did you notice in setup, speed, or reliability?
- Were you able to see the mocked response in the UI?
- What did you learn from comparing the two approaches?
Post your thoughts or questions below. Your post might help someone else, too.
