Performance is a key component that affects whether or not a website or app is successful in providing a seamless user experience for today’s business-critical applications and websites (UX). All performance issues, including sluggish page loads, frequent timeouts and crashes, slow reaction times, etc., should be eliminated from these commercial apps. Additionally, in order to provide efficient end-user performance, the web apps and mobile apps must be robust, trustworthy, and robust. Performance testing must therefore be used in order to guarantee the smooth operation of business-critical apps.
1. Performance Testing
Performance testing is a non-functional software testing technique used to assess an app or website’s speed, bandwidth, dependability, accessibility, and performance. A peak, volume, duration, stress, load, and other performance testing techniques are among them. These performance testing methods assist in determining how well an application performs when subjected to changing network conditions, user loads, bandwidth constraints, etc. Performance testing metrics, also known as key performance indicators (KPIs), are used to assess the efficacy of this testing approach. The success of the performance testing for firms is determined by these KPIs.
1.1 Performance testing metrics explained
The measurements or parameters acquired throughout the load and performance testing procedures are known as performance testing metrics. These metrics allow performance test engineers or QA teams to assess the effectiveness of the performance testing process and further pinpoint the key areas of the product that require additional focus or improvement.
2. Why are performance testing measurements necessary?
- Displays current application, system, and network performance
- Compares test results and aids in effect analysis of code modifications
- Evaluates the effectiveness of the performance testing procedure as a whole.
- Enables QA teams to make wise decisions and raise software quality essential performance testing metrics.
2.1 Use of the CPU
It measures how much of the available CPU power is being used to handle requests.
2.2 Memory Usage
This indicator shows how much of the computer’s main RAM is used to process job requests.
2.3 Response Time
It is the length of time it takes for a request to be sent and a response to be returned. Improved website/application performance is correlated with faster response times.
2.4 Average time for loading
This metric quantifies how long it takes for a webpage to finish loading before it is visible to the user.
2.5 Throughput
In other words, it counts how many requests a network or computer can process in a second. It also measures how many transactions a programme can manage in a second.
2.6 Typical latency/waiting period
It is the amount of time a request spends waiting in line to be processed.
2.7 Bandwidth
It is a way to gauge how much data is moved per second.
2.8 Per second requests
This measure describes how many requests are processed by the application each second.
2.9 Rate of error
In relation to the total number of requests, it is the proportion of requests that fail.
2.10 Pass/Fail Transactions
It is the proportion of successful/failed transactions to all transactions.
3. Types of performance testing measures
3.1 Metrics for client-side performance testing
The client-side functionality of the software is assessed by QA teams all through performance testing. In addition to the appropriate presentation of front-end components like CSS and JavaScript files, it also requires an evaluation of end-to-end test scenarios. These metrics for client-side performance testing aid in assessing the application performance for multiple clients utilizing various servers and devices (desktop, mobile, etc.). The following are some typical client-side performance testing metrics:
3.2 Time To First Byte (TTFB)
It is the entire amount of time from the moment an HTTP request is made to the moment the first byte of the page is received by the client’s browser. It measures how quickly the web server responds.
3.3 Size and weight of the page
It refers to the overall size of a certain webpage.
3.4 Response Time
It is the amount of time needed for a website to become highly interactive.
3.5 Duration of rendering
It is the time it takes for a web page to load or reload.
3.6 Speed Rating
It analyzes how quickly the page loads and displays the content.
3.7 Load Period
It is the typical time it takes for a page to appear on your screen.
3.8 Payload
It is the distinction between information that is crucial to a piece of data and information that is utilized to support it.
4. The most popular client-side performance testing tools are:
Pagespeed Insights: Google Pagespeed Insights is an open-source and free tool that can assist you in identifying and resolving problems that cause your web application to function slowly. This tool evaluates a web page’s content and produces page speed ratings for desktop and mobile web sites.
