Step 6: Testing & Deployment

Testing & Deployment is the final step where you validate your API configuration, test all functionality, and deploy your API to production.

Overview

The Testing & Deployment step allows you to:

Test your API with various data scenarios
Validate form integrations and field mappings
Deploy your API to production
Set up monitoring and analytics

Testing Your API

Manual Testing

Test Data Preparation

Create comprehensive test data covering various scenarios:

json

{
  "valid_submission": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "rating": 5,
    "feedback": "Great product! Highly recommended."
  },
  "minimal_submission": {
    "name": "Jane Smith",
    "email": "jane@example.com",
    "rating": 3
  },
  "edge_case_submission": {
    "name": "A",
    "email": "a@b.c",
    "rating": 1,
    "feedback": "x".repeat(1000)
  },
  "invalid_submission": {
    "name": "",
    "email": "invalid-email",
    "rating": 6,
    "feedback": ""
  }
}

API Endpoint Testing

Test your API endpoint directly:

bash

# Test valid submission
curl -X POST https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "rating": 5,
    "feedback": "Great product!"
  }'

# Test invalid submission
curl -X POST https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "",
    "email": "invalid-email",
    "rating": 6
  }'

# Test with missing required fields
curl -X POST https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "John Doe"
  }'

Form Integration Testing

Test your connected forms:

Typeform Testing
- Submit test responses through Typeform
- Verify data reaches your API correctly
- Check field mapping accuracy
Google Forms Testing
- Submit test responses through Google Forms
- Verify webhook delivery
- Check data transformation
Custom HTML Form Testing
- Test form submission in browser
- Verify JavaScript functionality
- Check error handling

Automated Testing

Unit Tests

Test individual validation rules:

javascript

// Test email validation
describe('Email Validation', () => {
  test('valid email should pass', () => {
    const result = validateEmail('john@example.com');
    expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
  });

  test('invalid email should fail', () => {
    const result = validateEmail('invalid-email');
    expect(result.valid).toBe(false);
    expect(result.error).toBe('Please enter a valid email address');
  });
});

// Test rating validation
describe('Rating Validation', () => {
  test('rating 1-5 should pass', () => {
    const result = validateRating(5);
    expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
  });

  test('rating outside range should fail', () => {
    const result = validateRating(6);
    expect(result.valid).toBe(false);
    expect(result.error).toBe('Rating must be between 1 and 5');
  });
});

Integration Tests

Test form-to-API connections:

javascript

// Test Typeform integration
describe('Typeform Integration', () => {
  test('should process Typeform webhook', async () => {
    const webhookPayload = {
      form_id: 'abc123',
      answers: [
        {
          field: { id: 'name_12345' },
          text: 'John Doe'
        },
        {
          field: { id: 'email_67890' },
          email: 'john@example.com'
        }
      ]
    };

    const response = await processTypeformWebhook(webhookPayload);
    expect(response.success).toBe(true);
    expect(response.data.name).toBe('John Doe');
    expect(response.data.email).toBe('john@example.com');
  });
});

// Test API endpoint
describe('API Endpoint', () => {
  test('should accept valid submission', async () => {
    const submission = {
      name: 'John Doe',
      email: 'john@example.com',
      rating: 5,
      feedback: 'Great product!'
    };

    const response = await fetch('/endpoint/user-feedback', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify(submission)
    });

    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
    const data = await response.json();
    expect(data.success).toBe(true);
    expect(data.data.name).toBe('John Doe');
  });
});

Load Testing

Test API performance under load:

javascript

// Load test configuration
const loadTestConfig = {
  url: 'https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback',
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: {
    name: 'Load Test User',
    email: 'loadtest@example.com',
    rating: 5,
    feedback: 'Load test feedback'
  },
  concurrency: 100,
  duration: '5m',
  expectedResponseTime: 500
};

// Run load test
const results = await runLoadTest(loadTestConfig);
console.log('Load Test Results:', results);

Security Testing

Authentication Testing

javascript

// Test API key authentication
describe('Authentication', () => {
  test('valid API key should work', async () => {
    const response = await fetch('/endpoint/user-feedback', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Authorization': 'Bearer valid-api-key'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(validSubmission)
    });

    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
  });

  test('invalid API key should fail', async () => {
    const response = await fetch('/endpoint/user-feedback', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Authorization': 'Bearer invalid-api-key'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(validSubmission)
    });

    expect(response.status).toBe(401);
  });
});

