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OAI Workshop: Intro to Contract Testing: Evolving APIs Safely
Tuesday February 11, 2025 12:00pm - 12:50pm PST
DeveloperWeek PRO STAGE
Frank Kilcommins, SmartBear, Principal API Technical Evangelist

Microservices and modular API architectures have transformed the technical landscape, enabling rapid innovation, faster releases, and decentralized evolvability. However, scaling these architectures introduces significant challenges. Managing dependencies between providers, consumers, and environments often leads to API sprawl, increasing complexity and diminishing returns. Traditional reliance on integration and end-to-end testing struggles to keep pace, resulting in high costs, lengthy feedback loops, and the rise of “zombie APIs.”

Contract testing offers a scalable and efficient alternative to address these challenges, rebalancing the testing pyramid by focusing on the interactions between API providers and consumers. With bi-directional contract testing, teams can leverage existing OpenAPI artifacts and design-first workflows to validate changes without needing expensive, brittle end-to-end setups. Providers gain insight into the impact of API changes, while consumers understand the surface area of APIs they rely on.

We will cover:

- The limitations of end-to-end testing in modern API architectures.
- How contract testing reduces complexity and promotes collaboration.
- The fundamentals of provider and consumer workflows for bi-directional contract testing.
- How to leverage tools like Pact to maximize OpenAPI investments and enable faster scaling.
- Demonstrations showcasing contract testing in action.

Whether you're navigating a microservices ecosystem or building a modular API platform, this workshop will empower you to evolve APIs safely, deliver value faster, and streamline your testing strategy. Join us to bring clarity and confidence to your API architecture.
Speakers
avatar for Frank Kilcommins

Frank Kilcommins

Principal API Technical Evangelist, SmartBear
Frank has over 15 years’ experience in the technology industry, with his roles spanning from software engineering to enterprise architecture. His mission is to inspire, engage with and support the API community and SmartBear customers across the end-to-end API Development Lifecycle... Read More →
Tuesday February 11, 2025 12:00pm - 12:50pm PST
DeveloperWeek PRO STAGE

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