Discover the various types of performance testing and understand their unique benefits. Learn about load, stress, throttle, peak, and scalability tests, and see how each one plays a vital role in boosting your systems to run smoothly and efficiently.
Performance testing is a key aspect of non-functional testing, which focuses on cross-cutting factors that impact the user experience. Understanding the various types of performance tests is essential for enhancing your applications to meet user expectations and perform reliably under diverse conditions.
These tests help identify scalability and stability issues, enabling developers to optimize the application’s performance and deliver a seamless user experience.
With the information we’re sharing in this article, you’ll be able to make informed decisions to improve your systems’ efficiency and reliability, delivering a better experience for all, in every single circumstance.
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Distinguishing the Different Types of Performance Testing
In our examination of performance testing types, we will explore load testing, endurance testing, stress testing, throttle testing, peak testing, spike testing, and scalability testing.
Every test of performance provides insights into metrics like response times, throughput, and resource utilization. They also facilitate comparisons between different systems to determine which performs best and highlight necessary infrastructure and application enhancements.
By implementing the right performance testing environment, you can identify bottlenecks and make necessary infrastructure improvements.
Below, we share a figure that represents some of these performance tests and what the graph of active virtual users would be like throughout the testing time.
Now, let’s dive deeper into each type of performance test, starting with load tests.
Load Testing
What is Load Testing? Load tests are meant to simulate the maximum use of the system by checking how systems function under the projected number of concurrent virtual users performing transactions over a certain period.
For this, we must analyze the number of users (user traffic) that will have access and the operations that will be executed. When we hear our clients talking about the need to conduct performance testing before launching a product and also after shipping to production, most of the time they are referring to load testing.
There are many performance testing tools available in the market to execute a load test. You can find here our TOP Performance Testing Tools.
If you are looking for open-source software, a performance testing tool, or a free load testing tool, we recommend you to try JMeter DSL, an open-source project we support, focused on making performance testing developer-friendly.
Join us in this article to delve into the scope of API load testing.
Endurance Testing
Also referred to as soak testing, this type of performance test is designed to evaluate system performance over extended periods, typically 8 hours or more. The goal is to uncover issues that may arise from prolonged usage, such as memory leaks, and to analyze how the system behaves over time.
Conducted in a realistic test environment, soak testing verifies that the application maintains stability, reliability, and performance over prolonged use. It complements functional testing by focusing on long-term behavior, confirming the system remains operational and efficient during continuous operation.
By simulating long-term operations, these tests can reveal problems that might not be evident in shorter testing cycles, providing a more comprehensive assessment of system stability and performance.
Stress Testing
When it comes to stress tests, the purpose is to find the stepping-up breaking point by executing the most accessed transactions (typically) in an incremental manner as to the number of users, until the system fails.
A stress test will indicate the maximum number of users that the system can support, with the infrastructure in which it is installed, and how long it takes to recover regular functioning after the system has been down for a period.
We invite you to keep learning in this article: How to Stress Test a Website?
Throttle Testing
When speaking of throttle testing, we refer to a simulation of the load, with a limited speed of connection of virtual users (all of them or just a group) to analyze the response time obtained by those users connected through lower speed networks (3G, distant areas, through the Internet, etc.)
Speed simulators or traffic shapers are used in these tests, in addition to some tools that have this functionality included.
Peak Testing
This type of performance test is useful for analyzing how the system behaves when exposed to intensity peaks mixed with a regular load, showing the recovery following the increased load. Peak testing evaluates software performance under sustained high loads, similar to what might happen during a flash sale or a viral event.
By conducting peak testing, you can identify potential bottlenecks, validate if your system can handle high traffic volumes, and verify that it can maintain performance without significant degradation.
Spike Testing
Spike testing evaluates system stability when subjected to sudden and extreme load increases or decreases. This performance test type verifies that your system can recover gracefully and maintain functionality.
Spike tests are crucial for analyzing the system’s behavior in these scenarios, and understanding whether it can handle abrupt changes without crashing or experiencing severe performance issues. By performing spike testing, you can verify that your system can recover gracefully and maintain stability under unpredictable conditions.
Scalability Testing
As the name suggests, conducting performance testing, such as scalability testing, enables us to analyze how the system scales. Like other types of performance tests, it helps in identifying performance bottlenecks. For instance, it can indicate how many virtual users can be supported if another application server is added, or the improvements in timing when more CPU is allocated to the database server.
Running performance tests, including scalability tests, is crucial for understanding and enhancing the system’s ability to handle increased loads effectively.
If you are interested in learning more about the best continuous performance testing practices, we invite you to read this article.
Discover how we drive impact through performance testing—explore our case studies!
The Bottom Line – Performance Tests
Understanding and implementing various types of performance testing is essential for empowering your applications to handle real-world conditions and deliver a seamless user experience. By proactively identifying and addressing performance issues, you can enhance system reliability, optimize resource utilization, and maintain high user satisfaction.
Moreover, performance testing helps in making informed decisions about infrastructure improvements and resource allocation. It allows you to simulate different scenarios, validating if your system can scale efficiently and recover gracefully from unexpected spikes in traffic.
Not only does this proactive approach save time and costs associated with post-launch fixes but also builds trust with your users by consistently delivering high performance.
On top of that, this strategic investment in quality assurance ultimately leads to a more reliable product, higher user retention, and a stronger market position.
Want to keep on learning? Don’t miss our Continuous Performance Testing: A Comprehensive Guide!
How We Can Help You
With over 16 years of experience and a global presence, Abstracta is a leading technology solutions company specializing in end-to-end software testing services and AI software development.
We believe that building strong relationships drives us forward and improves the software we develop. That’s why we’ve built strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Datadog, Tricentis, and Perforce, empowering us to incorporate cutting-edge technologies.
We can help with conducting spike tests to assess how quickly a system can scale, recover, and handle sudden and extreme increases and decreases in load.
Our holistic approach enables us to support you across the entire software development life cycle.
Contact us! Unlock scalability and cost-effectiveness with our Performance Testing Services.
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