The API Dilemma – Choosing a Mock API vs. a Real Backend

This post introduces Mox, a new tool developed by Confluent to address the 'blocked factor' in API-driven development. Mox is a lightweight request interception library that wraps around Express. It acts as a proxy server that can be extended with mocked API endpoints. By default, Mox proxies incoming API requests to your real backend, but allows specification of endpoints to mock or modify. Key features include request introspection, proxying to multiple backends, setting headers and status codes, simulating delays, and generating SSL certificates. The post details the trade-offs between API mocks and live backends, and presents Mox as a hybrid solution that combines the benefits of both.