Newman API tests failing with Cloudflare Access headers

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Summary

The Newman API tests are failing in a GitHub Actions workflow due to issues with Cloudflare Access headers. Despite implementing the necessary Postman Collection requests with CF Access headers, the workflow is still failing. The environment file has the required variables defined, but the CF Access headers are not being read correctly.

Root Cause

The root cause of the issue is likely due to the following reasons:

  • Incorrect environment variable handling: The environment variables CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_ID and CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_SECRET are not being passed correctly to the Newman API tests.
  • Invalid Cloudflare Access headers: The CF Access headers are not being formatted correctly, resulting in the Cloudflare Access page being displayed instead of the expected API response.

Why This Happens in Real Systems

This issue can occur in real systems due to:

  • Misconfigured environment variables: Environment variables are not being set or passed correctly, resulting in authentication failures.
  • Inconsistent header formatting: API headers are not being formatted consistently, leading to authentication errors.
  • Insufficient error handling: Error handling mechanisms are not in place to catch and handle authentication errors, resulting in workflow failures.

Real-World Impact

The real-world impact of this issue includes:

  • Failed API tests: Newman API tests are failing due to authentication errors, resulting in inaccurate test results.
  • Delayed deployments: GitHub Actions workflows are failing, causing delays in deployments and impact on production environments.
  • Increased debugging time: Development teams are spending more time debugging and troubleshooting the issue, resulting in increased development costs.

Example or Code

import os
import json

# Load environment variables
cf_access_client_id = os.environ.get('CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_ID', '')
cf_access_client_secret = os.environ.get('CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_SECRET', '')

# Update environment file
with open('newman/environment.json', 'r') as f:
    env_data = json.load(f)

for item in env_data.get('values', []):
    key = item.get('key')
    if key == 'CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_ID':
        item['value'] = cf_access_client_id
    elif key == 'CF_ACCESS_CLIENT_SECRET':
        item['value'] = cf_access_client_secret

with open('newman/environment.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(env_data, f, indent=2)

How Senior Engineers Fix It

Senior engineers can fix this issue by:

  • Verifying environment variable handling: Ensuring that environment variables are being set and passed correctly to the Newman API tests.
  • Validating Cloudflare Access headers: Confirming that the CF Access headers are being formatted correctly and included in the API requests.
  • Implementing robust error handling: Putting in place error handling mechanisms to catch and handle authentication errors, preventing workflow failures.

Why Juniors Miss It

Junior engineers may miss this issue due to:

  • Lack of experience with environment variables: Inadequate understanding of how environment variables are handled in GitHub Actions workflows.
  • Insufficient knowledge of API headers: Limited knowledge of API headers and how they are formatted and included in API requests.
  • Inadequate testing and debugging: Incomplete testing and debugging of the Newman API tests, resulting in authentication errors being overlooked.