# Platform Overview: How Shift-Left API Works

> A map of the platform: the project/feature/endpoint tree, the Execution, Reporting, Analytics, Mocks and Workflows areas, and the path from spec to results.

Source: https://totalshiftleft.ai/help-center/product-documentation/platform-overview

## Overview

Shift-Left API is a spec-first API test automation platform. It takes an API contract — an OpenAPI or Swagger document — and turns it into organized endpoints, runnable tests, scheduled executions, and traceable reports, without requiring you to write test code.

This page is a map. It explains how the product is organized and where each task lives, so you know which article to read next.

Supported protocols are **REST**, **SOAP**, and **GraphQL**, plus **JSON-RPC 2.0 / MCP** and **WebSocket-RPC** on the Trial and Enterprise editions (see [JSON-RPC 2.0 and MCP Server Testing](/help-center/product-documentation/json-rpc-and-mcp-testing) and [WebSocket-RPC Testing](/help-center/product-documentation/websocket-rpc-testing)). gRPC is not supported.

## How work is organized

Your test assets live in a three-level tree in the left sidebar:

| Level | What it is |
|-------|------------|
| **Project** | The top-level container, usually one API or service domain. Holds its own settings, environments, and credentials. |
| **Feature** | A grouping inside a project, used to organize endpoints by area of functionality. |
| **Endpoint** | A single operation (for example `GET /orders/{id}`), imported from your spec or added by hand. Tests hang off endpoints. |

Alongside the tree you'll also find **integration tests**, which chain multiple endpoints together rather than testing one in isolation.

## The main areas

The top navigation gives you the working areas of the product:

| Area | What you do there |
|------|-------------------|
| **Execution** | Create, run, and schedule Test Run Packs. See [Test Execution](/help-center/product-documentation/test-execution). |
| **Reporting** | Review run outcomes with request/response evidence. See [Test reporting](/help-center/product-documentation/test-reporting). |
| **Analytics & Dashboards** | Trends and quality metrics over time. See [Understanding analytics](/help-center/product-documentation/understanding-analytics). |
| **Mocks** | Stand in for services that aren't available yet. See [Understanding mocks](/help-center/product-documentation/understanding-mocks). |
| **Workflows** | Multi-step sequences executed end to end. See [Understanding workflows](/help-center/product-documentation/understanding-workflows). |
| **Platform Settings** | Users, permissions, licence, integrations, and system configuration. See [Administration settings](/help-center/product-documentation/administration-settings). |
| **Help & Version Information** | Build and version details. See [Help & version information](/help-center/product-documentation/help-version-information). |

**Analytics & Dashboards** requires a Pro, Trial, or Enterprise plan.

## The core path

The typical journey from contract to results:

1. **Create a project** for the API domain — [Project](/help-center/product-documentation/project).
2. **Import endpoints** from your OpenAPI/Swagger spec — [Endpoint import and discovery](/help-center/product-documentation/endpoint-import-and-discovery). Discovery reads the spec and creates the endpoints for you.
3. **Configure the environment and auth** so requests can actually reach your API — [Project settings](/help-center/product-documentation/project-settings) and [Test config](/help-center/product-documentation/test-config).
4. **Create tests.** Author them by hand with [Test case](/help-center/product-documentation/test-case), or generate them with [AI-generated tests](/help-center/product-documentation/ai-generated-tests).
5. **Run them.** A single [Test run](/help-center/product-documentation/test-run) while iterating, or a [Test run pack](/help-center/product-documentation/test-run-pack) for a repeatable, schedulable group.
6. **Review results** — [High level test report](/help-center/product-documentation/high-level-test-report) for the summary, [Detailed test report](/help-center/product-documentation/detailed-test-report) for per-test evidence.

Steps 1–3 are one-time setup per project. Steps 4–6 are the loop you'll live in.

## Where tests run

Tests execute in one of two places, and the execution mode you choose decides which:

| Runner | Where it runs | When to use it |
|--------|---------------|----------------|
| **Shift-Left Engine** | Server-side, on the platform | The default. Use it whenever your API is reachable from the platform. Applies to both scheduled and manual runs on the server. |
| **Shift-Left Agent** | Locally, on your own machine or build agent (`localhost:5004` by default) | Use it when your API isn't reachable from the internet — a local environment, or a service behind a corporate network. |

Each runner has its own settings, including separate proxy configuration per execution mode. Reports show which runner produced a result, so you can always tell whether a run went through the Engine or the Agent.

See [Execution mode](/help-center/product-documentation/execution-mode) and [Local runner](/help-center/product-documentation/local-runner).

## Reading results

Runs report four canonical statuses, and the difference between the middle two is the one worth learning:

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| **Passed** | The test succeeded. |
| **Failed** | Your API responded, but the response didn't match expectations. |
| **Error** | The request couldn't complete at all — unreachable host, TLS, timeout. |
| **Not run** | The test was skipped. |

**Failed** points you at your API or your assertions. **Error** points you at connectivity or configuration. Triage **Error** first — transport problems cascade and generate failures that aren't real.

## Recommended first path

If you're just starting:

1. [Getting started](/help-center/installation/getting-started) — install and sign in.
2. [Initial configuration](/help-center/configuration/initial-configuration) — get the system ready.
3. [Configuration fundamentals](/help-center/configuration/environment-variables) — set up environments.
4. Create a project, import a spec, and run your first pack.

## Related articles

- [Project](/help-center/product-documentation/project)
- [Endpoint import and discovery](/help-center/product-documentation/endpoint-import-and-discovery)
- [Test case](/help-center/product-documentation/test-case)
- [Test execution](/help-center/product-documentation/test-execution)
- [Execution mode](/help-center/product-documentation/execution-mode)