Why Do We Need Performance Testing?
Performance testing is non-functional testing that checks the speed, scalability, and stability of a system. Performance testing is executed to make sure an application runs fast enough to endure a user’s attention and engagement. There are numerous tools available to check the performance of a system like LoadRunner, JMeter, NeoLoad, etc. These tools simulate certain virtual users on the system to perform a particular task.
Why do we need to execute performance tests?
You might have heard about website crashes, especially during heavy traffic loads. For example, HBO’s website experienced a website crash when the popular show Games of Thrones, Session 7 aired on 16 July 2017, leading to disappointing tweets from the fan club. A similar incident was witnessed with the delayed ticket bookings when IRCTC — Indian railways’ official e-ticketing portal, began booking tickets for special trains during the lockdown. Many such incidents have been observed over time, like slow-loading pages whenever a new mobile is launched on Amazon or Flipkart.
These performance issues can be resolved through performance test executions that ensure the application performs as required irrespective of the load traffic, network fluctuations, bandwidth availability, and other similar factors.
What aspects of a system can be improved by performance testing?
Speed
Website speed is crucial to website success. A slow website cannot attract a good audience. And since search engine leader Google favors faster websites, it becomes all the more important to ensure good website speed. Google’s algorithm takes into account a webpage’s response time for both web and mobile browsing, and so we have to execute by its rules to be on top of its search results.
With the help of a performance testing tool, we can check the speed before the application goes live. If response times are not satisfactory, we can find the exact cause like a code issue or database query issue with the help of a monitoring tool and that can be fixed before it goes to production.
Enhance Application Scalability
Speed is not the only primary goal for performance. Scalability tests are extremely crucial if you want to add more users to the system. With the help of a scalability test, we can easily optimize the response time by adding more users to the database server. We can also easily identify the behavior of the system and replace a particular component with a newer version.
Enhance Application Stability
The stability of an application indicates if it can run without any performance degradation over time. This can be identified by running performance tests like endurance or soak tests.
Enhance Application Robustness
The robustness of a system implies how the system behaves during critical times like network issues, virtual threats, cyber-attack, etc. These issues can be identified during performance testing.
Fix Bugs before Application Go-Live
Performance tests make sure the application functions as it is expected. However, some bugs might not be identified during functional testing and may appear when the application is tested in a production-like environment. These bugs can be identified and fixed during performance testing before the application goes live.
Final Touch
Performance testing should be a major priority before releasing any software. It should be implemented early in development to identify bugs earlier and increase user satisfaction while saving time and money down the line.
