API Automation Framework

Overview

This is a REST API test automation framework built using Python, Requests, and Pytest.

The framework uses the ReqRes public API for demonstration purposes and showcases real-world API automation practices used in professional QA and SDET teams, including client abstraction, dynamic test data generation, schema validation, structured logging, environment management, and rich reporting.

Although ReqRes is used as the target API, the framework architecture is designed to be reusable and scalable for real-world REST API testing projects.

This project was built as part of my QA Automation learning journey and portfolio development.

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Tech Stack

Tool	Purpose
Python	Core programming language
Requests	HTTP client for API interactions
Pytest	Test runner and framework
Allure	Rich test reporting
Faker	Dynamic test data generation
jsonschema	Response schema validation
python-dotenv	Environment configuration management
Logging	Request and response logging
GitHub Actions	Continuous Integration (CI/CD)

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Features

• Full CRUD coverage (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
• Positive and negative test scenarios
• Pagination testing
• API Client Pattern implementation
• Session reuse using requests.Session()
• Dynamic test data generation using Faker
• JSON Schema validation
• Structured request and response logging
• Environment configuration using .env
• Allure reporting with rich attachments
• Pytest markers for test categorization
• GitHub Actions CI/CD integration

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Project Structure

api-python-framework/
│
├── api_clients/
│   ├── base_client.py
│   └── users_client.py
│
├── config/
│   └── config.py
│
├── payloads/
│   ├── create_user_payload.py
│   ├── update_user_payload.py
│   └── patch_user_payload.py
│
├── schemas/
│   └── user_schema.json
│
├── tests/
│   ├── test_users.py
│   ├── test_create_user.py
│   ├── test_update_user.py
│   ├── test_delete_user.py
│   ├── test_users_negative.py
│   └── test_users_pagination.py
│
├── utils/
│   ├── allure_helper.py
│   ├── data_generator.py
│   ├── logger.py
│   └── validator.py
│
├── reports/
│   ├── logs/
│   └── allure-results/
│
├── conftest.py
├── .env.example
├── requirements.txt
├── pytest.ini
└── README.md

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Framework Architecture

The framework follows the API Client Pattern, similar to the Page Object Model (POM) used in UI automation.

UI Automation

LoginPage
InventoryPage
CartPage

API Automation

AuthClient
UsersClient
ProductsClient

Each client is responsible for interacting with a specific group of endpoints, resulting in cleaner and more maintainable test code.

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Session Management

The framework uses requests.Session() through the BaseClient to:

• Reuse TCP connections
• Improve execution performance
• Centralize authentication headers
• Reduce duplicate code
• Simplify client maintenance

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Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/unaisWorks/api-python-framework.git
cd api-python-framework

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2. Create a Virtual Environment

Mac/Linux

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

Windows

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

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3. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

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4. Configure Environment Variables

Copy the example file:

cp .env.example .env

Update the values:

BASE_URL=https://reqres.in/api
API_KEY=your_reqres_api_key

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Running Tests

Run All Tests

pytest -v

Run Smoke Tests

pytest -m smoke

Run Regression Tests

pytest -m regression

Run API Tests

pytest -m api

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Allure Reporting

Generate Allure results:

pytest --alluredir=reports/allure-results

Serve the report:

allure serve reports/allure-results

Install Allure CLI:

Mac

brew install allure

Windows

Download and install from the official Allure website.

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What the Allure Report Includes

• Test results grouped by feature
• Severity classifications
• Request payload attachments
• Response body attachments
• Step-level execution visibility
• Easier failure investigation

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CI/CD Pipeline

GitHub Actions is used to automate test execution.

Current capabilities include:

• Running tests on push events
• Running tests on pull requests
• Generating Allure results
• Uploading test artifacts
• Providing fast feedback on API quality

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Environment Variables

Variable	Description
BASE_URL	Base URL of the API
API_KEY	API authentication key

Refer to .env.example for configuration guidance.

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Key Concepts Demonstrated

This framework demonstrates:

• Building a scalable API automation framework from scratch
• Applying the API Client Pattern
• Separating concerns across clients, payloads, utilities, and tests
• Managing environments using .env
• Implementing schema validation
• Generating dynamic test data
• Producing actionable Allure reports
• Writing maintainable and reusable automation code
• Applying industry-standard QA automation practices

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Future Enhancements

Planned improvements include:

• Docker support
• Parallel execution using pytest-xdist
• Retry mechanisms for unstable endpoints
• OAuth 2.0 authentication flows
• Database validation
• Contract testing
• Performance testing integration

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Author

Mohamed Unais

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/unaisvds/

GitHub: https://github.com/unaisWorks

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About This Project

This framework represents my transition from UI Automation to API Automation as part of my journey toward becoming an industry-ready QA Automation Engineer/SDET.

It builds upon my previous experience developing Selenium frameworks with Page Object Model, Allure Reporting, Logging, GitHub, and GitHub Actions, while expanding into professional API testing practices used in modern software teams.