RSpec API REST test example

Example of RSpec testing web rest-api backend (json) Sinatra based.

Init rspec

rspec --init .

Start autotest

Run autotest in folder:

autotest .

For windows:

start autotest .

Create stub specification for api

File spec/spec_helper.rb

require 'spec_helper.rb'

describe 'API' do
  it "Start page ok" do
    get "/"
    last_response.should be_ok
  end
end

Create stub sinatra api application

File api.rb:

require "sinatra"

get '/' do
  'rspec-api-rest-example'
end

Configure RSpec for Rack::Test

Add require 'rack/test' and config.include Rack::Test::Methods, in spec_helper.rb file:

require 'rack/test'

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.include Rack::Test::Methods
end

Init Sinatra application instance for RSpec

Add require 'sinatra' and:

def app
  Sinatra::Application
end

to spec_helper.rb file.

Add require 'api.rb' to spec_helper.rb file.

Add test for start page content

Add to api_spec.rb file:

it "Start content" do
  get "/"
  last_response.body.should == 'rspec-api-rest-example'
end

Create User DataMapper model

Create lib/user.rb model:

class User
  include DataMapper::Resource

  property :id,   Serial, :key => true
  property :name, String
end

Install DataMapper, sqlite3 datamapper-driver, sqlite3 dll (for windows), configure RSpec helper, sqlite3 database name, configure .autotest

See details here https://github.com/nemilya/rspec-datamapper-example

Specification to API /api/users.json

Add new test to api_spec.rb file:

it "/api/users.json" do
  # create in data base
  User.create(:name=>'User 1')
  User.create(:name=>'User 2')

  # get REST GET request
  get "/api/users.json"

  # test 'ok' response
  last_response.should be_ok

  # parse JSON
  info = JSON::parse(last_response.body)
  info.size.should == 2
  info[0]['name'].should == 'User 1'
  info[1]['name'].should == 'User 2'
end        

Create API REST /api/users.json implementation

In api.rb file:

get '/api/users.json' do
  ret = []
  User.all.each do |u|
    ret << { :name=> u.name }
  end
  ret.to_json
end

Configure DataBase cleanup before each test

Within describe module in api_spec.rb file add:

before(:each) do
  # cleanup database
  User.all.destroy
end

Specification API REST POST /api/user_add.json

it "POST /api/user_add.json" do
  User.count.should == 0

  # POST request, for create User with 'name' parametr
  post '/api/user_add.json', { :name=>"New User" }

  # test in database
  User.count.should == 1

  # test in database
  User.first.name.should == 'New User'
end

Create implementation for API REST POST /api/user_add.json

In api.rb file:

post '/api/user_add.json' do
  user = User.new
  user.name = params[:name]
  user.save
end

Documentation

Great documentation about RSpec can be found here: https://www.relishapp.com/rspec/