I'm building a backend service and need API regression tests in CI

A good CI setup for API regression tests usually has 4 parts:

1. A stable test environment

   • Spin up dependencies with Docker Compose or ephemeral test infra
   • Use a dedicated test database
   • Seed known test data before running tests

2. A regression test suite

   • Cover core endpoints and business flows
   • Include:
     • happy paths
     • auth/authorization failures
     • validation errors
     • backward-compatibility cases
   • Prefer black-box tests against the running service

3. Run it automatically in CI

   • Trigger on pull requests and merges to main
   • Fail the build on any API contract or behavior change
   • Publish artifacts like logs and reports

4. Keep it maintainable

   • Put test data and expected responses under version control
   • Use helpers for auth, setup, and assertions
   • Avoid overly brittle tests that depend on exact timestamps or ordering

Example CI flow:

• Checkout code
• Build service image
• Start service + dependencies
• Run DB migrations
• Seed fixtures
• Execute API regression tests
• Tear down environment
• Upload test results

If you want, I can help you with one of these next:

• a sample GitHub Actions pipeline
• a Docker Compose test setup
• an API regression test framework choice (Postman/Newman, pytest, REST Assured, Playwright/API, etc.)
• a test strategy for your specific backend stack

If you tell me your stack (language, framework, CI system, auth type), I can draft a concrete CI config.