API Check Examples

API checks excel at validating backend services, microservices, and third-party integrations. These real-world use cases demonstrate how to implement comprehensive API monitoring across different industries and scenarios.

E-commerce and Retail

Product Catalog APIs

Monitor product data retrieval and search functionality:

// Product search API validation
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.shop.com/v1/products/search?q=laptop&limit=10",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{API_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const data = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(data.products).to.be.an('array')",
    "expect(data.products.length).to.be.at.most(10)",
    "expect(data.products[0]).to.have.property('id')",
    "expect(data.products[0]).to.have.property('name')",
    "expect(data.products[0]).to.have.property('price')",
    "expect(data.total_count).to.be.a('number')"
  ]
}

Inventory Management

Validate stock levels and inventory updates:

// Inventory check API
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.shop.com/v1/inventory/{{PRODUCT_ID}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{INVENTORY_TOKEN}}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const inventory = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(inventory.product_id).to.equal('{{PRODUCT_ID}}')",
    "expect(inventory.available_quantity).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(inventory.available_quantity).to.be.at.least(0)",
    "expect(inventory.reserved_quantity).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(inventory.last_updated).to.match(/\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}T\\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2}/)"
  ]
}

Payment Gateway Integration

Monitor payment processing and transaction APIs:

// Payment gateway health check
{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.payments.com/v1/transactions/validate",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{PAYMENT_API_KEY}}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "amount": 100,
    "currency": "USD",
    "payment_method": "test_card",
    "test_mode": true
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.be.oneOf([200, 201])",
    "const transaction = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(transaction.status).to.be.oneOf(['authorized', 'succeeded'])",
    "expect(transaction.amount).to.equal(100)",
    "expect(transaction.currency).to.equal('USD')",
    "expect(transaction.transaction_id).to.match(/^txn_/)"
  ]
}

SaaS and Software Platforms

User Authentication APIs

Validate authentication and authorization flows:

// OAuth token validation
{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.saas.com/v1/auth/token",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
  },
  "body": "grant_type=client_credentials&client_id={{CLIENT_ID}}&client_secret={{CLIENT_SECRET}}",
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const auth = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(auth.access_token).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(auth.token_type).to.equal('Bearer')",
    "expect(auth.expires_in).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(auth.expires_in).to.be.above(3600)", // At least 1 hour
    "expect(auth.scope).to.include('read')"
  ]
}

User Management APIs

Monitor user profile and account management:

// User profile retrieval
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.saas.com/v1/users/{{USER_ID}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{ACCESS_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const user = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(user.id).to.equal('{{USER_ID}}')",
    "expect(user.email).to.match(/^[^\\s@]+@[^\\s@]+\\.[^\\s@]+$/)",
    "expect(user.status).to.be.oneOf(['active', 'pending', 'suspended'])",
    "expect(user.created_at).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(user.last_login).to.be.a('string')"
  ]
}

Subscription and Billing APIs

Validate subscription status and billing operations:

// Subscription status check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.saas.com/v1/subscriptions/{{SUBSCRIPTION_ID}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{API_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const subscription = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(subscription.id).to.equal('{{SUBSCRIPTION_ID}}')",
    "expect(subscription.status).to.be.oneOf(['active', 'trial', 'past_due', 'canceled'])",
    "expect(subscription.plan).to.have.property('id')",
    "expect(subscription.current_period_end).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(new Date(subscription.current_period_end)).to.be.above(new Date())"
  ]
}

Financial Services

Account Balance APIs

Monitor account information and balance retrieval:

// Account balance check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.bank.com/v1/accounts/{{ACCOUNT_ID}}/balance",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{BANKING_TOKEN}}",
    "X-Client-ID": "{{CLIENT_ID}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const balance = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(balance.account_id).to.equal('{{ACCOUNT_ID}}')",
    "expect(balance.available_balance).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(balance.current_balance).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(balance.currency).to.match(/^[A-Z]{3}$/)",
    "expect(balance.last_updated).to.be.a('string')"
  ]
}

Transaction Processing

Validate transaction creation and processing:

// Transaction validation
{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.bank.com/v1/transactions",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{BANKING_TOKEN}}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "from_account": "{{FROM_ACCOUNT}}",
    "to_account": "{{TO_ACCOUNT}}",
    "amount": 50.00,
    "currency": "USD",
    "description": "API Test Transfer",
    "test_mode": true
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.be.oneOf([200, 201, 202])",
    "const transaction = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(transaction.id).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(transaction.status).to.be.oneOf(['pending', 'processing', 'completed'])",
    "expect(transaction.amount).to.equal(50.00)",
    "expect(transaction.currency).to.equal('USD')"
  ]
}

Compliance and Risk APIs

Monitor regulatory compliance and risk assessment:

