Load Testing vs. Stress Testing: What is the Difference?

The key difference between load testing vs. stress testing is that: load testing is performed on a software to observe its behaviour under an expected amount of load. Whereas, stress testing is performed on software to determine its breakage point by making it go through extreme load. 

However, several other differences are there between load and stress testing that we are going to discuss in this article. Load testing and stress testing both are crucial parts of any software or app development journey. Several people use load testing and stress testing are words synonymous to each other, but that is not entirely correct. Read our article Load testing vs Stress testing to learn about the differences, similarities, and importance of both these processes.

What is Load Testing and Stress Testing?

Load testing and Stress testing are similar yet different from each other. So let’s go through the definition of load testing and stress testing to understand exactly what they are all about.

Load testing in software testing is defined as a process of QA testing where software, an application, or a website is put under simulated demands to test, understand, or observe its behavior under various load conditions. The main objective of Load Testing is to see whether the software fulfills its expected task/response or not. It is done with manual testers to understand the software behavior when a small number of users are working on it. In other words, the simulated users in load testing are real humans functioning day-to-day tasks on the said software to determine its expected response. 

Stress testing is defined as the process of QA testing where software, an application, or a website is put under extreme workload to understand or determine its breaking point. The main objective of stress testing is to understand the robustness of software by testing its functionality beyond the limits of its normal operation. It is usually done with the help of automation where a test script is set up to create the load of several users at the same time. The purpose of doing so is to ensure that the software would not crash under crunch situations.

What is Load Testing In Software Testing?

As discussed above load testing refers to the branch of QA testing where manual testers step into the shoes of real-time users and determine the expected functionality of the given software. In this kind of testing the tester not only determines the user capacity of the software but also finds faults, bottlenecks, and issues that need to be fixed to enhance the quality of the software. There are several advantages of load testing. Let us look into them now:

Advantages of Load Testing:

• It helps find bottlenecks, flaws, and areas of improvement in the software
• It helps developers understand how the user behavior, mind, and psychology works
• It is an economical way to fix problems of the software
• It ensures that the software is user-ready before its release

What is Stress Testing In Software Testing?

Stress testing in software testing refers to the type of QA testing where the robustness, stability, and reliability of software are determined by putting it through an extreme amount of load or pressure. It helps developers understand the load capacity and the error-handling capability of software in its developmental stages. Testers, in stress testing, can acquire data on how the system recovers from a crash and handles security data. Therefore, it is a type of testing that has a lot of advantages. Let us look into them now:

Advantages of Stress Testing:

• It helps detect security or data problems, issues, and bugs. 
• It helps developers understand the breaking point of software
• It helps understand how reliable and stable a system is
• It helps determine how software will respond after a crash situation

What is The Difference Between Load Testing and Stress Testing?

The difference between load testing and stress testing depends on a very fundamental level. While one is done to determine the expected functionality of software the other is done to determine its optimal strength, stability, and performance. No doubt both load testing and stress testing are very important cycles of QA testing that help in building software close to perfection.

In this section, we will go deeper into understanding what is the difference between load testing and stress testing, the important load testing and stress testing tools you should know about, and lastly, the load testing and stress testing example.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to ensure a software is robust, reliable, and user-ready, a combination of stress and load testing is required. Though the fundamentals of these tests are the same, to determine whether the software unleashes its optimal functionality and performance, the way these tests are carried out is entirely different. To learn more about load testing in software testing, you can also check out our article Load Testing vs Performance Testing, to have a better idea about what it is, and how it is similar or different from each other.