7 Different Types of Performance Testing and Which One Should You Use?

Introduction

Performance Testing is the process of evaluating the performance of a software project. It helps determine the responsiveness of the software, its stability under extreme workloads, its speed, reliability, size, etc. Various types of Performance Testing help compare the software against set benchmarks and can also aid in detecting bottlenecks. Therefore, it marks an essential part of the software development lifecycle, as it ensures the software build is of high quality and is user-friendly.

Now, performance testing is not just one test that you run and validate the software to be a good quality product. It comprises various types of performance testing for different aspects of the software. For instance, for banking software, it is of utmost importance to ensure that it is reliable and secure for all its account holders. So a test can be performed to make sure it can handle and maintain millions of user accounts with foolproof security.

Having this concept in mind, now we are going to explore all the different types of performance testing:

Performance Testing Types

1. Load Testing

Load testing is one of the several performance testing types. It is done to ensure that the software is eligible to handle any amount of load at any given time. It is usually done to check if the performance of a software is working fine after an update is made.

The main components of Load Testing are Virtual users and Transactions. Virtual users determine the number of users that the software can handle parallely, at a given time. On the other hand, Transactions refer to the number of transactions that are sent by multiple users in one second. Software needs to pass both these types of performance testing to be validated as end-user-ready.

There are several tools to determine the load-taking capabilities of software like LoadRunner, LoadUI, NeoLoad, WebLoad, etc.

2. Stress Testing

Stress testing is one of the types of performance testing in software testing where the robustness of the software is evaluated by pushing it beyond its limits. The difference between stress testing and load testing is that in load testing the normal functioning or load-taking capabilities are reviewed. On the other hand, stress testing is putting the software through unpredictable scenarios to see if the software will close down or not.

Stress testing includes resource exhaustion and spike testing. In this method, the number of users is spiked to overload the product so that the software exhausts itself. It is done to see how long it takes to recover and perform regular functioning.

QA testers use a lot of stress testing tools like Apache JMeter, Gatling, Rational Performance Tester, etc.

3. Endurance Testing

Endurance testing is also known as Soak testing which is a form of non-functional performance testing types. It is done on software to evaluate the functioning of a system under a specific load condition for an extended period.

The key metrics monitored during endurance testing are memory leaks and response time stability. Memory leaks are when the software stores a memory but fails to remove it from its hardware when the information is not needed. Response time stability is when software is tested to check how long it takes to process a request.

Tools that are used to perform endurance testing are Appvance, OpenSTA, WebLoad, LoadComplete, etc.

4. Scalability Testing

Scalability testing is one of the types of performance testing where testers determine if the product can scale up or down when the number of users for the software rises.

It is done by evaluating horizontal scalability and vertical scalability. Horizontal scalability is when the software expands itself with the addition of new users to it. Vertical scalability is the ability of the software to adapt to new & upgraded CPUs, memory disks, network resources, etc.

Scalability testing tools include LoadNinja, Load View, Blitz, Loader, etc.

5. Spike Testing

Spike testing in software testing refers to the evaluation of a software behavior when there is a sudden rise or fall in the load or user activities.

The key aspects of Spike testing include sudden increase in load and the response time analysis. Testers increase the number of mock users at a given period to check the software’s behavior. Once the users are spiked, the response time of the software is recorded to review and analyze the performance.

The various types of performance testing for spike testing require tools like Apache JMeter and LoadRunner.

6. Volume Testing

One of the different types of performance testing involves volume testing. Volume testing is when the volume of data is increased in the database to test the stability of the software.

Volume testing is done by simulating large data sets to analyze database performance and file system performance. Database performance involves the optimization of resource usage in the software. It is done to ensure an increase in throughput and reduce any kind of contention.

The various tools to perform volume testing include JMeter, LoadRunner, WebLoad, DbFit, etc.

7. Soak Testing

Soak testing is also known as endurance testing. It is done to identify performance-related glitches including stability and response time by putting it across through a certain amount of load at a specific time.

Soak testing is done to identify memory leaks and monitor system behavior.

Soak testing tools include LoadUI, LoadRunner, Apache JMeter, Appvance, etc.

Which Type of Performance Testing Should You Choose?

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It is very obvious to go through the question now: which type of performance testing is the best of all? Well, having a comparison of Performance testing types can help you understand the efficiency of various types of performance testing. Plus, the requirement of the project can also be a good determiner in deciding which testing type to use. Let’s look at all the scenarios when the mentioned tests are used:

When to Choose Load Testing?

Load testing is done to determine the capabilities of the software. It is usually done when the software is near completion.

When to Choose Stress Testing?

Stress testing is done to check the performance of the software when it is exhausted. It is done when the system is put under extreme load to test its performance.

When to Choose Endurance Testing?

Endurance testing determines the longevity of software. It is also done in the last phase of the software development life cycle.

When to Choose Scalability Testing?

Scalability testing is done to check the flexibility and adaptability of the software. It is done when changes are made in attributes like server size, network bandwidth, CPU, etc.

When to Choose Spike Testing?

Spike testing is done to evaluate the behavior of the software under extreme conditions. It is done when there is a sudden rise or fall in the number of users of the software.

When to Choose Volume Testing?

Volume testing is done to optimize the database of the software. It is performed when the software is exposed to a large amount of data.

When to Choose Soak Testing?

The best time to perform Soak testing is just before the software is released on any platform for users.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, different types of performance testing are required to validate the performance of software. Depending on the requirement of your project you can choose the right performance testing types and tools. To make things easier you can even opt for different types of performance testing services which will offer qualified performance testing tools, foolproof performance testing strategy, and realistic performance testing scenarios. Larger companies with bigger budgets can also opt for paid tools. Whereas, there are free open-source options available for smaller companies.