// AML/KYC validation
{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.compliance.com/v1/kyc/validate",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{COMPLIANCE_TOKEN}}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "customer_id": "{{CUSTOMER_ID}}",
    "document_type": "passport",
    "document_number": "TEST123456"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const validation = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(validation.status).to.be.oneOf(['verified', 'pending', 'rejected'])",
    "expect(validation.confidence_score).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(validation.confidence_score).to.be.within(0, 100)",
    "expect(validation.risk_level).to.be.oneOf(['low', 'medium', 'high'])"
  ]
}

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Patient Management APIs

Monitor patient data access and management:

// Patient record retrieval (FHIR compliant)
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.healthcare.com/fhir/Patient/{{PATIENT_ID}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{HEALTHCARE_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/fhir+json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const patient = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(patient.resourceType).to.equal('Patient')",
    "expect(patient.id).to.equal('{{PATIENT_ID}}')",
    "expect(patient.identifier).to.be.an('array')",
    "expect(patient.name).to.be.an('array')",
    "expect(patient.active).to.be.a('boolean')"
  ]
}

Appointment Scheduling

Validate appointment booking and management:

// Appointment availability check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.healthcare.com/v1/appointments/availability",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{HEALTHCARE_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "params": {
    "provider_id": "{{PROVIDER_ID}}",
    "date": "2024-03-15",
    "service_type": "consultation"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const availability = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(availability.date).to.equal('2024-03-15')",
    "expect(availability.slots).to.be.an('array')",
    "availability.slots.forEach(slot => {",
    "  expect(slot.start_time).to.match(/^\\d{2}:\\d{2}$/)",
    "  expect(slot.available).to.be.a('boolean')",
    "})"
  ]
}

IoT and Smart Devices

Device Status Monitoring

Monitor IoT device connectivity and status:

// IoT device status check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.iot.com/v1/devices/{{DEVICE_ID}}/status",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{IOT_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const device = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(device.device_id).to.equal('{{DEVICE_ID}}')",
    "expect(device.status).to.be.oneOf(['online', 'offline', 'maintenance'])",
    "expect(device.last_seen).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(device.battery_level).to.be.within(0, 100)",
    "expect(device.firmware_version).to.match(/^\\d+\\.\\d+\\.\\d+$/)"
  ]
}

Sensor Data APIs

Validate sensor data collection and processing:

// Sensor data retrieval
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.iot.com/v1/sensors/{{SENSOR_ID}}/data",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{IOT_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "params": {
    "start_time": "2024-03-15T00:00:00Z",
    "end_time": "2024-03-15T23:59:59Z"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const data = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(data.sensor_id).to.equal('{{SENSOR_ID}}')",
    "expect(data.readings).to.be.an('array')",
    "data.readings.forEach(reading => {",
    "  expect(reading.timestamp).to.be.a('string')",
    "  expect(reading.value).to.be.a('number')",
    "  expect(reading.unit).to.be.a('string')",
    "})"
  ]
}

Media and Content Management

Content Delivery APIs

Monitor content serving and CDN performance:

// Content metadata API
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.media.com/v1/content/{{CONTENT_ID}}",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{MEDIA_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const content = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(content.id).to.equal('{{CONTENT_ID}}')",
    "expect(content.type).to.be.oneOf(['video', 'audio', 'image', 'document'])",
    "expect(content.url).to.match(/^https?:\\/\\//)",
    "expect(content.file_size).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(content.duration).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(content.status).to.equal('published')"
  ]
}

Video Streaming APIs

Validate video processing and streaming:

// Video stream health check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.streaming.com/v1/streams/{{STREAM_ID}}/health",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{STREAMING_TOKEN}}",
    "Accept": "application/json"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const stream = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(stream.stream_id).to.equal('{{STREAM_ID}}')",
    "expect(stream.status).to.be.oneOf(['live', 'idle', 'error'])",
    "expect(stream.bitrate).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(stream.viewers).to.be.a('number')",
    "expect(stream.quality).to.be.oneOf(['720p', '1080p', '4K'])"
  ]
}

API Monitoring Best Practices by Use Case

High-Frequency Monitoring

# Critical business APIs
Frequency: Every 1-2 minutes
Locations: Primary user regions
Thresholds:
  - Response time: < 500ms (degraded), < 2000ms (failed)
  - Status codes: 2xx expected
  - Availability: > 99.9%

Use Cases:
  - Payment processing
  - User authentication
  - Core business transactions

Standard Business APIs

# Important but non-critical APIs
Frequency: Every 5-10 minutes
Locations: Global coverage
Thresholds:
  - Response time: < 1000ms (degraded), < 5000ms (failed)
  - Status codes: 2xx expected
  - Availability: > 99.5%

Use Cases:
  - Product catalogs
  - User profiles
  - Content management

Background and Batch APIs

# Batch processing and background services
Frequency: Every 15-30 minutes
Locations: Primary regions
Thresholds:
  - Response time: < 3000ms (degraded), < 10000ms (failed)
  - Status codes: 2xx or 202 expected
  - Availability: > 99%

