Verify GET request to retrieve user details

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Send a GET request to https://api.example.com/users/123

Step 2: Check the HTTP status code of the response

Step 3: Check the Content-Type header is application/json

Step 4: Verify the response body contains user details with id 123, name, and email fields

✅ Expected Result: Response status code is 200, Content-Type is application/json, and response body contains correct user details with id 123

Automation Requirements - Python requests + unittest

Assertions Needed:

Assert response status code is 200

Assert Content-Type header is application/json

Assert response JSON contains id=123

Assert response JSON contains name and email fields

Best Practices:

Use setup method to define base URL

Use clear and descriptive assertion messages

Handle exceptions for request failures

Keep test independent and repeatable

Automated Solution

Testing Fundamentals

import unittest
import requests

class TestGetUserAPI(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.base_url = "https://api.example.com/users"

    def test_get_user_details(self):
        user_id = 123
        url = f"{self.base_url}/{user_id}"
        try:
            response = requests.get(url)
        except requests.RequestException as e:
            self.fail(f"Request failed: {e}")

        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200, f"Expected status code 200 but got {response.status_code}")
        content_type = response.headers.get('Content-Type', '')
        self.assertIn('application/json', content_type, f"Expected Content-Type application/json but got {content_type}")

        try:
            data = response.json()
        except ValueError:
            self.fail("Response is not valid JSON")

        self.assertEqual(data.get('id'), user_id, f"Expected user id {user_id} but got {data.get('id')}")
        self.assertIn('name', data, "Response JSON missing 'name' field")
        self.assertIn('email', data, "Response JSON missing 'email' field")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

This test uses Python's unittest framework and the requests library to automate the manual test case.

In setUp, the base URL is defined for reuse.

The test method test_get_user_details sends a GET request to the user endpoint with ID 123.

It asserts the HTTP status code is 200, ensuring the request succeeded.

It checks the Content-Type header includes 'application/json' to confirm the response format.

The response body is parsed as JSON. If parsing fails, the test fails with a clear message.

Finally, it asserts the JSON contains the expected user ID, and the 'name' and 'email' fields exist.

Try-except blocks handle request errors and JSON parsing errors gracefully, providing clear failure reasons.

This structure keeps the test clear, independent, and easy to maintain.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Not checking the HTTP status code before parsing JSON

Hardcoding full URLs in multiple places

Not handling exceptions for network failures

Using print statements instead of assertions

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different user IDs: 123, 456, and 789

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