Elasticity is crucial in cloud-based API performance testing to assess how well an API scales across various cloud resources. It ensures that the system can dynamically adapt to changing workloads, making it a key consideration for cloud-based scalability.

Third-party API integration demands rigorous testing for security to guarantee that sensitive data is protected during data exchange. Ensuring that the system can handle potential security vulnerabilities is paramount to a secure integration process.

Automation is crucial for API testing in DevOps as it provides faster feedback on the quality of code changes. It also helps in reducing manual errors and allows for continuous integration, enabling rapid and reliable software delivery. While all the mentioned options are benefits of automation, the primary goal is faster feedback.

Contract testing commonly uses Pact as a tool for validating API contracts. Pact is designed to ensure that the contracts between services are honored, enabling better communication and collaboration.

Continuous Integration (CI) streamlines the integration of code changes, promoting collaboration between developers and testers. It ensures that changes are regularly integrated into a shared repository, preventing isolated work and reducing integration issues.

Effective communication ensures that developers and testers share a common understanding, preventing issues, and promoting collaboration throughout the software development lifecycle. It minimizes misunderstandings, speeds up the development process, and reduces the need for extensive testing later on.

Virtualized services in API testing offer efficient resource utilization, allowing multiple tests to run concurrently on the same infrastructure, reducing resource costs and time.

Mocking vs Stubbing in API Testing

In Postman, "Environments" are used to automate test runs across multiple environments. Environments allow you to set up different configurations and variables for your API tests, facilitating testing in various scenarios.

The HTTP method PUT is idempotent and used for updating resources in RESTful APIs. Idempotent means that making the same request multiple times will have the same effect as a single request.

Error masking is an essential aspect of error handling that prevents exposing sensitive data through error messages. Instead of revealing detailed information about the internal system, error masking provides a generalized and user-friendly message while logging the detailed error information securely for system administrators. This practice helps in maintaining the security of the system by not divulging critical information to potential attackers or unauthorized users.

Dynamic rate limiting adjusts limits based on real-time metrics such as server load or other factors. By dynamically adjusting limits, APIs can handle varying levels of traffic and ensure optimal performance during peak times.