diff --git a/tests/test_tuf_api.py b/tests/test_tuf_api.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/tests/test_tuf_api.py
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# Copyright 2014 - 2017, New York University and the TUF contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
+
+"""
+<Program Name>
+  test_tuf_api.py
+
+<Author>
+  Joshua Lock <jlock@vmware.com>
+
+<Started>
+  June 30, 2020.
+
+<Copyright>
+  See LICENSE-MIT OR LICENSE for licensing information.
+
+<Purpose>
+  Unit tests for tuf.api
+"""
+
+# Help with Python 3 compatibility, where the print statement is a function, an
+# implicit relative import is invalid, and the '/' operator performs true
+# division.  Example:  print 'hello world' raises a 'SyntaxError' exception.
+from __future__ import print_function
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+from __future__ import division
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+import unittest
+import logging
+import tempfile
+import shutil
+import sys
+import errno
+import os
+
+from tuf.api import metadata
+
+from dateutil.relativedelta import relativedelta
+import iso8601
+import six
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class TestTufApi(unittest.TestCase):
+  @classmethod
+  def setUpClass(cls):
+
+    # Create a temporary directory to store the repository, metadata, and target
+    # files.  'temporary_directory' must be deleted in TearDownClass() so that
+    # temporary files are always removed, even when exceptions occur.
+    cls.temporary_directory = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=os.getcwd())
+    test_repo_data = os.path.join('repository_data', 'repository')
+    cls.repo_dir = os.path.join(cls.temporary_directory, 'repository')
+    shutil.copytree(test_repo_data, cls.repo_dir)
+
+
+
+  @classmethod
+  def tearDownClass(cls):
+
+    # Remove the temporary repository directory, which should contain all the
+    # metadata, targets, and key files generated for the test cases.
+    shutil.rmtree(cls.temporary_directory)
+
+
+
+  def test_metadata_base(self):
+    # Use of Snapshot is arbitrary, we're just testing the base class features
+    # with real data
+    md = metadata.Snapshot()
+    md.read_from_json(os.path.join(self.repo_dir, 'metadata.staged', 'snapshot.json'))
+
+    self.assertEqual(md.version, 1)
+    md.bump_version()
+    self.assertEqual(md.version, 2)
+
+    self.assertEqual(md.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2030-01-01T00:00:00Z"))
+    md.bump_expiration()
+    self.assertEqual(md.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2030-01-02T00:00:00Z"))
+    md.bump_expiration(relativedelta(years=1))
+    self.assertEqual(md.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2031-01-02T00:00:00Z"))
+
+
+  def test_metadata_snapshot(self):
+    snapshot = metadata.Snapshot()
+    snapshot.read_from_json(os.path.join(self.repo_dir, 'metadata.staged', 'snapshot.json'))
+
+    # Create a dict representing what we expect the updated data to be
+    fileinfo = snapshot.signed['meta']
+    hashes = {'sha256': 'c2986576f5fdfd43944e2b19e775453b96748ec4fe2638a6d2f32f1310967095'}
+    fileinfo['role1.json']['version'] = 2
+    fileinfo['role1.json']['hashes'] = hashes
+    fileinfo['role1.json']['length'] = 123
+
+    snapshot.update('role1', 2, 123, hashes)
+    # snapshot.sign()
+    # self.assertEqual(snapshot.signed['meta'], fileinfo)
+
+    # snapshot.update()
+
+    # snapshot.signable()
+
+    # snapshot.sign()
+
+    # snapshot.verify()
+
+    # snapshot.write_to_json(os.path.join(cls.temporary_directory, 'api_snapshot.json'))
+
+
+  def test_metadata_timestamp(self):
+    timestamp = metadata.Timestamp()
+    timestamp.read_from_json(os.path.join(self.repo_dir, 'metadata.staged', 'timestamp.json'))
+
+    self.assertEqual(timestamp.version, 1)
+    timestamp.bump_version()
+    self.assertEqual(timestamp.version, 2)
+
+    self.assertEqual(timestamp.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2030-01-01T00:00:00Z"))
+    timestamp.bump_expiration()
+    self.assertEqual(timestamp.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2030-01-02T00:00:00Z"))
+    timestamp.bump_expiration(relativedelta(years=1))
+    self.assertEqual(timestamp.expiration, iso8601.parse_date("2031-01-02T00:00:00Z"))
+
+    hashes = {'sha256': '0ae9664468150a9aa1e7f11feecb32341658eb84292851367fea2da88e8a58dc'}
+    fileinfo = timestamp.signed['meta']['snapshot.json']
+    fileinfo['hashes'] = hashes
+    fileinfo['version'] = 2
+    fileinfo['length'] = 520
+    timestamp.update('snapshot', 2, 520, hashes)
+    # timestamp.sign()
+    # self.assertEqual(timestamp.signed['meta'], fileinfo)
+
+    # timestamp.write_to_json()