A developer needs to produce immediate test responses for an API built with Amazon API Gateway so other teams can begin testing right away. Which approach should the developer use to generate responses without requiring a backend implementation?

A mock integration in API Gateway allows developers to return predefined responses for specific HTTP status codes without needing a backend. This is ideal for immediate testing as it decouples frontend development from backend readiness. Request validators ensure input data conforms to a schema but don't generate responses. Gateway responses handle errors or specific API Gateway-generated responses, not general API responses. A Lambda authorizer controls access and can modify requests/responses, but it still requires a Lambda function to execute, which is a form of backend implementation, contrary to the requirement of generating responses without a backend.