Input Validation Testing

javascript

// Test SQL injection prevention
describe('Security', () => {
  test('should prevent SQL injection', async () => {
    const maliciousInput = {
      name: "'; DROP TABLE users; --",
      email: 'test@example.com',
      rating: 5
    };

    const response = await fetch('/endpoint/user-feedback', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify(maliciousInput)
    });

    expect(response.status).toBe(422);
    const data = await response.json();
    expect(data.errors[0].code).toBe('INVALID_INPUT');
  });

  test('should prevent XSS attacks', async () => {
    const xssInput = {
      name: '<script>alert("XSS")</script>',
      email: 'test@example.com',
      rating: 5
    };

    const response = await fetch('/endpoint/user-feedback', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify(xssInput)
    });

    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
    const data = await response.json();
    expect(data.data.name).not.toContain('<script>');
  });
});

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Configuration Review

[ ] Endpoint Configuration
- [ ] Endpoint name and description are correct
- [ ] URL path is properly configured
- [ ] HTTP methods are set correctly
[ ] Field Configuration
- [ ] All required fields are defined
- [ ] Field types and validation rules are correct
- [ ] Optional fields are properly configured
[ ] Form Integration
- [ ] Form connections are working
- [ ] Field mapping is accurate
- [ ] Data transformation is functioning
[ ] Validation Rules
- [ ] All validation rules are tested
- [ ] Error messages are user-friendly
- [ ] Business logic validation is working
[ ] Response Configuration
- [ ] Success responses are properly formatted
- [ ] Error responses include helpful information
- [ ] Response headers are configured correctly

Security Review

[ ] Authentication
- [ ] API keys are properly configured
- [ ] Authentication is required for sensitive endpoints
- [ ] Token expiration is set appropriately
[ ] Input Validation
- [ ] All inputs are validated
- [ ] SQL injection prevention is in place
- [ ] XSS prevention is implemented
[ ] Rate Limiting
- [ ] Rate limits are configured
- [ ] Rate limit headers are included in responses
- [ ] Rate limit errors are handled gracefully

Performance Review

[ ] Response Times
- [ ] API responds within acceptable time limits
- [ ] Database queries are optimized
- [ ] Caching is implemented where appropriate
[ ] Scalability
- [ ] API can handle expected load
- [ ] Database connections are properly managed
- [ ] Error handling doesn't cause performance issues

Deployment Process

Deployment Steps

Final Configuration Review
- Review all settings one final time
- Verify environment variables are set
- Check database connections
Deploy to Production
- Deploy API to production environment
- Verify deployment is successful
- Check health endpoints
Update Documentation
- Generate API documentation
- Update endpoint URLs
- Create usage examples
Configure Monitoring
- Set up performance monitoring
- Configure error tracking
- Set up alerting

Post-Deployment Verification

Health Checks

bash

# Check API health
curl -X GET https://your-api.com/health

# Check endpoint availability
curl -X GET https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback

# Test with valid data
curl -X POST https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Test User",
    "email": "test@example.com",
    "rating": 5,
    "feedback": "Post-deployment test"
  }'

Integration Testing

Test Form Submissions
- Submit test data through connected forms
- Verify data reaches your API
- Check response handling
Test Error Scenarios
- Submit invalid data
- Test rate limiting
- Verify error responses
Test Performance
- Monitor response times
- Check for memory leaks
- Verify database performance

Monitoring & Analytics

Performance Monitoring

Key Metrics

Response Time: Average, median, and 95th percentile
Throughput: Requests per second
Error Rate: Percentage of failed requests
Availability: Uptime percentage

Monitoring Setup

javascript

// Performance monitoring configuration
const monitoringConfig = {
  metrics: {
    responseTime: true,
    throughput: true,
    errorRate: true,
    availability: true
  },
  alerts: {
    responseTime: { threshold: 1000, unit: 'ms' },
    errorRate: { threshold: 5, unit: 'percent' },
    availability: { threshold: 99.9, unit: 'percent' }
  },
  reporting: {
    frequency: '1m',
    retention: '30d',
    dashboard: true
  }
};

Business Analytics

Usage Metrics

Submission Volume: Number of submissions per day/week/month
Field Completion: Which fields are most/least used
Error Analysis: Most common validation failures
User Behavior: Submission patterns and trends

Analytics Dashboard

javascript

// Analytics configuration
const analyticsConfig = {
  metrics: {
    submissions: {
      total: true,
      daily: true,
      weekly: true,
      monthly: true
    },
    fields: {
      completion: true,
      validation: true,
      usage: true
    },
    errors: {
      frequency: true,
      types: true,
      resolution: true
    }
  },
  reporting: {
    frequency: '1h',
    retention: '1y',
    dashboard: true,
    exports: ['csv', 'json']
  }
};

