How do you implement a hybrid API + UI Cucumber test where you create a user via API and verify them in the UI?

API setup (0.2s) + UI verification (5s) = 5.2s per test
vs
UI setup (30s) + UI verification (5s) = 35s per test

Hybrid is 6x faster and more stable because:
- API calls don''t depend on UI rendering
- UI test focuses only on what matters: the display
- Faster feedback on UI bugs specifically

@regression @hybrid
Feature: User Management (Admin Portal)

  Scenario: Newly created user appears in admin user list
    Given a user is created via API with role "MANAGER"
    When the admin navigates to the user management page
    And the admin searches for the created user
    Then the user should appear with role "MANAGER"
    And the user status should show "Active"

  Scenario: Deleted user no longer appears in UI
    Given a user is created via API with role "USER"
    When the admin deletes the user via API
    And the admin refreshes the user management page
    Then the user should not appear in the list

  Scenario: Product created via API is visible in storefront
    Given a product is created via API:
      | name     | Wireless Headphones |
      | price    | 89.99               |
      | category | Electronics         |
      | status   | active              |
    When the customer navigates to the Electronics category
    And the customer searches for "Wireless Headphones"
    Then the product should appear with price "$89.99"

public class ScenarioContext {
    // Shared state
    public WebDriver driver;
    public String createdUserId;
    public String createdUserEmail;
    public String createdProductId;
    public SoftAssert softAssert = new SoftAssert();
}

public class ApiSteps {
    private final ScenarioContext ctx;
    public ApiSteps(ScenarioContext ctx) { this.ctx = ctx; }

    @Given("a user is created via API with role {string}")
    public void createUserViaApi(String role) {
        ctx.createdUserEmail = "test-" + System.currentTimeMillis() + "@qa.com";

        Response resp = given()
            .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + getAdminToken())
            .contentType("application/json")
            .body(Map.of(
                "email", ctx.createdUserEmail,
                "role",  role,
                "name",  "QA Test User"
            ))
            .post(ConfigReader.getApiUrl() + "/admin/users");

        assertEquals(201, resp.statusCode());
        ctx.createdUserId = resp.jsonPath().getString("id");
        System.out.println("Created user: " + ctx.createdUserId);
    }

    @When("the admin deletes the user via API")
    public void deleteUserViaApi() {
        given()
            .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + getAdminToken())
            .delete(ConfigReader.getApiUrl() + "/admin/users/" + ctx.createdUserId)
            .then().statusCode(200);
    }
}

public class AdminUserSteps {
    private final ScenarioContext ctx;
    public AdminUserSteps(ScenarioContext ctx) { this.ctx = ctx; }

    @When("the admin navigates to the user management page")
    public void navigateToUserManagement() {
        ctx.driver.get(ConfigReader.getBaseUrl() + "/admin/users");
    }

    @When("the admin searches for the created user")
    public void searchForCreatedUser() {
        ctx.adminPage.searchUser(ctx.createdUserEmail);  // use email from API step
    }

    @Then("the user should appear with role {string}")
    public void verifyUserRole(String expectedRole) {
        ctx.softAssert.assertEquals(
            ctx.adminPage.getUserRole(ctx.createdUserEmail),
            expectedRole, "Role mismatch");
    }

    @Then("the user should not appear in the list")
    public void verifyUserDeleted() {
        ctx.softAssert.assertFalse(
            ctx.adminPage.isUserVisible(ctx.createdUserEmail),
            "Deleted user still visible");
    }
}

@After("@hybrid")
public void cleanupCreatedEntities() {
    if (ctx.createdUserId != null) {
        // API cleanup — faster than UI deletion
        given()
            .header("Authorization", "Bearer " + getAdminToken())
            .delete(ConfigReader.getApiUrl() + "/admin/users/" + ctx.createdUserId);
        ctx.createdUserId = null;
    }
}

@Before:         Initialize WebDriver + API client
@Given (API):    Create user via REST API (0.2s)
@When (UI):      Navigate to admin page, search user (3s)
@Then (UI):      Verify user appears correctly (1s)
@After cleanup:  Delete user via API (0.1s)

Total: ~4.5 seconds vs 35s for full UI test