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Course · Inna Osinna

Client-Server Architecture and API Testing

CSA & API Testing

An original course that finally makes the confusing parts make sense — once and for all.

⚡ Middle level
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Introduction

See what the course is about

Why this course

What makes this course different

A large block on architecture

Typical API courses focus on Postman and HTTP. But an API is more than that. To understand the essence, you have to separate it from the protocols and master the foundation of software — architecture.

An ecosystem of materials

More than a hundred graduates have called out the Notion ecosystem: everything you need in one place — lessons, homework and plenty of extra material.

Docker & Git

Besides Postman and Swagger, we work with Git and Docker — a useful addition to your CV.

Materials forever

I do not limit access to the materials, and you also get every future update to the course.

Varied homework

I balance the load from lesson to lesson, so the assignments really do differ: quizzes, building a project, writing scenarios and checklists, covering an API with automated tests. There are also extra hardcore-level tasks ;)

Constant support

I am always in touch with students — happy to discuss the course as well as real cases from practice. Support is both technical and human. There is also student care on the course: Alina is there for any question.

Programme

Four modules, ten weeks

Live Q&A sessions run between modules, with continuous support in the chat. Every lesson comes with homework that consolidates the material.

Module 1: Software architecture2 lessons
  • How the internet works
  • IP (IPv4 / IPv6)
  • How DNS works
  • The parts of client-server architecture
  • Types of architecture
  • Tiers of client-server architecture
  • Proxy, gateway, load balancer
After this module

You understand how applications work on the internet and what architectural choices exist, you start making sense of the architecture on your own project (I help if needed), and you can speak the same language as developers, DevOps engineers and architects.

Module 2: The HTTP protocol2 lessons
  • What HTTP is
  • Versions and evolution of the protocol
  • The protocol and the web
  • Encryption protocols
  • HTTP structure, request / response
  • URL / URN / URI
  • Headers, methods, status codes
  • Authorization / authentication and their types
  • XML, JSON
After this module

You know HTTP at a developer's level, or better: enough to spot errors in requests and responses, localise defects precisely, know the best practices of the protocol and advise your team on HTTP communication.

Module 3: Introduction to APIs2 lessons
  • What an API is
  • The kinds that exist (we cover six!)
  • RESTful API — the principles
  • API documentation
  • Swagger / OpenAPI
  • cURL
  • Chrome DevTools for API
  • Postman Proxy
After this module

You know what an API is and how many kinds exist, how each is implemented, where to find API documentation on a project and how it comes to exist, plus the different ways to work with an API and the tools you will use day to day.

Module 4: API in practice4 lessons
  • How to test an API
  • Types of API testing
  • Test design techniques for APIs
  • Typical checks
  • Schema validation
  • Postman for testing
  • Importing and exporting requests
  • Variables and environments
  • Snippets and AI
  • Automated test runs
  • Reporting: Postman CLI, Newman
  • CI/CD
After this module

You have a strategy for which checks to run when testing an API, how to use Postman effectively for it, how to reduce manual work and set up automated test runs.

Who it is for

Who this course suits

QA looking for a job

You finished a testing course but never really got APIs, and you lack the hard skills to land a QA role.

Experienced QA

You want to understand different API testing strategies, deepen your technical knowledge, try new tools, work more effectively and make deliberate decisions.

Other IT specialists

PMs, POs, BAs and anyone else who wants a better overall grasp of the subject.

About me

Inna Osinna

QA Team Lead / Senior Manual QA

My background is fairly broad by now: quality of products and processes, management, testing, teaching; experience with native apps and the web, with a startup and with large-scale business, with UI and with databases.

Having walked that path, I can say with confidence that without understanding how an application is built inside, it is very hard to be an effective engineer. That is why this course is not about poking requests in Postman — it is about UNDERSTANDING what to poke, where, and whether you should.

This is the product I badly missed myself. A product that would have let me feel confident in engineering syncs, understand developers and architects, propose improvements to the project's architecture, and start testing an API from its documentation. And confidently put “client-server architecture” and “API testing” on my CV without dreading interviews.

LinkedIn →
Inna Osinna, the course author
Schedule

How the course runs

  1. Weeks 1–2Module 1: client-server architecture
  2. Live Q&AHomework and questions

  3. Weeks 3–4Module 2: HTTP
  4. Live Q&AHomework and questions

  5. Weeks 5–6Module 3: introduction to APIs
  6. Live Q&AHomework and questions

  7. Weeks 7–10Module 4: API in practice
  8. Live Q&AHomework and questions

  9. +2 monthsTo finish the homework
Reviews

What graduates say

400+ QA engineers have taken the course. Here is how it changed their work and their careers.

