SoapUI
ActiveOverview
SoapUI is an open-source application for testing web services, including SOAP, RESTful, and HTTP-based APIs. It offers a graphical user interface to create, execute, and manage API tests, supporting standard protocols for functional testing.12
Key Features
- SOAP Testing - Tests SOAP web services using WSDL files to generate requests and validate responses.
- REST Testing - Supports RESTful APIs with methods for request creation, authentication, and response inspection.
- OAuth 2.0 Support - Adds reusable authorization profiles for OAuth 2.0 tokens in REST requests.
- Properties Management - Defines custom properties at project, test suite, or test case levels for advanced testing.
- Data-Driven Testing - Uses DataSource and DataSink test steps to drive tests with external data.
- Basic Authentication - Configures basic auth for REST and SOAP requests via authorization tabs.
- Scripting Support - Enables Groovy scripting for custom test logic and property handling.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| SoapUI Open Source | Free | Core API testing for SOAP, REST, HTTP with GUI, properties, and scripting. |
| ReadyAPI (Commercial) | Paid (via SmartBear) | Advanced features for enterprise API testing, security, and load testing. |
Platforms & Requirements
SoapUI runs as a desktop application on Windows, macOS, and Linux via Java installation. Requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) with default settings for installation. No notable platform-specific limitations mentioned.
Integrations & Ecosystem
- Salesforce SOAP API (Enterprise WSDL)
- Partner WSDL
- Tooling API
- Metadata API
- OAuth 2.0 providers
- Basic Auth services
- HTTP-based services
Alternatives
| App | Difference |
|---|---|
| Postman | Web-based with collaboration focus, less emphasis on SOAP compared to SoapUI's protocol support. |
| ReadyAPI | Commercial version of SoapUI with added security, virtualization, and performance testing. |
| JMeter | Open-source for load and performance testing, broader than SoapUI's functional API focus. |
| Insomnia | Lightweight REST client, lacks SoapUI's full SOAP and advanced test suite features. |
Reputation
SoapUI is recognized as a standard open-source tool for API testing, downloaded over 3 million times with extensive community resources.2 Strengths include ease of use for SOAP and REST testing without coding.12 Criticisms involve shared settings files with ReadyAPI causing configuration issues and a dated interface compared to modern tools.4
Sources (9)
- https://sfdclesson.com/2021/09/16/create-custom-profiles-from-scratch-via-the-soap-api-soapui-tutorial/
- https://blogs.perficient.com/2022/10/03/introduction-to-soapui/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMOVBgmcuQE
- https://community.smartbear.com/discussions/readyapi-questions/custom-profile-for-ready-api-or-open-source-soap-ui---make-them-use-different-wo/191132
- https://www.soapui.org/docs/oauth2/reference/oauth-2-authorization-profile/
- https://www.soapui.org/docs/oauth2/oauth2-authorization/
- https://www.soapui.org/docs/functional-testing/working-with-properties/
- https://www.soapui.org/docs/soap-and-wsdl/authenticating-soap-requests/
- https://www.soapui.org/docs/oauth2/reference/basic/