Faster SOA Testing

The Problem: Not Enough Web Services for Testing

Backend Web services generally require more time and resources to develop than client-side applications. As a result, development groups, working typically in parallel, produce a variety of clients for different departments, business units, affiliates, etc. long before the first backend Web service sees the light of day.

Unfortunately, that leaves each of these client teams stuck, waiting for the backend service to come online before testing can begin. Even when the backend service becomes available, multiple iterations of the service and client will likely be required as each team inputs the results of their testing. The result is delayed time to implementation.

Solution: Creating Virtual Services

Instead of waiting for backend Web services to be built, the SecureSpan SOA Gateway can be used to simulate Web services that client teams can test against. Here’s how:

• SecureSpan XML Gateways are very good at virtualizing (basically, creating a layer of indirection for) any existing Web service. Using this same principle, developers can test out any idea they may have for any WS-* or REST-based Web service.
• The SecureSpan Gateway’s built-in template response capabilities enables the ability to quickly create a service stub to test against the WSDL or REST interface in parallel with the service implementation.
• In addition, a built-in directory, Secure Token Service (STS), PKI Certificate Authority (CA) and support for XACML give organizations all the tools they need to test a myriad of complex identity based interactions. JDBC and LDAP call-out functionality can also aid in prototyping against existing database/identity management resources.
• Once the idea has been tested out, development can start on coding the actual backend service while continuing to leverage SecureSpan Gateway templates and a refreshed WSDL (taken from the backend service) to refine the client application.
• Once the backend service is ready to accept requests, SecureSpan Gateway policies can simply be updated to route to the new services, eliminating potential impacts on client-side applications

It's quick, easy and intuitive. And, as an added benefit, there’s no need for costly custom test harnesses, responders, and their associated development and maintenance.

Layer 7 Value: Faster Test, Shorter Time to Production

Layer 7 provides a number of products that can be used to facilitate rapid Web service prototyping and testing, including:

• soapUI from Layer 7 is the world’s most popular Web services testing tool is now available from Layer 7, providing developers with the ability to inspect, invoke, develop, simulate and create mockups of Web services. Testers can also use soapUI to perform functional, load and compliance testing of Web services.
• VMware/Amazon Machine Image (AMI) Virtual Appliances for developers and testers performing functional testing, a clone-able, virtual SecureSpan Gateway that can be deployed either in the cloud or on developers’ desktops not only reduces system costs, but also simplifies management and setup of test and development environments. Additionally, both the VMware and AMI form factors offer identical functionality to SecureSpan hardware devices, simplifying migration to production systems.
• Enterprise Service Manager (ESM) as an integrated operations console, the ESM simplifies migration of policies between different environments (development, test, staging, production, etc), or settings (between cloud and enterprise when testing is performed in the cloud, for example) or geographies (between Asia and Europe when development is done overseas, for example), automatically resolving any discrepancies in resources between each environment.

With a SecureSpan SOA Gateway in place early in a SOA project, organizations can facilitate rapid prototyping of backend services, as well as early testing of frontend clients. And the ability to automate migration across development, test and into production literally with the click of a button ensures organizations can get to market faster while minimizing the risk associated with deploying across environments.