Best Performance Testing Tools

Testing product performance is necessary before the product hits the market to ensure that a positive user experience is delivered. With performance testing, it is easier to forecast the rate of adoption, productivity, and success of a software product. While resolving performance issues can be costly, the absence of testing all together may be more expensive as it can lead to larger problems, such as compromising a brand’s reputation or damaging a company’s otherwise effective digital strategy, and much more. If performance testing is not done prior to software being released, the software may run slowly or result in poor usability, and there may even be inconsistencies among different operating systems.

Below are some of the different types of performance tests that exist:

• Load testing evaluates an application's ability to perform well under an anticipated user workload by simulating the expected number of virtual users who might use the application. The goal is to recognize potential performance bottlenecks before the software goes into production and is made public.
• Stress testing assesses the behavior of systems that are subject to high levels of activity. This process monitors how well the software handles high traffic and data processing under extreme workloads in order to identify an application's breaking point.
• Spike testing examines the software's response to sudden large spikes in user load. It analyzes when and why activity spikes and levels are above average by taking into consideration the number of users as well as the complexity of the actions performed.
• Scalability testing is used to determine the effectiveness of a software application and its ability to “scale up” to support an increased user load.
• Endurance testing is performed to ensure that the software can withstand the expected load for an extended period of time.
• Volume testing checks the performance of a software application with varying database volumes. Data is entered into a database, and the overall behavior of the software system is monitored.
• Unit testing isolates transactions that could disrupt the system. It does so by simulating the transactional activity of a functional test campaign.
• Soak testing involves monitoring a system’s behavior while increasing the number of concurrent users over an extended period of time. The intention is to see if sustained activity causes performance levels to drop when putting excessive demands on the system’s resources.

When choosing performance testing tools, here are some features you should look for:

• Users prefer testing tools that include easy download and setup options.
• A performance testing tool should make it possible to create test plans, whether it be by simulating a load of concurrent users or enabling flexible and extensive reporting output that reveals results. Test plans are easier to create if the performance testing tool has a recording feature or testing templates.
• A good performance testing tool will have technology stacks (SAP, JAVA, etc.) and will support multiple protocols (such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, etc.).
• Comprehensive results analysis is highly valued by users, as it enables testing to be more efficient.
• Performance testing tools that feature scripting abilities help record user actions and can predict real-world use conditions by conducting success-failure checks.
• Scalability is also key. If a performance testing tool can scale, it can simulate loads.

The benefits of performance testing include:

• Better user experience: Ensure that users can work quickly and smoothly by avoiding slow and lagging software that prevents them from being productive. Satisfied users are more likely to continue using the software, helping to increase revenues.
• Enhanced software load: Performance testing helps optimize your software by giving you the chance to better handle volume and load capacity. Doing so enables the software to withstand high numbers of users.
• Improved product efficiency: With the ability to observe a software's behavior and how it manages the pressure of workloads, companies can obtain greater insight on how it can handle scalability. With accurate test results, developers are able to make changes to the software, thereby making it more efficient.
• Quickly resolve problems: Performance testing allows you to predict problems before launching software, enabling you to redirect your focus to improving its technology rather than fixing issues after it is already on the market.

The performance testing process is made up of the following steps:

• Identifying your testing environment: Before you begin the testing process, understand the details of your test and production environment and the software, hardware, and network configurations available to you. Knowing this information beforehand will help testers predict possible challenges during performance testing.
• Determine performance criteria: What are your goals and constraints for throughput, resource allocation, and response times? Performance criteria and goals should be set by testers in case project specifications don’t include a wide enough range of performance benchmarks.
• Plan and design: Evaluate scenarios and use cases where usage may vary among a variety of users. Make sure to plan performance test data and think about what metrics will need to be gathered.
• Configure test environment: Prepare any necessary tools and resources that may be required to configure your test environment.
• Implement test design: Tailor your test designs to create performance tests.
• Run tests: Initiate the testing process and monitor the test results.
• Analyze, fine-tune, and retest: Review and share your test results. After analyzing your results, fine-tune them and complete the testing once more to see if there is a decrease in performance levels or any improvements.