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Performance Testing Tools: Types, Use & More

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02nd Jan, 2024
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    Performance Testing Tools: Types, Use & More

    Performance testing, commonly referred to as "Perf Testing," is testing carried out to determine how well a software program responds and remains stable under load. Its purpose is to locate and fix performance bottlenecks in an application. To ensure that your program is bug-free, software testing is a highly skilled discipline widely sought after in the IT industry with the best Software Testing Courses.

    What is Performance Testing and its Examples?
    performance testing process

    Source

    Evaluation of program output, information processing, data transmission velocity, network bandwidth usage, maximum concurrent users, memory utilization, workload efficiency, and command reaction times are performance testing objectives.

    What are Performance Testing Tools?

    Performance testing tools help users and developers to use the source code for creating new applications, which can be used to simulate a heavy demand on a server, item, network, or group of servers to evaluate their strength. This tool examines the whole performance of applications/software under various load conditions. It's a crucial step in guaranteeing software quality.

    Importance of Performance Testing Tools

    Performance tests, such as load and stress tests, allow teams to assess the application's behavior and decide whether the server provides data to the user within a predetermined time frame. It also aids in assessing the API's behavior and performance under severe demand.

    17 Best Performance Testing Tools

    Below is a detailed list of the best performance testing tools for gauging web application speed and load stress tolerance.  

    1. WebLOAD

    WebLOAD is the go-to tool for businesses with complex testing needs and high user loads. A web application load and performance testing tool of enterprise quality. Creating load from the cloud and on-premises servers enables you to do load and stress testing on any internet application.

    Features

    • The tool offers a clear examination of the performance of your web application, pointing out the issues and obstructions that can prohibit you from fulfilling your load and responsiveness requirements. 
    • The advantages of WebLOAD include its adaptability and simplicity, which let you quickly define the tests you require with tools like DOM-based recording/playback, automated correlation, and JavaScript scripting language. 
    • WebLOAD includes built-in interaction with Jenkins, Selenium, and many other tools, and it supports hundreds of technologies, including web protocols and corporate applications.

    2. LoadNinja

    You can quickly construct scriptless advanced load tests using LoadNinja by SmartBear, which cuts testing time in half, substitutes load emulators with actual browsers, and obtains actionable web metrics.

    It is simple to record client-side interactions, troubleshoot in real time, and spot performance issues immediately. Using LoadNinja, teams may increase test coverage without sacrificing quality by avoiding the time-consuming activities of dynamic correlation, script translation, and script scrubbing.

    Features 

    • Using the InstaPlay recorder, create load tests without using any scripts. 
    • Scalable execution of real browser load testing. 
    • Utilize the VU Debugger to fix test bugs instantly. 
    • Manage virtual user activities in real-time with VU Inspector. 
    • You no longer need a server and ongoing maintenance with cloud hosting. 
    • Advanced metrics with analytics and reporting features for browsers. 

    3. HeadSpin

    For its consumers, HeadSpin provides the greatest tools for performance testing available in the market. With the HeadSpin Platform's performance testing features, users may enhance their online experience by locating and fixing performance issues across applications, devices, and networks.

    Features 

    • Throughout the entire user journey, keep an eye on and improve performance. 
    • HeadSpin offers accurate, real-world data that clear uncertainty from thousands of gadgets, networks, and places. 
    • Users can use advanced AI capabilities to spot performance issues during testing automatically. 

    4. ReadyAPI Performance

    ReadyAPI is an all-inclusive automated API testing platform provided by SmartBear. Swagger & SwaggerHub, SoapUI NG, ReadyAPI Performance, Secure Pro, ServiceV, and AlertSite are just a few of the characteristics it includes. 

