diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 99d6bf0d5dd..26bddc4add3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ gather all traces in your [Datadog](https://app.datadoghq.com) account.
 * [Introduction to the Datadog APM](https://www.datadoghq.com/apm/). Learn what you can do with the Next-Gen APM and how to get started.
 * [Install the Datadog Java agent](dd-java-agent). Instructions for supported technologies, web-servers and frameworks.
 * [Browse examples](dd-trace-examples). See how to instrument legacy projects based on the most used tehcnologies.
-* [DD Trace API](dd-trace). We choose to embrace the Opentracting initiative. So feel free to use the Trace Java API to customize your instrumentation.
+* [Instrument with OpenTracing](https://github.com/opentracing/opentracing-java). Datadog embraces the OpenTracing initiative. So feel free to use the Trace Java API to customize your instrumentation.
+* [DD Trace](dd-trace). This Java implementation of the opentracing api is used to report traces to Datadog.
 
 ### Help or questions? 
  
diff --git a/dd-trace/pom.xml b/dd-trace/pom.xml
index 723553ce334..4c67f100c94 100644
--- a/dd-trace/pom.xml
+++ b/dd-trace/pom.xml
@@ -88,6 +88,24 @@
             <version>2.7.22</version>
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.spockframework</groupId>
+            <artifactId>spock-core</artifactId>
+            <version>1.0-groovy-2.4</version>
+            <scope>test</scope>
+        </dependency>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.codehaus.groovy</groupId>
+            <artifactId>groovy-all</artifactId>
+            <version>2.4.4</version>
+            <scope>test</scope>
+        </dependency>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>io.ratpack</groupId>
+            <artifactId>ratpack-groovy-test</artifactId>
+            <version>1.4.6</version>
+            <scope>test</scope>
+        </dependency>
     </dependencies>
 
     <build>
diff --git a/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadog/trace/SpanFactory.groovy b/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadog/trace/SpanFactory.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..67b7a1c8b7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadog/trace/SpanFactory.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package com.datadog.trace
+
+import com.datadoghq.trace.DDSpan
+import com.datadoghq.trace.DDSpanContext
+
+class SpanFactory {
+    static def newSpanOf(long timestampMicro) {
+        def context = new DDSpanContext(
+                1L,
+                1L,
+                0L,
+                "fakeService",
+                "fakeOperation",
+                "fakeResource",
+                Collections.emptyMap(),
+                false,
+                "fakeType",
+                Collections.emptyMap(),
+                null,
+                null);
+        return new DDSpan(timestampMicro, context)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadoghq/trace/writer/DDApiTest.groovy b/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadoghq/trace/writer/DDApiTest.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2af05eb56c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dd-trace/src/test/groovy/com/datadoghq/trace/writer/DDApiTest.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+package com.datadoghq.trace.writer
+
+import com.datadog.trace.SpanFactory
+import com.datadoghq.trace.DDSpan
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper
+import ratpack.http.MediaType
+import spock.lang.AutoCleanup
+import spock.lang.Specification
+
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference
+
+import static ratpack.groovy.test.embed.GroovyEmbeddedApp.ratpack
+import static ratpack.http.MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON
+
+class DDApiTest extends Specification {
+    static def mapper = new ObjectMapper()
+
+    def "sending an empty list of traces returns no errors"() {
+        setup:
+        def agent = ratpack {
+            handlers {
+                put("v0.3/traces") {
+                    response.status(200).send()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        def client = new DDApi("localhost", agent.address.port)
+
+        expect:
+        client.sendTraces([])
+
+        cleanup:
+        agent.close()
+    }
+
+    def "non-200 response results in false returned"() {
+        setup:
+        def agent = ratpack {
+            handlers {
+                put("v0.3/traces") {
+                    response.status(404).send()
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        def client = new DDApi("localhost", agent.address.port)
+
+        expect:
+        !client.sendTraces([])
+
+        cleanup:
+        agent.close()
+    }
+
+    def "content is sent as JSON"() {
+        setup:
+        def requestContentType = new AtomicReference<MediaType>()
+        def requestBody = new AtomicReference<String>()
+        def agent = ratpack {
+            handlers {
+                put("v0.3/traces") {
+                    requestContentType.set(request.contentType)
+                    request.body.then {
+                        requestBody.set(it.text)
+                        response.send()
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        def client = new DDApi("localhost", agent.address.port)
+
+        expect:
+        client.sendTraces(traces)
+        requestContentType.get().type == APPLICATION_JSON
+        areEqual(requestBody.get(), expectedRequestBody)
+
+        cleanup:
+        agent.close()
+
+        where:
+        traces                      | expectedRequestBody
+        []                          | '[]'
+        [SpanFactory.newSpanOf(1L)] | '''[{
+            "duration":0,
+            "error":0,
+            "meta":{"thread-name":"main","thread-id":"1"},
+            "name":"fakeOperation",
+            "parent_id":0,
+            "resource":"fakeResource"
+            "service":"fakeService",
+            "span_id":1,
+            "start":1000,
+            "trace_id":1,
+            "type":"fakeType",
+        }]'''
+        [SpanFactory.newSpanOf(100L)] | '''[{
+            "duration":0,
+            "error":0,
+            "meta":{"thread-name":"main","thread-id":"1"},
+            "name":"fakeOperation",
+            "parent_id":0,
+            "resource":"fakeResource"
+            "service":"fakeService",
+            "span_id":1,
+            "start":100000,
+            "trace_id":1,
+            "type":"fakeType",
+        }]'''
+    }
+
+
+    static void areEqual(String json1, String json2) {
+        def tree1 = mapper.readTree json1
+        def tree2 = mapper.readTree json2
+
+        assert tree1.equals(tree2)
+    }
+}