  • “I was able to answer every API testing question during the interview — and they gave me the offer.”
    Anna TvorydloCohort 7 graduate
  • “On 24 December I was sent an offer for a new job, exactly where I will be applying this knowledge. I now feel genuinely confident with APIs.”
    Olena VdovychenkoCohort 9 graduate
  • “APIs used to be the task with an asterisk. A developer I know would say: “come on, what is there to figure out…”. Now I can say: “come on, I did figure out that API”. Thanks to the course.”
    Anna CherniakCohort 5 graduate
  • “I now talk to frontend and backend in far more technical language. Swagger became a working tool rather than just something I had once seen.”
    Anna LazarevaCohort 4 graduate
  • “Today I feel confident in API testing and client-server architecture. I got a salary raise at the performance review.”
    Oleksii BondarenkoCohort 9 graduate
  • “Everything finally came into focus: what is arranged where, and how it works under the hood. Even at work, without knowing I had taken the course, people notice my skills have improved.”
    Vitalina OnyskivCohort 6 graduate
  • “At the interview I explained how I would test a site through a mock server. Two test managers were pleasantly shocked. I had worked 3 years in QA and did not know what a mock server was.”
    Kateryna RosliukCohort 8 graduate
  • “I did get the offer! I prepared from the notes and videos, and the knowledge from the homework helped. For a project where API testing will be the main activity.”
    Hanna KubrakovaCohort 4 graduate
  • “I deployed the project locally (I am awesome!), created a server with responses in Postman, figured out headers. Before that I had no idea what any of it was or why.”
    Iryna KostiukCohort 9 graduate
Plans

Choose your format

Self Progress

$299$350

≈ UAH 13,450 (depends on the exchange rate at the time of payment)

  • Video lessons
  • Notes and a glossary base
  • Homework without review
  • 6 months of access, outside the group schedule
Enrol on the course →

Progress

$405$450

≈ UAH 18,200 (depends on the exchange rate at the time of payment)

  • Video lessons
  • Notes and a glossary base
  • Homework with review
  • A library of supplementary materials
  • A private chat with support
  • 4 group Q&A sessions
  • LIFETIME access to the materials
Enrol on the course →

Job Offer

$540$600

≈ UAH 24,300 (depends on the exchange rate at the time of payment)

  • Everything in Progress
  • A mock interview with Inna Osinna (2 hours)
  • An AI chatbot for interview preparation
  • A detailed CV review
  • The full list of interview preparation questions
Enrol on the course →
Payment

How to pay

Full payment

Made through the payment provider. There you can also split the payment into up to 6 instalments with no fee.

Reservation

Made through the payment provider. A reservation secures your seat in the next group and the price valid at the moment of booking. You can pay the rest at any time before the course starts, and that balance can be split into instalments too.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is there a certificate?

Yes. Every student who completes at least one homework assignment receives a certificate at the end of the course.

What will I get out of the course?

API testing stops being scary. You will always have a strategy ready — where to start. You will adjust that strategy based on what you know about architecture, API types and the nuances of HTTP. The test artefacts you receive and write during the course (checklists, test scenarios) stay with you for real projects. And interviews become far less intimidating 😉

Are there deadlines for homework?

There are no hard deadlines — do the homework when it suits you. That said, I recommend finishing a module's homework before our live session so it is more useful. The one deadline for submitting homework for review is 2 months after the last lesson. After the course you can buy an extension of the review if you need it.

How and where does the learning happen?

Video lessons are released weekly. Each group gets its own classroom in Notion with the schedule of lessons, online meetings and the final homework deadline. There is also a Telegram chat with announcements, useful links and direct access to me. Homework instructions are attached to every lesson. After the course ends you have 2 more months to finish and submit everything.

What kind of homework is it?

The assignments vary. In the early modules I use quizzes to consolidate the material (students get genuinely sad when they run out). Beyond quizzes, every lesson has practical tasks that grow in complexity and volume as the course progresses: writing JSON to a spec, building a project with Docker, creating test scenarios, writing automated tests for specific requests.

Will I be able to review the materials after the course?

Yes. Access to the materials is permanent.

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes. The payment provider offers many instalment options — pick whichever bank and number of months suits you. You will not be charged a fee for it.

Which API will we be testing?

We work with my own project, built specifically for teaching. It will not be the pet store or testrail that most courses use — I try to keep the course close to real life.

Can I get an invoice so my company covers the course?

Yes. I am always happy to help arrange this. Leave a request through the form below with the details you need for reimbursement — I will prepare everything and get in touch on Telegram.

How long does the course last?

10 weeks. After that I give another 2 months of buffer time to finish the homework. Each group has its own Notion classroom with a calendar of all events and deadlines.

Do I need to install anything beforehand?

No. All the software can be installed as you go — every link is in the lesson instructions. But you can get ahead and download Docker and Postman in advance.

Is the course suitable for a complete beginner?

Ideally the course is designed for QA already working in the field. If you have no experience yet but have finished a testing course and are looking for more depth, it will work — it may just feel a bit harder. If in doubt, write to me and I will advise you specifically.

Get in touch

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