How to Easily Create an API Endpoint Monitor – No Ready!API knowledge is required!
Question:
I have an API call where I need to check for a 200 OK response. Since this is so simple, is there an alternative way to create an API Endpoint Monitor in AlertSite without using Ready!API?
Answer:
Yes, AlertSite has a very easy way to create a monitor for an API endpoint that does not require knowledge or use of Ready!API. If you have an AlertSite account, there is no start-up learning curve or trial/license required to use the API Endpoint Monitor. One just enters the URL endpoint as well as the request method, headers and body/payload (if required). The payload can use JSON or XML data and the monitor can be used for both REST and SOAP APIs The API endpoint monitor will send an HTTP request to the specified URL and provide the response time and HTTP status as well as the response body (if applicable). During set-up of the monitor, one easily tests the request and validates the response. The API Endpoint monitor even allows for assertions to be performed on the response body (if applicable).
The technique is so simple that the following short video shows how to set up a monitor using just a token/value header. A few simple assertions are then added to check the response.
For this example, as NOAA is a very reliable source of data and has many public APIs, a NOAA climate database API is used for example purposes only. One just needs to visit this NOAA site to obtain a token to use this NOAA API:
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/webservices/v2#gettingStarted
This monitoring technology actually uses the AlertSite Ready!API monitoring backend as it automatically creates the Ready!API project XML after the basic information is entered and the monitor is created. (This is all automatic and there is no customer interaction with Ready!API.)
As this example uses a NOAA weather database, the assertions performed on the response are to check for PRCP (precipitation) as well as SNOW.
To see how easy it is to set up an API Endpoint Monitor, please view this short video.
Please review this documentation on the API Endpoint Monitor for further information before setting up your monitor. (Basic knowledge of HTTP request and response contents is recommended to use API endpoint monitors.)
https://support.smartbear.com/alertsite/docs/monitors/api/endpoint/create.html
This forum post is the result of Customer Care cases involving this issue. A Knowledge Base article has been created and can be found here:
