Performance tests created with the Grafana k6 browser module use lab data collected from pre-defined environments, devices, and network settings. Lab data allows you to repeatedly reproduce performance results, making it useful for detecting and fixing performance issues early. Lab data, however, doesn’t account for one very important testing component: real user experience.

A spicy article hit my inbox the other day. It came with a bold claim — “API testing is better than UI testing”. Absolutes like “A is better than B” rarely hold in the software world. “It depends” is the answer to most tech questions for a reason. Let’s compare API and UI testing and discuss why one isn’t better than the other. The frenemies are “just different”, and always will be. And that’s a good thing.

Grafana k6 v0.47.0 has been released, featuring gRPC’s binary metadata support, new authentication methods, and tons of other improvements for Grafana k6 OSS. Here’s a quick overview of the latest features in Grafana k6 v0.47.0, as well as some other exciting updates related to Grafana Cloud k6 and the k6 community.

Most development teams know that testing the application layer of a system (a.k.a the codebase) is of vital importance. Testing the data layer (the database) is just as important. To perform database testing, you construct queries to assert and validate the database operations, structures, and attributes required by the application connecting to the database.

Whether you're a business that relies on Amazon reviews and seller feedback or planning a much-needed holiday through your favorite travel comparison site, everyday activities like these wouldn't be impossible without APIs. An integral part of app development, API technology is interwoven into a rich tapestry of popular applications that companies and consumers use daily. Without them, there would be no smartphones, social media, or instant messaging.