API Error Handling and Debugging Flashcards
6 cards from real API practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 API Error Handling and Debugging flashcards as text
What does 'negative testing' mean in API testing?
Answer: Sending invalid or unexpected inputs to verify the API handles errors gracefully
Negative testing sends invalid inputs, missing fields, or out-of-range values to verify the API returns appropriate error responses without crashing.
What is 'boundary value testing' in API test design?
Answer: Testing at the minimum and maximum allowed input values
Boundary value testing checks API behavior at the edges of valid input ranges — at minimum, maximum, just below minimum, and just above maximum values.
What does the Retry-After header tell an API client?
Answer: How long to wait before making another request after a rate limit or 503
The Retry-After header tells the client how many seconds to wait before retrying, used with 429 Too Many Requests and 503 responses.
What is 'fault injection testing' for APIs?
Answer: Deliberately introducing failures to verify the system's resilience and error handling
Fault injection testing deliberately introduces failures (network delays, errors, timeouts) to verify the API system handles them gracefully.
What does a 429 Too Many Requests response indicate?
Answer: The client has exceeded the API rate limit
429 Too Many Requests is returned when a client has sent more requests than allowed by the rate limiting policy within a time window.
What is 'logging' in API error debugging and why is it important?
Answer: Recording request/response details and errors to trace and diagnose issues
API logging records requests, responses, errors, and context details, enabling developers to trace issues, diagnose bugs, and monitor health in production.