10 API Problems Solved by RapidAPI Client
There are multiple API architectures, among which REST APIs are the most common. The REST API lets the client and server communicate with each other. This communication is essential for developing an enterprise-scale application where everything cannot occur on the client side.
You can also use GraphQL APIs to do the same thing.
When building these APIs, you need to ensure everything is done correctly. There are no bugs, and nothing can bring the API down. To achieve this, we must thoroughly test the APIs when developing them.
Recently, RapidAPI has launched an API client for VS Code called RapidAPI Client. It is designed to help developers debug and test their APIs quickly and efficiently.
In this piece, let’s look at the 10 API problems RapidAPI Client for VS Code solves.
No more context switching between programs
Before
When writing code, we have several programs open simultaneously, for instance, code editor, browser, browser console in a separate window, etc. And when it is time to test and debug API endpoints, opening another software and switching to it does not seem optimum. It is a time waste, and we often struggle to find the right program during the context switching.
After
VS Code is one of the world's most widely used code editors, with millions of users using it regularly to write code. Hence, it seemed only fair to bring the API testing to it, so we developed RapidAPI Client. It is an extremely powerful VS Code extension that provides you with everything you may need to test your RESTful and GraphQL APIs.
So, from now on, there is no need to do context switching to test and debug your APIs. You can do it right inside VS Code.
Create Multiple Environments inside RapidAPI Client
Before
Like web applications, an API can also behave differently according to the environment. It might show some extra information in the development environment, show debugging information in the staging environment, and provide the expected response in the production environment. So it can be a hassle to go back and forth between environments only to test APIs.
After
RapidAPI Client allows you to create and manage as many environments as you require. You can create separate development, staging, and production environments only for your APIs. You can define variables in each environment and use them as parameters during API testing.
Create different API requests inside RapidAPI Client
Before
An API can have multiple endpoints, and each endpoint needs to be thoroughly tested to ensure it is working as expected. To do this, we need to be able to create separate API test requests to test APIs. Testing one endpoint at a time is tedious and time-consuming.
After
RapidAPI Client for VS Code lets you create as many requests as you need. Each request provides a fully integrated user experience alongside all the features of the RapidAPI Client so that you can test and debug any API endpoint. Any time during the testing, you can go back and forth among your API test requests.
Managing API requests using Projects
Before
There can be times when we have to work on more than one project. Assuming that all of them consume APIs, managing the API tests becomes difficult. The workflow can also become redundant because each time we switch back and forth between projects, we may have to create API tests again.
After
RapidAPI Client for VS Code lets you create projects to compartmentalize your API tests. You can create as many API requests as you want in each project. Every request you create has the default state persistence, so you do not have to enter the same data more than once.
When you start working on another project, you just have to switch the project inside the RapidAPI Client for VS Code, and all your previously created API tests will return.
Grouping API test requests
Before
If the API you are testing has a lot of endpoints, it can soon become difficult to manage all the test requests. Eventually, you find yourself in a difficult spot where you have to locate a single test request in hundreds of requests. Managing these test requests is essential if we want to do things in an easy manner.
After
With RapidAPI Client, you can create groups to manage your API test requests. You can then place similar API requests inside a particular group. For instance, a user group can have all the API test requests for managing users inside the application.
RapidAPI Client full-featured request editor
Before
To test API endpoints, developers need proper software with everything they need to test their APIs. For instance, they need to be able to set the request body, headers, proper auth tokens, etc. They also need a space to provide some basic description or give their API a title to differentiate it from hundreds of endpoints later.
After
RapidAPI Client for VS Code is a full-featured HTTP client that lets you test and describes the APIs you build or consume. When we say full-featured, we mean everything you may need to test your APIs is built into this extension. You can give a test API request a title, some description, set proper auth tokens, add a request body, etc.
GraphQL API testing support
Before
Sometimes, the project you are working on consumes GraphQL API instead of traditional REST APIs. Since testing is done regardless of the API architecture, we need to find a way to test our GraphQL APIs to ensure it is working as expected.
After
You can test any GraphQL API using RapidAPI Client inside your VS Code. It provides GraphQL API testing support. All you need to do is go to the Body, select GraphQL and start writing your query.
Debug API endpoints with different HTTP methods
Before
An API endpoint does not necessarily always use the GET method. If it is manipulating data, it can use PUT, POST, DELETE, or any other HTTP method. So, developers need a way to test each endpoint with a proper HTTP method to verify nothing breaks.
After
The developers here at RapidAPI have tried to ensure they have thought of every need of an API developer. For this reason, RapidAPI Client supports API testing with eight different HTTP methods. You can select any method from the dropdown menu and use it to test your API endpoint.
Generate XYZ Snippets
Before
Most of the time, you have to write the same code to call an API endpoint that you might have written earlier. This time wastage also goes against the Do not Repeat Yourself (DRY).
After
You can also generate code snippets for implementing API requests in your applications. The RapidAPI Client for VS Code automatically generates code snippets in 40+ languages. All you need is to select the language and the package you want to call API, and RapidAPI Client will generate the snippet for you.
Generate types & interfaces from API response
Before
Defining types and writing interfaces is essential if we use a language like TypeScript, Swift, etc., to build our application. So with API responses, we also need to define interfaces to ensure we get everything we expect from the API.
After
A great thing about the RapidAPI Client is that it can automatically generate response types for you. We use types to enforce type checking and make the API call more readable and easy to use in applications. Once you have received the response to an API request, you can generate TypeScript, Swift, and Python types/interfaces for the response.
Wrap Up
These are the ten API problems RapidAPI Client for VS Code solves. As of writing this piece, over 38,000+ developers are using it to test their APIs inside VS Code.
If you want to learn more about RapidAPI Client for VS Code, we have written a detailed piece on it that you can find here.
We have also launched RapidAPI Studio that is an API management tool that has everything from API managing to testing to monetizing your APIs. If you are interested in learning more about the RapidAPI Studio, I recommend you look at this piece we have written about it.