    Features

    • Using this load-testing tool, you can evaluate the speed, scalability, and performance of the APIs, servers, and network resources. 
    • It includes capabilities for adaptable load generation, concurrent API load tests, server monitoring, and pre-built load templates. 
    • An API tool for load testing is called ReadyAPI Performance.  
    • Thanks to our API testing tool, you can be sure that your APIs will function wherever you are.  
    • You can set up load agents locally, in the cloud, or on any server.  
    • For load test runs, it gives sophisticated performance metrics.

    5. LoadView

    The load and stress testing process is entirely hassle-free with the help of LoadView's fully managed, on-demand load online performance testing tool. LoadView performs testing in actual browsers (not headless phantom browsers), in contrast to many other load testing tools, providing incredibly realistic data that closely simulates actual users. 

    Features

    • No commitments are required, and you simply pay for what you use.
    • LoadView is 100% cloud-based, scalable, and deployable in minutes.
    • Some of the advanced load testing features are point-and-click scripting, global cloud-based infrastructure, and Real Browser Testing.

    6. Keysight's Eggplant

    The Eggplant Software from Keysight is a multi-protocol, open, and extendable best-performance testing tool. It is made to handle fresh difficulties.

    Eggplant Software benefits from faster and more effective testing, lower IT expenses, automation of tedious processes, scaled-up test maintenance, and shorter time-to-market.

    Features 

    • Eggplant can conduct real, user-centric performance testing and is easy to use.
    • It may imitate virtual users at both the application user interface and network protocol levels. This function offers a thorough comprehension of the UX impact at scale.
    • By automatically creating and preserving test assets, it carries out intelligent test executions. 
    • It features efficient reporting and analytical capabilities. 

    7. Apache JMeter

    Apache Jmeter is an open-source load testing software based on Java application designed to simulate the application's endurance in real-time scenarios. It can be incorporated with the test plan and is mostly thought of as an online performance testing tool. You can also develop a functional test plan and the load test plan.

    Features

    • It can be installed into a server or network to monitor performance and examine how it operates in various scenarios. 
    • Wider applicability from HTTPS to Java Object. 
    • It is quite helpful for evaluating the functionality of resources like Servlets, Perl scripts, and Java objects. JVM 1.4 or above. 

    8. Micro Focus LoadRunner

    It is possible to utilize this Micro Focus technology as a Performance Testing online tool. Its Micro Focus software subsidiary sells this as a Micro Focus product. Additionally, it is helpful in understanding and predicting how the system will work and turn out when there is a real load. 

    Features 

    • Can create and managing thousands of users simultaneously is one of its most appealing qualities. 
    • This program allows you to compile all the necessary performance-related data. 
    • Different tools include a Virtual User Generator, Controller, Load Generator, and Analysis. 

    9. Rational Performance Tester

    An automated performance testing tool called a rational performance tester is employed to test server-based or web applications that require input and output processes. The tool simulates the initial transaction between the user and the web service.

    Features 

    • With this program, any leakage on the website or server can be found and instantly fixed.
    • This tool may be the finest alternative for creating a reliable and efficient cloud computing service.
    • IBM created this Rational Performance tester (Rational software division). This automated testing program has undergone several iterations.

    10. NeoLoad

    Neo Load performance testing tool for enterprises continuously tests APIs and applications. It offers testers and developers the most accurate user behavior simulation, quick root cause analysis, built-in integrations with the whole SDLC toolchain, and automatic test design and maintenance.

    Features 

    • It enables you to reuse and share test items, results, insights, and metrics from APM tools to functional testing solutions.
    • It supports various mobile, online, and packaged apps, including SAP.
    • It continuously plans, oversees, and distributes test resources and results throughout the company.

    11. LoadComplete

    It is a simple and inexpensive performance testing tool. LoadComplete allows you to design and run realistic load tests for websites and online applications. It automates the creation of realistic load testing by capturing user interactions and reproducing these activities with hundreds of virtual users, either locally or remotely.

    Features 

    • You can assess your web server's performance under heavy load and its robustness and scalability.
    • It offers comprehensive metrics and analytics
    • It enables you to learn about the performance, behavior of the applications, and end-user experience.

