Testing network requests can be tricky. Generating mock data, handling HTTP routes, etc. Thing get complicated quickly. Today we'll check out a library from devlucky called Kakapo that can help us tame all this. Let's get started.

One of the best features of Kakapo is how easy it is start using. We can create a new Router for a domain, and start adding intercepted routes like this:

let router = Router.register("http://littlebitesofcocoa.com")

router.get("/bites") { request in
  return ["id" : 1, "title": "#1: View Controller Initialization 🚀"]
}

In the above example, we're returning static data. Let's kick things up a notch and return some dynamic data. This is another place Kakapo really shines:

let db = KakapoDB()
db.create(Bite.self, number: 10)

router.get("/bites") { request in
  return db.findAll(Bite.self)
}

We can use this functionality to not only test network requests, but even to "stub out" responses before fully implementing backend services. Neat!

Once we've wired up some routes, we can make our network requests like normal:

let URL = NSURL(string: "http://littlebitesofcocoa.com/1")!

session.dataTaskWithURL(URL) { (data, _, _) in
  // handle response
}.resume()

We can even wire Kakapo up to Alamofire (Bite #93) like this:

let configuration = NSURLSessionConfiguration.defaultSessionConfiguration()
configuration.protocolClasses = [KakapoServer.self]
let manager = Manager(configuration: configuration)

This barely scratches the surface of what Kakapo has to offer.

From advanced dynamic mocking and database functionality, great routing, and a squeaky clean API, it's definitely worth a look.

Learn more about Kakapo at git.io/kakapo