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GraphQL API Testing

SHAFT Engine provides first-class GraphQL support through SHAFT.API.sendGraphQlRequest(). It returns the normal request builder, so queries, mutations, variables, fragments, authentication headers, status checks, and response assertions all use the same fluent API as REST requests.

Simple Query​

Send a basic GraphQL query and validate the response:

GraphQLTesting.java
import com.shaft.driver.SHAFT;

SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

api.sendGraphQlRequest(
    "/graphql",
    "{ users { id name email } }"
).perform();

// Assert response content
api.assertThatResponse().extractedJsonValue("data.users").isNotNull();

Query with Variables​

Pass a variables JSON string alongside the query:

GraphQLTesting.java
// GraphQL query with variables
String query = "query GetUser($id: ID!) { user(id: $id) { name email } }";
String variables = "{\"id\": \"123\"}";

SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

api.sendGraphQlRequest(
    "/graphql",
    query,
    variables
).perform();

Query with Fragment​

Use GraphQL fragments for reusable field selections:

GraphQLTesting.java
String fragment = "fragment UserFields on User { id name email role }";

SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

api.sendGraphQlRequest(
    "/graphql",
    "{ users { ...UserFields } }",
    null,
    fragment
).perform();

Query with Authentication Header​

Add a custom header (e.g., Bearer token) alongside the query:

GraphQLTesting.java
// GraphQL with fragment and auth header
String fragment = "fragment UserFields on User { id name email role }";

SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

api.sendGraphQlRequest(
    "/graphql",
    "{ users { ...UserFields } }",
    null,
    fragment
).addHeader("Authorization", "Bearer mytoken123").perform();

Complete Test Example​

GraphQLTest.java
import com.shaft.driver.SHAFT;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

public class GraphQLTest {

    @Test
    public void queryAllUsers() {
        SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

        api.sendGraphQlRequest("/graphql", "{ users { id name email } }").perform();

        api.assertThatResponse().extractedJsonValue("data.users").isNotNull();
    }

    @Test
    public void queryUserById() {
        SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");
        String query = "query GetUser($id: ID!) { user(id: $id) { name email } }";
        String variables = "{\"id\": \"1\"}";

        api.sendGraphQlRequest("/graphql", query, variables).perform();

        api.assertThatResponse().extractedJsonValue("data.user.email").isNotNull();
    }

    @Test
    public void createUserMutation() {
        SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");
        String mutation = "mutation CreateUser($input: CreateUserInput!) { "
            + "createUser(input: $input) { id name email } }";
        String variables = "{\"input\": {\"name\": \"Jane\", \"email\": \"jane@example.com\"}}";

        api.sendGraphQlRequest("/graphql", mutation, variables).perform();

        api.assertThatResponse().extractedJsonValue("data.createUser.id").isNotNull();
    }
}

Asserting with SHAFT Validations​

You can also use SHAFT's built-in response validation for GraphQL responses:

GraphQLValidation.java
import com.shaft.driver.SHAFT;

SHAFT.API api = new SHAFT.API("https://api.example.com");

api.post("/graphql")
   .setRequestBody("{\"query\": \"{ users { id name } }\"}")
   .addHeader("Content-Type", "application/json")
   .setTargetStatusCode(200)
   .perform();

api.assertThatResponse()
   .extractedJsonValue("data.users[0].name")
   .isEqualTo("John Doe");
tip

Use the variables parameter instead of string interpolation in GraphQL queries to avoid injection issues and improve readability.

note

GraphQL APIs typically return HTTP 200 even when errors occur — always validate the errors field in the response body alongside the status code.