AboutLocalazy is disrupting the current localization industry by providing modern tools to companies who wants to reach new markets
Use API mocking to speed up application development
Save time and build better applications by testing specific scenarios and edge cases with Mockoon
Localazy is building a set of tools to manage all the localization and translation needs of its customers. They focus on delivering a stellar experience with easy-to-use yet flexible applications. But building bug-free SaaS or applications is a complex task. It requires prototyping new features using the right scenarios and in-depth testing during and after the development phase. All these steps require having access to the correct test data at the right time, especially when testing edge cases or specific application states. Localazy chose to integrate Mockoon in their workflow to mock their APIs for its ease of use and flexibility. They drastically sped up their development and testing processes while keeping their product at a high-quality standard.
Mockoon was easy to start with, was fast and lightweight. One clear purpose tool which immediately solved our problem.
How to design, prototype, test and demo applications against realistic data and scenarios?
One of the most complex tasks when building products is to test enough scenarios to ensure that no customer will encounter dead ends, or worse, bugs. Accounting for these edge cases requires the involvement of all employees during the prototyping, development, and testing phases of such a product. To cover these scenarios, Localazy, like many companies, relies on a staging server and integration tests running for each new version of the application. However, this is not a silver bullet. Making such a staging server available to developers to help them test while building new features is not necessarily a trivial task.
Also, while manual and automated testing is a significant part of application development, it is not the only activity requiring various scenarios or edge cases to be covered. Designing and prototyping the application with this diversity in mind also ensure less back and forth between the product and the development team and may speed up the development phase. Finally, internal product demos and brainstorming sessions could also benefit from displaying realistic and varied scenarios. And again, re-using a staging server in this context does not give enough spontaneity nor flexibility.
To cover all these needs, Localazy introduced API mocking from early on. They put in place various tools and browser extensions to cover their needs. But installing, using, and maintaining them, together with their demo or test data, required a lot of work and many manual steps.
Localazy needed one tool that would bring more flexibility and could cover all the needs during these various and very different activities.
Using Mockoon during prototyping, development, and testing phases
After looking into the available API mocking tools, Localazy settled with Mockoon. Lots of developer tools on the market promise to streamline the process of creating API mocks but often have a steep learning curve or are cluttered with unrelated features. With Mockoon, the learning curve is minimal, and all the team members can be up and running in no time. They can start mocking missing endpoints or specific scenarios efficiently only minutes after installing the application.
Also, having a desktop application, coupled with a CLI, brings the flexibility that testing servers or simple browser extensions usually lacks. Mock APIs can be created and shared within the team and easily modified in real-time during prototyping, development, or even demos. There is no server deployment to wait for or long startup time.
Mockoon is also multi-purpose. Localazy's front-end team uses the tool during development to test edge cases like failures or errors, without having to simulate them with the staging API server. It also allows them to work with API endpoints that are still under development and reduce dependencies between front-end and back-end teams.
Even Localazy's design team uses the tool during prototyping to have easier access to more varied scenarios. Thus, they reduce the back and forth between designers and developers and speed up the product development process even more.
When testing or debugging, don't waste your time trying to explore all these edge cases manually. Just try Mockoon and see for yourself!
Using an API mocking tool like Mockoon is a net plus for Localazy. It allows them to save time during multiple phases of the product development while keeping the same product quality.