SoapUI is an exceptional tool for functional tests, web services verification, stress testing, and performance tests. In this guide, we will explore the essential attributes of SoapUI and SoapUI Pro.
This is the second guide in our SoapUI web service testing tutorial series.
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For more sophisticated and enterprise users, SmartBear has also launched the latest version of SoapUI NG Pro. It comprises all the attributes of SoapUI and SoapUI Pro, together with some fascinating new characteristics. SoapUI NG Pro is incorporated into SmartBear’s “Ready! API Platform”.
Throughout our tutorials, we will focus on the fundamental attributes of the original SoapUI and the Pro version.
Pivotal attributes of SoapUI and SoapUI Pro:
#1. User-Friendly Interface
SoapUI is incredibly user-friendly, even for beginners. For example, to create a project in SoapUI, you just need to click on File, then choose New SOAP Project, and provide a valid WSDL file location. That’s it. Similarly, any task in SoapUI can be executed as effortlessly as using Microsoft products.
#2. Direct Functional Testing
SoapUI offers the ability to create test suites, test steps, and test requests through a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to construct complicated test scenarios without the need for background scripting. Once a project is established, test suites can be appended. Test suites comprise test steps and test requests based on the services.
A single project can be employed repeatedly for smoke and functional testing. If test suites from other projects are required, SoapUI provides a feature for cloning, which allows users to replicate existing test suites and move them into other projects.
SoapUI also offers test debugging options allowing for the step-by-step observation of test execution. Data-driven testing could also be performed efficiently using SoapUI. More specifics on these subjects will be explained later.
#3. Security Testing
SoapUI and SoapUI Pro tools provide methods to protect websites against cybercriminals and harmful software applications. Security testing is a type of evaluation that identifies vulnerabilities of web applications.
With tools like SoapUI, applications can be safeguarded by executing Test Generator, SQL Injection, and XML Bomb techniques. Test Generator is a feature exclusive to SoapUI Pro that simplifies the creation of comprehensive security test suites.
Similarly, the SQL Injection feature allows the application of standard SQL queries and procedures to identify weak areas of the application and database.
Here’s an example SQL query:
Select *from Customers where CustomerId = “C2014” or 1=1
The given query returns all customers because the condition 1=1 always holds true. With such a query, cybercriminals can easily retrieve usernames and passwords. The SoapUI tool can mimic these queries to assess the website’s impregnability.
SoapUI has a function called XML bomb that tests services by passing enormous XML data and examining the application’s overflow.
Additionally, SoapUI has many other features such as cross-site scripting, random string data passing to detect string vulnerabilities, and boundary level testing.
#4. Load Testing with LoadUI
SoapUI also enables the assessment of a web application’s load-handling capacity. For this, it comes with an option called LoadUI, accessible from the toolbar. Load testing can be performed by simply clicking on the LoadUI option after establishing a project with suitable test suites. This will redirect to the LoadUI tool (which should be pre-installed), and tests can be set up according to requirements.
LoadUI generates a report after executing the load test, which helps evaluate whether the application can withstand a heavy load or not.
#5. Automation using Groovy
As mentioned earlier, SOAP and REST-based services can be validated in SoapUI. Its UI is designed to offer an easy-to-use experience for all users.
To create automation scripts in SoapUI, it’s required to add a Groovy Test step under the test suite. The Groovy script supports built-in libraries and allows integration with Java-based libraries. As such, knowledge of Core Java is highly beneficial. Complex scenarios can be created using Groovy script and Java.
For instance, consider a situation where a response from one test request is needed to provide input for another request. This can be achieved by storing the response data in global properties and reusing it via scripts.
Here’s a screenshot showing a Groovy script test step with a sample script:
(Click the image for a closer view)
#6. Data-Driven Testing
SoapUI Pro supports data-driven testing, which allows for bulk insertion, deletion, and updating-related testing. You can upload test data in Excel/CSV format to perform bulk testing.
To perform data-driven testing in SoapUI, DataSource and DataSourceLoop test steps need to be added under the test suite. DataSource test step deals with the configuration of external data sources, while DataSourceLoop fetches the data row by row from those external sources. Further information on this topic will be covered in upcoming tutorials.
#7. Assertions
Assertions are another significant feature in SoapUI. These effectively validate the response message during the execution of test steps by comparing it with part of or the entire message.
For example, consider an authentication web service that should authenticate user login details. Let’s suppose the web service response is in JSON format, and if authentication is successful, the service will return a success notification to the user.
Here is how a possible response may look:
Successful Authentication:
Response [
{
“Message”: “Authentication Successful”,
“Status”: “true”
}]
Failed Authentication:
Response [
{
“Message”: “Authentication Failed”,
“Status”: “false”
}]
In the responses above, we have “Message” and “Status” elements. Therefore, these responses can easily be validated using either the “Message” or “Status” value. This can be configured in the corresponding assertions, using XPath Match assertion, XQuery, Contains, Not Contains, etc.
SoapUI NG Pro:
SoapUI recently launched the latest version of SoapUI Pro. It is built based on the core SoapUI, so existing SoapUI projects can still be utilized with this version.
You can compare the attributes of SoapUI and SoapUI NG Pro on this page: Comparison of features in SoapUI and SoapUI NG Pro.
Key Features of SoapUI NG Pro:
- SoapUI NG Pro offers comprehensive functional testing capabilities for SOAP API, REST, and several other protocols.
- SoapUI NG Pro is included in the “Ready! API Platform,” which determines the actual functionality and expected behavior of the API service.
- The “Ready! API Platform” provides the frame that defines service inputs to generate a test coverage report, implicitly evaluating functionality coverage.
- It supports on-the-spot testing or command-line interface testing of APIs effectively.
- All REST, SOAP API, and other service components can be utilized by simply dragging and dropping.
- In SoapUI NG Pro, the data-driven attribute is enhanced to retrieve data from various external data sources like Excel, XML, JDBC data sources, and files/directories. The retrieved data is then converted into a SoapUI NG Properties test step.
- The values of Property test steps can be transferred to XPath queries, scripts, and more.
- SoapUI NG Pro offers a point-and-click feature for quick generation of test scenarios.
- SoapUI NG Pro enables end-users to customize their services with ease, regardless of whether they are new to SoapUI Pro or have development experience.
- SoapUI NG Pro also incorporates other crucial features such as:
- Test Coverage: Evaluating API tests progressively against expected functionality.
- Multi-environment Support: Altering the testing environment as per requirements.
- Test Debugging: Evaluating test progress step-by-step with variables, properties, input requests, etc.
- Complex Scenarios: Simplifying APIs involved in the client-server architecture.
- Drag and Drop Test Creation: Easy creation and execution of test scenarios via drag and drop.
- LoadUI NG Tool: Introduced for LoadUI Pro users, it is used for performing load testing on the Ready! API platform. It simulates SoapUI NG Pro test cases to determine the application server’s load.
Conclusion:
SoapUI and SoapUI Pro characteristics aid in building and delivering web services with fewer issues. They also provide various features like mock service testing, multiple environments, swift report generation, SQL builder/editor, etc.
Next Guide: In this guide, we examined the main attributes of SoapUI, SoapUI Pro, and SoapUI NG Pro. In the next guide, we will discuss the installation process of SoapUI and SoapUI Pro, and the primary differences between SoapUI, SoapUI Pro, and their plugins.
Continue reading and feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below.