    12. WAPT

    The Web Application Performance Tool is referred to as WAPT. These scales or analytical tools are used to gauge the effectiveness and output of any online application or interface associated with the web. With this tool, you may evaluate the effectiveness of the web application in various contexts and under various loads.

    Features

    • During load testing, WAPT gives its consumers comprehensive information about virtual users and their output. 
    • This is considered the most economical approach for evaluating the functionality of online services. 
    • The WAPT utility may check a web application's compatibility with the operating system and browser. In some circumstances, it is further used to evaluate an application's compatibility with Windows. 

    13. Loadster

    The sophisticated HTTP load testing tool Loadster is desktop-based. The scripts are simple to use, and the record may be recorded using a web browser. Using the GUI, you may add dynamic variables to the basic script to verify the answer.

    Features

    • You may replicate a sizable virtual user base for your application stress testing if you have control over network bandwidth. 
    • An executable HTML report is produced after the test for analysis.  

    14. K6

    To verify the functionality of APIs and websites, developers can use the cutting-edge open-source load testing tool k6. It is a feature-rich and user-friendly CLI tool that supports the HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and WebSocket protocols and has test cases written in ES5.1 JavaScript.

    Features 

    • It offers native Pass/Fail behavior for simple automation and CI pipeline integration. 
    • To make the process of creating tests easier, the community has also created a browser recorder and converters (JMeter, Postman, Swagger/OpenAPI). 

    15. Testing Anywhere

    An automated testing tool called Testing Anywhere may be used to evaluate the functionality of any website, online application, or another item. This tool is used by plenty of programmers and testers to identify the bottlenecks in their web applications and fix them appropriately. 

    Features 

    • It is a strong tool that can instantly test any application.  
    • It has an integrated editor that enables users to modify the testing criteria to suit their needs. 
    • These test cases can be modified and improved, and they are recorded and preserved. 
    • Editors are used to editing test cases. These test cases can be created and modified by non-programmers thanks to wizards. 
    • It is possible to produce executable (EXE) files that testers can deploy and run on distant computers. 
    • High-level business and IT processes are designed by a workflow designer, who also makes it possible to manage them. 

    16. Appvance

    Appvance UTP, the first unified software test automation platform, removes the duplications caused by conventional siloed QA solutions that bog down DevOps teams. A functional test may be reused for performance, load, compatibility, app penetration, synthetic APM, and more by combining tests with its sophisticated write-once approach, boosting velocity and productivity, lowering costs, and eventually enabling teams to work and cooperate.

    Features 

    • Appvance UTP enables full connectivity with Jenkins, Hudson, Rally, Bamboo, and Jira, along with compatible tools like Selenium, JMeter, JUnit, Jython, and others. 
    • Without using any code, you may also transfer data across other script kinds and apps. 
    • You can register a test account to "Test drive" the product. 
    • It also offers free demonstrations for interested customers. 

    17. StormForge

    It is the first platform that integrates performance testing with optimization using machine learning, enabling users to comprehend performance while also automatically identifying the best configurations for the application in terms of speed and resource use.

    Features 

    • It offers guaranteed dependability and performance. 
    • Ensuring application performance under load to satisfy SLAs and reduce business-impacting problems. 
    • It reduces risk and releases assurance by testing the deployment with actual situations. 
    • Enables DevOps teams to incorporate load testing into the CI/CD process to proactively assure performance and reliability. 
    • Reduce cloud expenses and boost your productivity with a minimum decrease in Kubernetes cloud applications.

    Why is Performance Testing important?

    Performance testing ascertains how well an application's speed, scalability, responsiveness, and stability perform under a specific workload. It's a crucial stage in guaranteeing software quality.

    Evaluation of program output, computing power, file transfer speed, network bandwidth consumption, provisions visitors, memory utilization, workload efficiency, and program response times are performance testing objectives.

