Why are more and more developers abandoning Postman and choosing Apifox

1. Common solutions for API debugging

1、Postman + Swagger + Mock + JMeter

As a back-end developer, most of the projects I do are generally based on Swagger to manage API documents, Postman for interface debugging, JMeter for interface performance testing, and Mock API data based on tools such as RAP.

2. Existing problems

(1) Multi-system data is not interoperable

A lot of repetitive work by API designers, front-end developers, back-end developers, and testers.

(2) Low efficiency

Low visibility and unfriendly operation.

(3) Unable to work as a team

Stand-alone offline use is mainly used, and members cannot synchronize data in real time and cannot collaborate.

(4) The cost of learning is high

It is difficult for beginners to start, and it requires a lot of learning and training costs.

(5) Difficulty in data consistency

Each change requires different roles to manually modify multiple systems, making it very difficult to maintain consistency. Over time, the inconsistency becomes more and more serious and eventually becomes unmaintainable.

It seems to be a bit cumbersome, but I am used to it. Suddenly one day, when I was shopping, I found Apifox. I entered the official website curiously and looked at it. I instantly felt that I found a treasure. Download, install, run, debug, and eat The operation is as fierce as a tiger, sour! In the afternoon, I organized a department meeting and made a simple Apifox sharing for everyone!

3、Apifox

With Apifox, we only need to define the interface document to directly use the interface debugging & testing, data Mock and other functions. In addition, after the interface debugging is completed, it can be guaranteed to be completely consistent with the definition of the interface document. Efficient, timely and accurate!

According to the description on the official website, Apifox mainly provides us with the following 4 types of functions:

1. Interface design: Visual document management, efficient and convenient, zero learning cost! Follow the industry’s OpenApi 3.0 (formerly Swagger) and JSON Schema specifications.
2. Interface debugging: This is basically the function of Postman, which is available on Apifox.
3. Interface automation test: This is basically the function of JMeter, which is available on Apifox, and it is better to use. However, this feature is still under continuous development.
4. Interface data Mock: The built-in Mock.js rule engine is very convenient for mocking out various data.

In addition to the features described above, Apifox also provides CI continuous integration, database operations, auto-generated code, data import/export, team collaboration, and more out of the box.

2. Download and installation

Download and install:Apifox official website address

1. Support a variety of operating systems, intimate

2. One-click installation, simple

3. Customize the environment, save fixed ip prefix, convenient

3. Features

1. API document design

1. Visual API document management, zero learning cost.
2. Data model is supported, and the same data structure can be reused between interfaces.
3. The interface documentation fully follows the OpenAPI (Swagger) specification.
4. Supports sharing API documents online to facilitate collaboration with external teams.

2. API debugging

1. Postman has some functions that Apifox has (such as environment variables, pre/post scripts, Cookie/Session global sharing, etc.), and it is more efficient and easy to use than Postman.
2. Automatically verify the data structure: verify whether the returned data structure conforms to the document definition, and automatically find the interface data exception.
3. Visual assertions, extract variables, database (SQL) operations, and more.
4. Supports interface use case functionality (multiple use cases for one interface).

(1) Custom json format

(2) Automatically generate json format data

(3) Return result verification

3. API automation testing

1. Perfect API scenario test (process test) function to ensure the correctness of interface data.
2. Visual assertions, extract variables, database (SQL) operations, and more.
3. Support custom pre/post scripts to automatically verify data correctness. The script syntax is 100% compatible with Postman, reducing learning costs.
4. Support calling javascript, java, python, php, js, BeanShell, go, shell, ruby, lua and other language codes.

4. API Data Mock

The data from Apifox zero-configuration mock is very close to the real situation, and front-end development can be used directly without the need to manually write mock rules.

