Performance testing is not yet an established practice; it is a field that is emerging and soon would be an essential part of software engineering
. It aims to evaluate system performance in terms of its ability to respond and continue to perform under specific conditions.
Performance testing can also be undertaken to determine how a system or application is performing in terms of resources consumption, time taken to complete one process or to check responses to certain tests it may be subjected to.
There are different types of application performance testing:
Configuration test: This is carried out to determine performance changes as a result of alterations in the system configuration or configuration of its parts.
Endurance test: Endurance tests examine application behavior and response under sustained activity or workload periods. Any decrease in performance quality or response time is noted. It is usually measured against values recorded at the beginning of the testing.
Load test: This test includes testing the application for its performance after specifying a number of users carrying out operations within a given time. This test can detect problems in the application software, depending on the criteria being tested.
Stress test: The stress test determines the extent to which the application can manage excess workload while continuing to perform at its optimal values. It helps to evaluate application performance, especially when expected load overshoots normal limits.
Another version of testing with increased workloads is called spike testing, where performance is evaluated while subjecting the system to unexpected spurts of high workload levels. Spike tests help determine whether the system will handle the sudden increase or fail.
Reliable performance testing
There are various performance testing tools and software to carry out reliable performance reviews. An ideal solution for performance testing should cover end-to-end performance of the system or application as well as evaluate it on the basis of real-time user experience. It should also determine whether the Service Level Agreement is being followed or not, as well as monitor the availability of critical applications and their performance before end users face problems.
The ideal performance testing software will not only detect problems, it will also generate an alert that will allow the system administrators to reach out and correct the error before detection by end-users.