Use Cases:
  - Data processing
  - Report generation
  - Backup operations

Advanced API Monitoring Patterns

Health Check Endpoints

Create comprehensive health checks that validate multiple components:

// Multi-component health check
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/health",
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const health = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(health.status).to.equal('healthy')",
    "expect(health.database).to.equal('connected')",
    "expect(health.redis).to.equal('connected')",
    "expect(health.external_apis).to.be.an('object')",
    "Object.values(health.external_apis).forEach(status => {",
    "  expect(status).to.be.oneOf(['healthy', 'degraded'])",
    "})"
  ]
}

Rate Limiting Validation

Monitor API rate limiting and quota management:

// Rate limit monitoring
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/v1/data",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer {{API_TOKEN}}"
  },
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "expect(response.headers['x-rate-limit-limit']).to.exist",
    "expect(response.headers['x-rate-limit-remaining']).to.exist",
    "const remaining = parseInt(response.headers['x-rate-limit-remaining'])",
    "expect(remaining).to.be.above(10)" // Ensure sufficient quota
  ]
}

Error Response Validation

Validate that error responses are properly formatted:

// Error handling validation
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/v1/invalid-endpoint",
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(404)",
    "const error = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(error.error).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(error.error_code).to.be.a('string')",
    "expect(error.message).to.include('not found')",
    "expect(error.request_id).to.be.a('string')"
  ]
}

Integration with Development Workflow

Environment-Specific Monitoring

// Development environment
Base URL: https://api-dev.example.com
Frequency: Every 15 minutes
Alerts: Development team only

// Staging environment  
Base URL: https://api-staging.example.com
Frequency: Every 5 minutes
Alerts: QA team and development leads

// Production environment
Base URL: https://api.example.com
Frequency: Every 1 minute
Alerts: On-call engineer, operations team

CI/CD Integration

Monitor API deployments and validate releases:

// Post-deployment validation
{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/version",
  "assertions": [
    "expect(response.status).to.equal(200)",
    "const version = JSON.parse(response.body)",
    "expect(version.build_number).to.equal('{{EXPECTED_BUILD}}')",
    "expect(version.environment).to.equal('production')",
    "expect(version.healthy).to.be.true"
  ]
}

API checks provide the foundation for comprehensive application monitoring. Combine multiple API checks with browser and multistep checks for complete coverage of your application ecosystem.

Getting Started

Detect

Communicate

Resolve

AI

Integrations

E-commerce and Retail

Product Catalog APIs

Inventory Management

Payment Gateway Integration

SaaS and Software Platforms

User Authentication APIs

User Management APIs

Subscription and Billing APIs

Financial Services

Account Balance APIs

Transaction Processing

Compliance and Risk APIs

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Patient Management APIs

Appointment Scheduling

IoT and Smart Devices

Device Status Monitoring

Sensor Data APIs

Media and Content Management

Content Delivery APIs

Video Streaming APIs

API Monitoring Best Practices by Use Case

High-Frequency Monitoring

Standard Business APIs

Background and Batch APIs

Advanced API Monitoring Patterns

Health Check Endpoints

Rate Limiting Validation

Error Response Validation

Integration with Development Workflow

Environment-Specific Monitoring

CI/CD Integration

​E-commerce and Retail

​Product Catalog APIs

​Inventory Management

​Payment Gateway Integration

​SaaS and Software Platforms

​User Authentication APIs

​User Management APIs

​Subscription and Billing APIs

​Financial Services

​Account Balance APIs

​Transaction Processing

​Compliance and Risk APIs

​Healthcare and Life Sciences

​Patient Management APIs

​Appointment Scheduling

​IoT and Smart Devices

​Device Status Monitoring

​Sensor Data APIs

​Media and Content Management

​Content Delivery APIs

​Video Streaming APIs

​API Monitoring Best Practices by Use Case

​High-Frequency Monitoring

​Standard Business APIs

​Background and Batch APIs

​Advanced API Monitoring Patterns

​Health Check Endpoints

​Rate Limiting Validation

​Error Response Validation

​Integration with Development Workflow

​Environment-Specific Monitoring

​CI/CD Integration

E-commerce and Retail

Product Catalog APIs

Inventory Management

Payment Gateway Integration

SaaS and Software Platforms

User Authentication APIs

User Management APIs

Subscription and Billing APIs

Financial Services

Account Balance APIs

Transaction Processing

Compliance and Risk APIs

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Patient Management APIs

Appointment Scheduling

IoT and Smart Devices

Device Status Monitoring

Sensor Data APIs

Media and Content Management

Content Delivery APIs

Video Streaming APIs

API Monitoring Best Practices by Use Case

High-Frequency Monitoring

Standard Business APIs

Background and Batch APIs

Advanced API Monitoring Patterns

Health Check Endpoints

Rate Limiting Validation

Error Response Validation

Integration with Development Workflow

Environment-Specific Monitoring

CI/CD Integration