Error Tracking

Error Monitoring

javascript

// Error tracking configuration
const errorTrackingConfig = {
  capture: {
    errors: true,
    warnings: true,
    performance: true
  },
  context: {
    request: true,
    user: false,
    environment: true
  },
  alerting: {
    email: ['admin@company.com'],
    slack: '#alerts',
    threshold: 10
  }
};

Maintenance & Updates

Regular Maintenance

Weekly Tasks

[ ] Review error logs and resolve issues
[ ] Check performance metrics
[ ] Update documentation if needed
[ ] Review security logs

Monthly Tasks

[ ] Analyze usage patterns and trends
[ ] Review and update validation rules
[ ] Check for security updates
[ ] Plan capacity improvements

Quarterly Tasks

[ ] Comprehensive security review
[ ] Performance optimization review
[ ] Update dependencies and libraries
[ ] Review and update monitoring configuration

Updates and Improvements

Feature Updates

Plan Updates
- Identify improvement opportunities
- Prioritize based on user feedback
- Plan implementation timeline
Test Updates
- Test in staging environment
- Validate all functionality
- Check performance impact
Deploy Updates
- Deploy during low-traffic periods
- Monitor deployment closely
- Rollback plan ready

Version Management

javascript

// API versioning configuration
const versioningConfig = {
  current: '1.0',
  supported: ['1.0'],
  deprecated: [],
  sunset: [],
  migration: {
    '1.0': {
      '2.0': {
        breaking: true,
        migrationGuide: '/docs/migration/1.0-to-2.0'
      }
    }
  }
};

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Performance Issues

Slow Response Times
- Check database query performance
- Review caching configuration
- Monitor server resources
High Error Rates
- Review error logs
- Check validation rules
- Verify form integrations

Integration Issues

Form Not Submitting
- Check webhook configuration
- Verify field mapping
- Test form independently
Data Not Reaching API
- Check network connectivity
- Verify authentication
- Review error logs

Getting Help

Support Resources

Documentation: Check API documentation and guides
Logs: Review application and error logs
Monitoring: Check performance and error metrics
Community: Reach out to support team

Debugging Tools

bash

# Check API status
curl -X GET https://your-api.com/status

# Test specific endpoint
curl -X POST https://your-api.com/endpoint/user-feedback \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Debug Test", "email": "debug@example.com", "rating": 5}'

# Check logs
tail -f /var/log/api.log

Next Steps

After successful deployment:

Monitor Performance - Keep an eye on metrics and alerts
Collect Feedback - Gather user feedback and usage data
Iterate and Improve - Plan updates and enhancements
Scale as Needed - Adjust capacity based on usage

Response Configuration - API response setup
Validation Rules - Data validation
API Reference - Complete API documentation

Step 6: Testing & Deployment ​

Overview ​

Testing Your API ​

Manual Testing ​

Test Data Preparation ​

API Endpoint Testing ​

Form Integration Testing ​

Automated Testing ​

Unit Tests ​

Integration Tests ​

Load Testing ​

Security Testing ​

Authentication Testing ​

Input Validation Testing ​

Pre-Deployment Checklist ​

Configuration Review ​

Security Review ​

Performance Review ​

Deployment Process ​

Deployment Steps ​

Post-Deployment Verification ​

Health Checks ​

Integration Testing ​

Monitoring & Analytics ​

Performance Monitoring ​

Key Metrics ​

Monitoring Setup ​

Business Analytics ​

Usage Metrics ​

Analytics Dashboard ​

Error Tracking ​

Error Monitoring ​

Maintenance & Updates ​

Regular Maintenance ​

Weekly Tasks ​

Monthly Tasks ​

Quarterly Tasks ​

Updates and Improvements ​

Feature Updates ​

Version Management ​

Troubleshooting ​

Common Issues ​

Performance Issues ​

Integration Issues ​

Getting Help ​

Support Resources ​

Debugging Tools ​

Next Steps ​

Related Topics ​

Step 6: Testing & Deployment

Overview

Testing Your API

Manual Testing

Test Data Preparation

API Endpoint Testing

Form Integration Testing

Automated Testing

Unit Tests

Integration Tests

Load Testing

Security Testing

Authentication Testing

Input Validation Testing

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Configuration Review

Security Review

Performance Review

Deployment Process

Deployment Steps

Post-Deployment Verification

Health Checks

Integration Testing

Monitoring & Analytics

Performance Monitoring

Key Metrics

Monitoring Setup

Business Analytics

Usage Metrics

Analytics Dashboard

Error Tracking

Error Monitoring

Maintenance & Updates

Regular Maintenance

Weekly Tasks

Monthly Tasks

Quarterly Tasks

Updates and Improvements

Feature Updates

Version Management

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Performance Issues

Integration Issues

Getting Help

Support Resources

Debugging Tools

Next Steps

Related Topics