URI stands for Uniform Resource Identifier. It is a string of characters designed for unambiguous identification of resources and extensibility by the URI scheme. The purpose of URI is to locate the resource on the server hosting of the web service.
URI stands for Uniform Resource Identifier. It is a string of characters that uniquely identifies a particular resource. In the context of API testing, a URI is often used to specify the endpoint of a web-based service.
The purpose of a web-based service, in the context of APIs, is to allow different software systems to communicate with each other over the web. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) enable the exchange of data and functionality between different applications or systems. Web-based services typically provide a set of endpoints that can be accessed through HTTP or HTTPS, and these endpoints are identified by URIs.
The format of a URI follows a standard syntax, which is defined by the RFC 3986 specification. A URI is typically composed of several components, including the scheme (such as “http” or “https”), the authority (such as the domain or IP address), the path (specifying the resource on the server), and optional query parameters. Here’s a basic breakdown:
scheme://authority/path?query
For example:
https://api.example.com/users?id=123
In this example:
- Scheme:
https - Authority:
api.example.com - Path:
/users - Query:
id=123
Understanding and correctly using URIs is crucial in API testing to ensure that the right endpoints are targeted for testing and that the communication with the API is properly configured.