    Types of Performance Testing
    types of performance testing

    Source 

    Following are the different performance types for gauging web application speed and load stress tolerance.  

    1. Stress Testing

    Stress testing assesses a program's robustness by testing software beyond the parameters of regular operations. All forms of software undergo stress testing to find the maximum load the system can support, which can be disclosed by this test.

    Stress testing typically uses an incremental method where the load is raised gradually. The application has already been tested for the load used to start the test. The system is then put under stress by incrementally adding an increasing load. The breaking point is when servers stop responding to requests or when we start seeing that.

    2. Load Testing

    Load testing is a sort of software testing that assesses how well a system, software program, or application software performs under load situations that are representative of real-world use. It is seeing how a system responds to simultaneous access from many users. 

    3. Spike Testing

    This stress test involves a rapid and repetitive increase in loads t. Spike testing's objective is to ascertain how a software program responds to abrupt changes in traffic. 

    4. Volume Testing

    Volume testing ensures that the amount of data the application handles does not impact its performance. To run a Volume Test, a significant amount of data is entered into the database. This test may be gradual or constant.  

    5. Scalability Testing

    It is a non-functional testing technique that gauges how well a system or network performs as the volume of user requests increases or decreases. It checks that the system can handle anticipated increases in user traffic, data volume, transaction counts, etc.  

    6. Endurance Testing

    The main goal of endurance testing is to ensure the application can manage the increased load without experiencing any degradation in reaction time.

    This testing is carried out in the final phase of the performance run cycle. The procedure of endurance testing can take weeks, months, or even a year. This can entail adding external pressures like user activities or Internet traffic.

    Final Thoughts

    When it comes to performance testing tools, there is no one optimal option. The various tools listed above have different uses for different testing scenarios. According to the project's nature, you must pick the best performance testing tool.  Before you make that investment, take into account the aforementioned factors. Learn with KnowledgeHut's Best Software Testing Courses.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    1Which factors should you consider while selecting a Performance Testing Tool?

    You must consider the following points when looking for a performance testing tool - 

    • Understanding the business ecosystem as a whole will make it simpler to comprehend user situations and potential issues. 
    • The application's success criteria must be spelled out. Metrics like reaction time, throughput, and restrictions should also be noted. 
    • Foreseeing how various consumers will use your program to conduct accurate tests is important. 
    • Run the performance tests, but keep an eye on and record the data produced. 
    • Examine the reports, then present your results. Rerun the performance tests with various settings. 
    2How do we do performance testing?

    Performance testing procedures will change depending on the company and the application. It relies on the performance metrics that the company values the most, as most performance testing objectives are universal, i.e., stress testing, spike testing, load testing, etc. 

    3How is performance testing done manually?

    To assess performance, you must launch the web application, go through each page, form, API, and user route, and capture performance data. Walk through the procedure manually and verify the functionality of a web application. 

    4What skills are required for performance testing?

    A performance tester with strong problem-solving abilities and a conceptual grasp of the network, operating systems, web servers, and database architecture can better recognize and communicate problems with a system being tested, application servers, and variables affecting network output. 

    5What is the salary for performance testing?

    The average yearly income for a performance test is $94,682 annually. The salary varies with location and years of experience.

    Profile

    Mohan Jayabal

    -

    Mohan Jayabal is a highly experienced senior corporate trainer and consultant with a strong background in software testing. With over 17 years of professional experience, he specializes in testing consultation and training, delivering comprehensive solutions to clients worldwide. Mohan has conducted testing training programs in various countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Vietnam, UK, and USA, covering both manual and test automation techniques. He has also served as a performance testing consultant for esteemed organizations such as City Union Bank and the Government of Tamilnadu's Public Distribution System. As an official accredited trainer for renowned companies like Accenture, Cognizant, Microsoft, IBM, and Deloitte, Mohan has successfully streamlined training processes and developed training materials for testing-related domains.

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