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 part of non-functional testing, which focuses on cross-cutting factors related to the user experience. Understanding the various types of performance testing is crucial for enhancing your applications to meet user expectations and perform well under different conditions.

These tests help identify potential scalability issues, and stability problems, enabling developers to optimize the application’s performance and provide 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 and provide a better experience for your users.

Looking for a Performance Testing Partner? Explore our Performance Testing Services! Our global client reviews on Clutch speak for themselves.

Distinguishing the Different Types of Performance Testing

The results obtained from these tests offer valuable insights into various aspects of an application’s performance, such as 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.

In our examination of performance testing types, we will explore various types of performance tests including load testing, stress testing, endurance testing, throttle testing, peak testing, spike testing, and scalability testing.

The figure below 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

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 of time.

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.

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?

Endurance 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.

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.

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 focuses on the system’s response to sudden and extreme increases and decreases in load. This sort of situation happens in reality, such as during unexpected user spikes or sudden drops in traffic.

This type of tests are crucial for analyzing the system’s behavior in these scenarios, 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.

The Bottom Line

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.

At 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! (PONER COMO RECUADRO)

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, software development, and AI-driven innovations.

We believe that actively bonding ties propels us further and helps us enhance our clients’ software. That’s why we’ve forged robust partnerships with industry leaders like Microsoft, Datadog, Tricentis, and Perforce, empowering us to incorporate cutting-edge technologies.

We craft strategies meticulously tailored to your unique needs and goals, aligning with your core values and business priorities. Our holistic approach enables us to support you across the entire software development life cycle.

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.

Embrace agility and cost-effectiveness through our Performance Testing Services. Contact us to discuss how we can help you grow your business.

Follow us on Linkedin & X to be part of our community!