Performance testing definition
There are three main measurements of a product’s performance: speed, stability, and scalability. Speed shows how quick the application’s response is. Scalability is about finding out how many users can work with the app at the same time without losing in app’s general performance and ease of use. Stability is involved in checking whether or not the product can handle load differences.
Software performance testing aims to assess all these measurements, helping QA specialists ensure that the product’s key characteristics are compliant with the required standards.
To conduct performance testing effectively, testers need to be familiar with proven tools such as NeoLoad, WebLOAD, Jmeter, Gatling, and LoadRunner. These tools are considered to be some of the best programs for detecting system bottlenecks. The performance testing process includes elements such as a browser, a page, server request processing time, concurrent user volumes, and other data points.
Performance testing combines the tests showing an app’s speed, sustainability, and how robust it is. Performance testing aims to determine productivity, measure response time, improve load capability, ensure reliability and usability, and catch memory leaks before they harm the system.
Benefits of Performance Testing
Some of the benefits described below coincide with the performance testing ones above, and that’s now new — both those testing directions work towards the same goals.
- Validating software’s fundamental features
Your software must have a reliable foundation represented by speed, stability, and scalability — the three key quality criteria of sound software mentioned earlier. Having a solid foundation allows you to make critical decisions about future functionality based on the software’s setup. Performance testing enables developers to make sure these critical criteria are met.
- Improving application’s performance
This is obvious, but continuously fixing major and minor performance issues helps you establish aforementioned reliable foundation and make fewer mistakes later on. It’s a lengthy process — every time you launch a new feature, design, events, or make changes to the existing functionality, you need to test performance to ensure you’re not sacrificing for new additions.
- Increasing user satisfaction
When you test your software, you ensure its quality and how responsive it is to users’ needs. Such testing is what, in turn, keeps your customers happy in the long run. Therefore, only rigid testing and strict quality assurance methods can guarantee your product’s success and meet your users’ hopes and demands.
- Reducing risks and eliminating bottlenecks
Ideally, performance testing starts once the first lines of code appear. It lets you do away with all bugs and imperfections of your software before your users touch it. Moreover, testing your products acts as a tool for eradicating defects and as a process for modernizing and upgrading your product.