VARIOUS TERMS

In the software testing there are various terms like performance testing, load testing, stress testing which are related to the same area, but still have different meaning. These terms are often misunderstood and interpreted as the same concepts.

Performance testing and load testing are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably. However, there is a significant difference between these two testing types and it is important for a tester to understand the same.

PERFORMANCE TESTING

Performance testing is the testing aimed to figure it out how the components of a system are performing under given conditions. Resource usage, scalability, and reliability of the product are also validated under this testing. It is the subset of performance engineering, which is focused on addressing performance issues in the design and architecture of a software product.

Performance Testing is the superset for both load & stress testing. Thus, Performance testing is basically a very wide term.

Performance testing does not aim to find defects in the application. The primary goal of performance testing includes establishing the benchmark behaviour of the system. There are number of industry-defined benchmarks that should be met during performance testing. It also does not pass or fail the test. Rather, it addresses the critical task of setting the benchmark and standard for an application. Performance testing should be done very accurately. Close monitoring of the application or system performance is the primary characteristic of performance testing.

LOAD TESTING

In software load testing, a system is placed under a load using "virtual users", which emulate the actions of real users. This type of testing focuses on testing system or solution by constantly and steadily increasing the load on it until it reaches the threshold limit. It is a subset of performance testing. Load testing can be easily done by utilizing any of the suitable automation tools available in the market.

The sole purpose of load testing is to assign the system the largest job it can possibly handle to test the endurance of the system and monitor the results. The attributes which are monitored in a load test include peak performance, server throughput, response time under various load levels, how many user applications it can handle without affecting the performance.

DIRECTED MONITORING

Another important concept related to user experience is Synthetic or directed monitoring. It is a method to monitor your applications and solutions by simulating users – directing the path taken through the application.

Synthetic monitoring has many names: blackbox monitoring, active monitoring, and proactive monitoring. At its core, synthetic monitoring is really just a symptom-oriented approach to troubleshooting.

This methodology emulates actions of real users by performing a functional test, or series of tests, without worrying about the inner workings of the product. Instead, synthetic tests focus on measuring the service experience that the product promises to provide. Was the experience fast and smooth? Was the content delivered or navigated to accurately? Was the content as expected?

But users are diverse; they live in different locations, use different devices, speak different languages. One series of tests cannot provide enough perspective to fully know the collective experience of your user base. For this reason, synthetic monitoring as a methodology also implies a ubiquitous testing strategy.

Synthetic Monitoring Answers Four Questions: is solution or application reachable, available, performing and reliable.

PERFORMANCE AND LOAD TESTING

The digital era we live in makes users highly sensitive when it comes to application performance and loading time. Speed has become one of the most important metrics when it comes to digital products. So, before introducing your product to the market you must have answers to the following questions: how does the system perform in real-world conditions or when using different network providers? What happens if thousands of users want to access the software simultaneously?

To answer these questions, we need to generate load and get feedback on performance. That is where performance testing and load testing come handy.

WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD BE CONSIDERED

What are performance testing experts looking for when select performance test tools? Tools they intended to use should match the following criteria:

TYPES

Our test engineers will perform load testing, volume testing, scalability testing and other types of performance testing to ensure that your product will address customers' needs.

COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

We offer a comprehensive approach to performance testing, which starts with analysing available information about the application or system, followed by planning. At this stage we identify the scope of work, create detailed test plan and approve it with the customer. Then our experts choose the best tools for the defined purposes, get all them ready and run tests. The last stage of the performance testing by Klik QA is reporting and recommendation. At this stage we report about outcomes and elaborate recommendations about possible improvements.

Collaboration with Kilk QA is a stress-less way to get the high-standard service at affordable price. Our top-qualified experts work to provide you an amazing experience and best possible outcomes.