Overview

Endpoint validation helps you ensure your implementation matches your contract. It’s the fastest way to detect:

broken or drifting schemas
missing status codes or response shapes
auth and connectivity problems
design/compliance issues your team cares about

Related: Endpoint import and discovery.

Validation types

Syntax: URL and method correctness, parameter naming, schema syntax.
Semantic: logical consistency, auth compatibility, appropriate response codes.
Compliance: standards/security/documentation rules (team-defined).

Run endpoint validation

Select endpoints to validate.
Choose a validation profile (if your deployment supports profiles).
Run validation checks.
Review the report and fix issues.
Re-run validation to confirm the fix.

Example report structure

{
  "endpoint": "/api/v1/users/{id}",
  "validation_status": "warning",
  "checks": [
    {
      "type": "syntax",
      "status": "passed",
      "message": "URL structure is valid"
    },
    {
      "type": "security",
      "status": "warning",
      "message": "Consider adding rate limiting",
      "severity": "medium"
    },
    {
      "type": "documentation",
      "status": "failed",
      "message": "Missing response schema for 500 error",
      "severity": "high"
    }
  ]
}

Connection testing and verification

Verify endpoint connectivity and basic functionality.

Connection test types

Basic Connectivity Test
- DNS resolution verification
- Network reachability check
- SSL/TLS certificate validation
- Response time measurement
Authentication Test
- Credential validation
- Token refresh verification
- Permission scope testing
- Session management verification
Functional Test
- Successful request/response cycle
- Expected status codes
- Response format verification
- Error handling validation

Test Execution Steps:

Configure test parameters (timeout, retries, etc.)
Set up test credentials/authentication
Execute connection test
Analyze test results
Document findings
Schedule recurring tests if needed

Connection test output

Test: GET /api/v1/users/12345
Status: SUCCESS
Response Time: 145ms
Status Code: 200
Content-Type: application/json
SSL Certificate: Valid (expires: 2026-03-15)
Authentication: Successful (Bearer Token)

Headers Received:
  - X-Request-ID: abc123
  - X-Rate-Limit-Remaining: 999

Response Size: 432 bytes

Schema validation against responses

Validate actual API responses against defined schemas.

Schema validation process

Send Test Request
- Execute endpoint with valid parameters
- Capture complete response
Parse Response
- Extract response body
- Parse according to content type
- Handle encoding issues
Compare Against Schema
- Validate data types
- Check required fields presence
- Verify field constraints (min/max, patterns, etc.)
- Validate nested structures
Generate Validation Report
- List matching elements
- Highlight mismatches
- Suggest schema corrections
- Calculate compliance score

Validation Rules:

Type Checking: Ensure field types match schema (string, number, boolean, etc.)
Required Fields: Verify all required fields are present
Format Validation: Check formats (email, date, UUID, etc.)
Constraint Validation: Verify min/max values, string lengths, patterns
Enum Validation: Confirm values are within allowed enums
Additional Properties: Check for unexpected fields

Validation report example

{
  "endpoint": "/api/v1/users/12345",
  "validation_result": "failed",
  "compliance_score": 0.85,
  "issues": [
    {
      "path": "response.data.created_at",
      "expected": "string (ISO 8601 date)",
      "actual": "number (timestamp)",
      "severity": "medium",
      "suggestion": "Update schema to accept number or convert response to string"
    },
    {
      "path": "response.data.phone",
      "expected": "required field",
      "actual": "missing",
      "severity": "high",
      "suggestion": "Add phone field to response or update schema"
    }
  ],
  "matches": 17,
  "total_fields": 20
}

Performance testing (optional)

Assess endpoint performance characteristics under various conditions.

Performance metrics

Response Time Metrics
- Average response time
- Median response time
- 95th/99th percentile response times
- Min/max response times
Throughput Metrics
- Requests per second (RPS)
- Concurrent request capacity
- Data transfer rate
Reliability Metrics
- Success rate
- Error rate by type
- Timeout frequency
- Retry success rate

Performance test types

Load Testing
- Gradually increase load
- Identify breaking points
- Measure degradation patterns
Configuration:

   load_test:
     duration: 5m
     ramp_up: 1m
     initial_users: 10
     max_users: 500
     increment: 50
     increment_interval: 30s

Stress Testing
- Push beyond normal capacity
- Identify failure modes
- Test recovery mechanisms
Configuration:

   stress_test:
     duration: 10m
     target_rps: 1000
     spike_enabled: true
     spike_multiplier: 3
     spike_duration: 30s

Spike Testing
- Sudden load increases
- Measure response to traffic spikes
- Validate auto-scaling behavior
Endurance Testing
- Sustained load over time
- Memory leak detection
- Resource exhaustion testing
Configuration:

   endurance_test:
     duration: 24h
     steady_load: 100
     sampling_interval: 5m

Performance Test Results:

Endpoint: GET /api/v1/users
Test Type: Load Test
Duration: 5 minutes
Total Requests: 15,000
Successful: 14,985 (99.9%)
Failed: 15 (0.1%)

Response Times:
  Average: 125ms
  Median: 118ms
  95th Percentile: 189ms
  99th Percentile: 245ms
  Max: 312ms

Throughput:
  Average RPS: 50
  Peak RPS: 75
  Data Transfer: 45 MB

Errors:
  Timeouts: 10
  5xx Errors: 5
  Connection Errors: 0

Endpoint Validation and Testing