What is Performance Testing?
An efficient and optimized performance is the sign of a successful application. Performance testing is a way to ensure that the system under test performs under expected workload and is also able to outperform.
Functionalities supported by a software system is one thing, but if it fails to generate faster results, then the application definitely lags behind irrelevant of the fact that it delivers the required functionality.
The ultimate objective of performance testing is to verify speed, scalability and stability of a software application.
With the help of performance testing, we can ensure that our stakeholders get the best end product. Sometimes while testing application we often come across issues like slow processing, system crash due to overload of requests, one application conflicting with some other and so on.
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Inconsistencies are bound to be part of an application while testing but it is the prime duty of the team of testers to address the same. Performance forms the core of any application under test.
Types of Performance Testing:
For performance testing, we test an application from various directions and apply all possible combinations of inputs, conditions etc. to verify whether we come across any serious kind of defect. So let us understand the different ways of conducting performance testing.
- Load Testing – This test is a way to verify the response generated by the system in case of an unexpected amount of user load (number of users).
- Endurance Testing – Test as how the software can handle load for a longer period of time.
- Spike Testing – To test the system’s reaction to sudden spikes in user requests.
- Volume Testing – In this testing, large volumes of data stored in the database is tested. The idea behind this type of testing is to make sure that the system’s performance does not deteriorate under varying volumes of data.
- Scalability Testing – Scalability testing helps to plan a system’s capacity to handle varying amount of load conditions.
Some common Performance Issues:
Issues in performance of a software application revolve around few aspects such as slower processing of input provided by a user like longer load time. Think of a situation where a user is in a hurry, provides the necessary input to the application and takes a lot of time to fetch results. Such a situation will lead to discarding the application for further use by the user.
Therefore, performance testing must not forget to consider three important factors – speed, scalability and stability.
Some commonly identified problems are –
- CPU utilisation.
- Memory utilisation.
- Network utilisation.
- Operating system limitations.
- Disk usage.
Procedure for Performance Testing:
The process of conducting performance test follows a sequence of steps. Following are the processes for performance testing.
- Identify Testing Environment – Determine the environment in which the product is to be tested. That is, the tool or platform that will be used for testing an application’s hardware compatibility with software, network configurations and so on.
- Identify Performance Acceptance Criteria – A parameter should be set which must be attained in order to pass through the performance tests. Acceptance criteria can be thought of as establishing a benchmark which defines the standards that the performance test must meet in order to successfully fulfil performance optimization pattern.
- Plan and Design Performance Tests – Try to analyse and identify the various test scenarios that can possibly aid in implementing all the use cases.
- Configuring Test Environment – Prepare test environment by assimilating required information about requirements regarding the API’s, other software and hardware configurations to be able to perform the required level of testing.
- Implement Test Design – Performance test plan is definitely crafted as per test design.
- Run the Tests – Execute the test cases and monitor the results to refine them further.
- Analyse and Retest – Analyse the results achieved so far, rectify the faults and execute the tests again to ensure the bugs are fixed.
Performance Testing Metrics:
- Availability of physical memory to carry out processing.
- Amount of time taken by the processor.
- Disk time to execute read/write requests.
- Bandwidth used by network interface in terms of bits per second.
- Verify and check for memory leaks.
- CPU interrupts per second.
- Network bytes sent and received.
- Response time with respect to a user’s request and system response ratio.
- Throughput – the rate at which a computer or network receives requests per second.
- Amount of connection pooling – the total number of user requests handled by the system in a pool connection.
- Maximum active sessions – to check the number of active sessions active at a given point of time.
- Hit ratios – this term is associated with cache hits. This aims to check the number of times a certain request has been made and the result returned by the system. When the result is fetched from the cache, it is known as cache hit else cache miss. Therefore the ratio of cache hit and miss is termed as hit ratio.
- Rollback segment – Verify the amount of data that can be rolled back at any given point of time.
- Database locks need to be monitored to ensure correct transaction is reflected in the database.
- Thread counts – Analysing the number of threads active and running at a given point of time to measure the effectiveness of system performance.
- Garbage collection is a term used to denote the cleaning up of the system at the end of a certain task.
Tools for Performance Testing:
Some of the very commonly used tools for conducting performance tests are –
- LoadRunner: LoadRunner is highly regarded in the field of performance testing due, to its standing presence and comprehensive testing capabilities.
- Key Features: LoadRunner offers load assessments supports a range of protocols and allows for cloud based load generation.
- Best For: Large scale enterprises that need to manage application configurations.
- JMeter: JMeter is an powerful open source tool used for both load and performance testing.
- Key Features: JMeter stands out with its threading architecture, expandability through plugins and compatibility with various protocols.
- Best For: Enterprises looking for an scalable testing approach.
- NeoLoad: NeoLoad is known for its user interface and fast test results making it the preferred choice for methodologies and DevOps frameworks.
- Key Features: NeoLoad offers monitoring capabilities, seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines and comprehensive support, for web and mobile applications.
- Best For: teams that prioritize feedback mechanisms.
- AppDynamics: AppDynamics goes beyond performance testing by providing an application performance management solution.
- Key Features: AppDynamics offers transaction tracking insights powered by intelligence and effective cloud surveillance.
- Best For: Companies that prioritize integrated testing and ongoing performance monitoring.
- BlazeMeter: BlazeMeter is a performance testing platform that focuses on cloud based solutions. It offers testing options to cater to applications. Some of its features include the ability to scale tests compatibility, with JMeter scripting and comprehensive result reporting. It is particularly suitable, for companies that prefer cloud based platforms and perform testing operations.
HTTP Load, ProxySniffer, WebLoad are few more to keep an eye on.
Conclusion:
An efficient performance testing is a marketing strategy for building a rapport or developing the brand image for an organization for the target application.
FAQ
Emerging Trends in Performance Testing to Watch For
1. Shift-Left Performance Testing: This approach emphasizes integrating performance testing earlier in the software development lifecycle (SDLC). By shifting left, teams can identify and address performance bottlenecks during the development phase rather than after.
2.AI and Machine Learning Integration: AI and ML algorithms are being incorporated into performance testing tools to predict potential system behavior, analyze test results, and provide actionable insights.
3. Performance Testing for Microservices:
With the rise of microservices architecture, there’s a growing need to test individual services’ performance in isolation and their interactions.
4. Serverless Performance Testing:
As serverless architectures gain traction, performance testing methodologies are evolving to test serverless functions and ensure they scale correctly under varying loads.
5. Real User Monitoring (RUM):
Instead of relying solely on simulated tests, there’s a growing trend to monitor and analyze the performance experienced by actual users in real-time.
6. Containerized Performance Testing:
Overview: With the adoption of container technologies like Docker, performance testing environments are being containerized to ensure consistency and scalability.
7. Chaos Engineering in Performance Testing:
Introducing deliberate failures in the system to understand its behavior and resilience. It’s a proactive approach to discover vulnerabilities.
8. Integration with DevOps and Continuous Testing: Performance testing is becoming an integral part of the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring that every code change meets the desired performance criteria.