soapUI: How to Post JSON to a REST Service

In addition to being a powerful tool for testing and debugging RESTful web services, SOAPUI offers a range of features that can help developers streamline their API development and testing processes. For example, SOAPUI allows developers to create and manage API test suites, automate API testing, and monitor API performance and security. 

Furthermore, SOAPUI offers integration capabilities with other tools, such as JIRA and Jenkins, enabling developers to incorporate API testing into their existing workflows seamlessly. Additionally, SOAPUI provides extensive documentation and community support, making it easy for developers to learn and master the tool’s features.

In this blog, we will discuss the steps involved in posting JSON data to a REST service using SOAPUI.

Setup – CouchDB

Basics of CouchDB

CouchDB is an open-source NoSQL database management system that stores data in JSON documents. It is a document-oriented database that provides high performance, scalability, and availability. CouchDB uses a web-based interface that allows users to access and manage their data using a web browser.

One of the unique features of CouchDB is its ability to synchronise data across multiple devices and servers seamlessly. This feature, known as CouchDB replication, enables users to create distributed databases that can be accessed and updated from any location, making it an ideal solution for applications that require offline access or real-time data synchronisation.

CouchDB also supports a range of query and indexing options, making it easy for developers to retrieve and manipulate data efficiently. Additionally, its built-in security features, including user authentication and data encryption, ensure that data is kept secure and protected from unauthorised access.

Unlike traditional relational databases, CouchDB does not require predefined schemas, which makes it highly flexible and adaptable to changing data needs. This feature also makes it ideal for managing data from the web and mobile applications.

CouchDB has built-in security features, such as authentication and access control, that help to protect data from unauthorized access. To make things as basic as possible for this example, Apache CouchDB was used with no authentication.

Overall, CouchDB is a reliable and flexible database management system that offers numerous benefits to developers and businesses. Its document-oriented approach, web-based interface, and replication capabilities make it an ideal choice for applications that require real-time data access and synchronization.

As a result, it’s a great resource for learning more about REST testing using soapUI and JSON.

Step 1: Installing CouchDB:

1. Go to http://couchdb.apache.org/
2. Select the Download option and choose the version you want
3. Enter http://127.0.0.1:5984/_utils/ in a browser once it’s installed. 
4. Select the Create Database and name it soapUI.
5. Navigate to http://127.0.0.1:5984/_utils/index.html. Now see if soapUI shows 0 docs.

How to Send JSON to a REST API Using SoapUI

Follow these steps to get started with the free edition of soapUI and REST testing:

1. Create a new empty project in soapUI. Enter JSON in the project name field. Choose OK.
2. Choose to to to Build REST Service from URI from the right-click menu of the newly established JSON project.
3. On the Create REST Service page, enter the following:

URI: http://127.0.0.1:5984/blogs on 

4. In Request 1, enter the following:

• Method: Post
• Resource: soapUI

5. If you set up a login and password for your CouchDB installation, go to the Request 1 Authentication page. Choose Basic from the drop-down selection for Authorization. Insert your username, password, and domain here: http://127.0.0.1:5984/. Choose the Authenticate preemptively radio button as well.

6. In the text box next to the Media Type, enter the JSON that you want to post. Let’s keep things simple and construct a JSON value with simply one string name/value combination.

7. Submit the Request 1. Take notice of how the answer provides both the value ok and an id.

For example, consider the following sample JSON data:

{

“name”: “John Doe”,

“email”: “johndoe@example.com”,

“phone”: “1234567890”

}

8. Back to CouchDB. The soapUI DB should now contain the following value and name:

9. Execute the request:

After setting up the request, you can execute it by clicking on the “Submit” button. SOAPUI will send the JSON request to the REST service, and you will receive the response.

Executing the request in SOAPUI is similar to sending a message to someone. Just like how you would write a message, address it to the recipient, and hit the send button, in SOAPUI, you set up the JSON request, enter the REST service’s URL, and click on the “Submit” button to send the request. 

10. Check the response:

Once you have received the response, you can check it by switching to the “Raw” tab in the response editor. You can also view the response in a formatted view by switching to the “XML” or “JSON” tab.

SoapUI in Glance

The use of SoapUI for REST API testing and development is a valuable tool for any development team. Its user-friendly interface, automation capabilities, and integration capabilities make it a reliable choice for testing RESTful web services. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily send JSON data to a REST API using SoapUI, allowing you to quickly and easily test web services.

Additionally, SoapUI’s ability to create and manage API test suites, automate API testing, and monitor API performance and security make it an ideal tool for streamlining API development and testing processes. This can help development teams to save time and resources while ensuring that their APIs are functioning as expected.

Furthermore, the use of CouchDB as the backend database system for this example provides developers with a flexible and adaptable solution for managing unstructured and semi-structured data. The use of replication protocols ensures that data is always available and up-to-date, even in the event of a node failure. Additionally, CouchDB’s built-in security features help to protect data from unauthorized access.

Overall, the combination of SoapUI and CouchDB provides developers with a powerful set of tools for testing and managing RESTful web services. By using these tools in combination with other development and testing tools, developers can ensure that their APIs are functioning as expected, allowing for a smoother and more reliable development process.