How Apifox achieves high efficiency and zero configuration to generate very user-friendly mock data

1. Apifox automatically generates mock rules according to the data structure and data type in the interface definition.
2. Apifox has a built-in smart mock rule library, which intelligently optimizes the automatically generated mock rules according to the field name and field data type. For example: a string type field whose name contains the string image will automatically mock out an image address URL; a string type field containing the string time will automatically mock a time string; a string type field containing the string city will automatically mock out a time string. city ​​name.
3. According to the built-in rules, Apifox can automatically identify fields such as pictures, avatars, usernames, mobile phone numbers, URLs, dates, times, timestamps, mailboxes, provinces, cities, addresses, and IPs, so that Mock can generate very user-friendly data.
4. In addition to the built-in mock rules, users can also customize the rule base to meet various personalized needs. Supports custom mock rules using regular expressions and wildcards to match field names.

5. CI Continuous Integration

1. Supports running API tests from the command line (Apifox CLI).
2. Supports the integration of continuous integration tools such as Jenkins.

6. Database operation

1. Supports reading database data and using it as API request parameters.
2. Supports reading database data to verify (assert) whether an API request is successful.

7. Automatically generate code

1. Automatically generate business code and API request code in various languages/frameworks according to the interface/model definition.
2. Supports 130 languages ​​and frameworks such as TypeScript, Java, Go, Swift, ObjectiveC, Kotlin, Dart, C++, C#, Rust, etc.
3. Support custom code templates, automatically generate code that conforms to your team’s architectural specifications, and meet various personalized needs.

8. Support HTTP, TCP, RPC

1. Supports HTTP(s) interface management.
2. Support Socket (TCP) interface management.
3. In the future, protocol interfaces such as GraphQL, Dubbo, gRPC, and WebSocket will be supported.

9. Data import/export

1. It supports exporting OpenApi (Swagger), Markdown, Html and other data formats. Because OpenApi format data can be exported, you can use the rich ecological tools of OpenApi (Swagger) to complete various interface-related things.
2. Support importing OpenApi (Swagger), Postman, apiDoc, HAR, RAML, RAP2, YApi, Eolinker, NEI, DOClever, ApiPost, Apizza, ShowDoc, API Blueprint, I/O Docs, WADL, Google Discovery and other data formats, which is convenient for old projects migrate.
3. Supports regular and automatic import of OpenApi (Swagger), apiDoc, and Apifox format data.

(1) Directly import the postman interface into Apifox synchronously

(2) Generate API documentation like swagger

(3) Generate the most popular markdown files nowadays, awesome

10. Teamwork

1. The interface data is synchronized in the cloud and updated in real time.
2. Mature team/project rights management, supports role settings such as administrators, ordinary members, read-only members, etc., to meet the needs of various enterprises.

4. Best Practices

1. Front-end (or back-end): The first draft of the interface documentation is finalized on Apifox.
2. Front-end and back-end: review and improve the interface documents together, and determine the interface use cases.
3. Front-end: Use the mock data automatically generated by the system according to the interface document to enter the development, without writing mock rules.
4. Back-end: Use the interface use case to debug the interface under development. As long as all the interface use cases are debugged, the development of the interface is completed. If the interface changes during development, the document will be automatically updated during debugging, which ensures the timeliness of interface maintenance at zero cost.
5. Backend: After debugging a function, save it as an interface use case.
6. Tester: Test the interface directly using the interface case.
7. After all interfaces are developed, testers (or backends) use the set test function to perform multi-interface integration testing to completely test the entire interface calling process.
8. After the front-end and back-end are developed, the front-end switches from Mock data to formal data, and joint debugging is usually very smooth, because both front-end and back-end parties fully comply with the specifications defined by the interface.

Five, follow-up function planning

1. Interface performance test support (similar to JMeter);
2. Support plug-in market, you can develop plug-ins by yourself;
3. Open Apifox API, allowing developers to call Apifox functions through API;
4. Support more interface protocols, such as GraphQL, gRPC, websocket, etc.;
5. Support offline use, the project can choose online synchronization (team collaboration) or only local storage (stand-alone offline use);

6. Apifox download address

Introduced so many practical functions of Apifox, it is a real benefit to use it!
The software is completely free and can be regarded as a domestic conscience. For those interested and in need, you can go to the official website:www.apifox.cnLearn more