Challenges faced by banks in multiple API automation
Application Programming Interface or API is a current trend in the banking and financial industry that helps organizations in their various service lines. APIs have many benefits that result in banks creating multiple APIs to ensure their services spread across client servers to eliminate toggling between ERP platforms and banking systems. Currently, banks are using APIs for UPI collection, Reverse MIS, fetching bank statements, account balance checking, payment enquiry, opening account, and adding beneficiary, to name a few.
APIs have become an integral part of banking transactions as it simplifies the banking processes and eradicates complexities. Banks distribute complex transactions to open-source platforms to offer ease of use to the users and reduce the liability on in-house banking systems. But testing Application Programming Interface (API) is not easy. There are always initial challenges when it comes to testing APIs.
Lack of applicable simulator in sending requests/responses while executing API testing for open-source, commercial and more
Integrating multiple API testing tools
Impact of change, as a small alteration can impede the entire output
Lack of understanding of business application logic and functionality knowledge
Managing extensive test data
Feeding incorrect input values
Inadequate knowledge of combination parameters
Background of API testing
Initial setup – API automation testing is necessary to ensure if APIs are sustainable to bear the performance load and pressure.
Handling response – It relates to data formatting that ensures if APIs are capable to handle requests and responses.
Parameter combination – Another challenge is to test all possible parameter request combinations in the APIs related to problems within specific configurations.
Arranging API calls sequence – API calls must be arranged in the correct order to eliminate errors. A proper sequence of API calls can reduce errors. However, the challenge increases while working with multiple-threaded applications or multiple APIs.
Validating parameters – Validating the parameters sent through APIs can be challenging for the testing team. Every parameter sent through API requests must capture the correct data type, fits within the length, and value range, and pass the validation criteria.
Tracing system integration – It is a challenge to ensure that the API testing systems work correctly with the data tracking systems. It is crucial to monitor API performance to ensure that they bring correct responses or calls.
Ensure security as the data is sensitive: Banks must maintain API security in many layers as data is highly sensitive and vulnerable to cyber threats. But maintaining multiple API security at different layers is challenging.
If the additional parameter is included, it exponentially increases the number of possible combinations simultaneously also increasing the challenges. Testing the multiple API integrations further intensifies these challenges.
