diff --git a/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/explain.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/explain.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3e9ad9afb800
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/explain.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License
+ * 2.0; you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License
+ * 2.0.
+ */
+import expect from '@kbn/expect';
+import { FtrProviderContext } from '../../../ftr_provider_context';
+import { USER } from '../../../../functional/services/ml/security_common';
+import { DataFrameAnalyticsConfig } from '../../../../../plugins/ml/public/application/data_frame_analytics/common';
+import { DeepPartial } from '../../../../../plugins/ml/common/types/common';
+import { COMMON_REQUEST_HEADERS } from '../../../../functional/services/ml/common_api';
+
+export default ({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) => {
+  const esArchiver = getService('esArchiver');
+  const supertest = getService('supertestWithoutAuth');
+  const ml = getService('ml');
+
+  const jobAnalysis: any = {
+    classification: {
+      source: {
+        index: ['ft_bank_marketing'],
+        query: {
+          match_all: {},
+        },
+      },
+      analysis: {
+        classification: {
+          dependent_variable: 'y',
+          training_percent: 20,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    regression: {
+      source: {
+        index: ['ft_egs_regression'],
+        query: {
+          match_all: {},
+        },
+      },
+      analysis: {
+        regression: {
+          dependent_variable: 'stab',
+          training_percent: 20,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    outlier_detection: {
+      source: {
+        index: ['ft_ihp_outlier'],
+        query: {
+          match_all: {},
+        },
+      },
+      analysis: {
+        outlier_detection: {},
+      },
+    },
+  };
+
+  interface TestConfig {
+    jobType: string;
+    config: DeepPartial<DataFrameAnalyticsConfig>;
+  }
+
+  const testJobConfigs: TestConfig[] = ['regression', 'classification', 'outlier_detection'].map(
+    (jobType) => {
+      return {
+        jobType,
+        config: {
+          description: `Testing explain for ${jobType} job`,
+          ...jobAnalysis[jobType],
+        },
+      };
+    }
+  );
+
+  describe('POST data_frame/analytics/_explain', () => {
+    before(async () => {
+      await esArchiver.loadIfNeeded('ml/bm_classification');
+      await esArchiver.loadIfNeeded('ml/egs_regression');
+      await esArchiver.loadIfNeeded('ml/ihp_outlier');
+      await ml.testResources.setKibanaTimeZoneToUTC();
+    });
+
+    after(async () => {
+      await ml.api.cleanMlIndices();
+    });
+
+    testJobConfigs.forEach((testConfig) => {
+      describe(`ExplainDataFrameAnalytics ${testConfig.jobType}`, async () => {
+        it(`should explain ${testConfig.jobType} analytics job`, async () => {
+          const { body } = await supertest
+            .post(`/api/ml/data_frame/analytics/_explain`)
+            .auth(USER.ML_POWERUSER, ml.securityCommon.getPasswordForUser(USER.ML_POWERUSER))
+            .set(COMMON_REQUEST_HEADERS)
+            .send(testConfig.config)
+            .expect(200);
+
+          expect(body).to.have.property('field_selection');
+          // eslint-disable-next-line
+          const { memory_estimation, field_selection } = body;
+          const fieldObject = field_selection[0];
+          expect(memory_estimation).to.have.property('expected_memory_with_disk');
+          expect(memory_estimation).to.have.property('expected_memory_without_disk');
+          expect(fieldObject).to.have.property('is_included');
+          expect(fieldObject).to.have.property('is_required');
+          expect(fieldObject).to.have.property('name');
+          expect(fieldObject).to.have.property('feature_type');
+          expect(fieldObject).to.have.property('mapping_types');
+        });
+
+        it(`should not allow user with only view permission to use explain endpoint for ${testConfig.jobType} job `, async () => {
+          const { body } = await supertest
+            .post(`/api/ml/data_frame/analytics/_explain`)
+            .auth(USER.ML_VIEWER, ml.securityCommon.getPasswordForUser(USER.ML_VIEWER))
+            .set(COMMON_REQUEST_HEADERS)
+            .send(testConfig.config)
+            .expect(403);
+
+          expect(body.error).to.eql('Forbidden');
+          expect(body.message).to.eql('Forbidden');
+        });
+
+        it(`should not allow unauthorized user to use explain endpoint for ${testConfig.jobType} job`, async () => {
+          const { body } = await supertest
+            .post(`/api/ml/data_frame/analytics/_explain`)
+            .auth(USER.ML_UNAUTHORIZED, ml.securityCommon.getPasswordForUser(USER.ML_UNAUTHORIZED))
+            .set(COMMON_REQUEST_HEADERS)
+            .send(testConfig.config)
+            .expect(403);
+
+          expect(body.error).to.eql('Forbidden');
+          expect(body.message).to.eql('Forbidden');
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+};
diff --git a/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/index.ts b/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/index.ts
index 950f36d325c7..3fdefe2c4bbc 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/index.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/ml/data_frame_analytics/index.ts
@@ -20,5 +20,6 @@ export default function ({ loadTestFile }: FtrProviderContext) {
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./get_spaces'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./update_spaces'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./delete_spaces'));
+    loadTestFile(require.resolve('./explain'));
   });
 }