4.1 Lighthouse
Google Lighthouse is an open-source, automated technique for raising the calibre of websites. Any public or authenticated online page could be the target of this attack.
4.2 GTmetrix
It is a tool for measuring and testing a website’s performance. It evaluates the performance and speed of the page and offers suggestions to address the bugs.
4.3 YSlow
It is a free performance testing tool that examines websites and makes recommendations to enhance their functionality.
5. Metrics for server-side performance monitoring
The effectiveness of an application is directly impacted by the server’s performance. As a result, it is crucial to evaluate server performance using server performance monitoring metrics. Key metrics for measuring server performance include:
5.1 Requests per second (RPS)
It is the amount of requests a search engine or other information retrieval system can process in a single second.
5.2 Uptime
It refers to the overall size of a certain webpage.
5.3 Bug rates
It is the proportion of requests that fail compared to all requests.
5.4 Thread Amount
It is the total number of simultaneous requests the server is handling at any given moment.
5.5 Maximum Response Time
Instead of using an average, it concentrates on the longest cycle when measuring the roundtrip of a request/response cycle.
5.6 Throughput
It estimates how many requests an application can process in a split second.
5.7 Bandwidth
It is the amount of data that can go over a network in a second at its maximum rate.
6. The most popular server-side performance monitoring software is:
- New Relic: It is a Software as a Service (SaaS) product with an emphasis on capacity and performance tracking. It sets and rates application performance uniformly throughout the environment using a standardized Apdex (application performance index) score.
- App dynamics: It is an application performance management solution that offers the metrics needed by server monitoring tools as well as having APM software’s troubleshooting features.
- Datadog: It is a performance monitoring and analytics application that aids in performance metric determination for the IT and DevOps teams.
- SolarWinds NPA and DPA: Providing real-time views and dashboards, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is an economical and simple to use performance assessment solution. This application also aids in tracking and keeping an eye on network performance visually. For monitoring, diagnosing, and resolving performance issues with different types of database instances, both self-managed and in the cloud, there is a tool called SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer (DPA).
This infrastructure-wide performance monitoring tool is used to keep an eye on hosts, processes, and networks. It permits log monitoring and provides access to data on the network’s overall traffic, CPU utilization, response time, etc.
7. Major Tools for Performance Automation Testing
7.1 JMeter
It is a free tool for performance and load testing that is used to measure how well software and apps work. To facilitate efficient load testing, JMeter generates numerous concurrent virtual users on a webserver and mimics a strong load on the server. It can be used to efficiently monitor, decipher, and examine the outcomes of performance testing. Time duration, latency, connection time, median, 90 percent line (90th percentile), standard deviation, thread name, throughput, and others are some of the important JMeter metrics.
7.2 LoadView
It is a simple-to-use performance testing tool that gives organizations insights into crucial performance testing parameters. In order to observe a graphical depiction of the execution plan, typical response times, and failures, the user can view test execution in real-time using LoadView. Key performance testing metrics like the maximum, actual, and expected number of virtual users, the average transaction response time, the number of sessions, session errors, load injector CPU usage, DNS time, connect time, SSL time, and other metrics are included in the level statics that are provided in detail.
7.3 LoadNinja
This platform for load and performance testing is hosted in the cloud. LoadNinja generates insightful and precise data that aids in real-time analysis of the functionality of websites, online apps, and APIs using precise metrics based on browser usage. LoadNinja’s important performance indicators are Virtual users, 90th percentile duration, 95th percentile duration, standard deviations, total iterations, total timeouts, total page errors, etc.
8. Conclusion
A non-functional software testing technique called performance testing is used to evaluate the speed, scalability, dependability, and responsiveness of software. Certain performance testing KPIs must be understood by organisations in order to determine the effectiveness of performance testing across the enterprise. These indicators aid in assessing the performance testing process’ progress and success. The performance and quality of the programme are typically enhanced by accurate tracking of performance testing metrics.
Utilize load and performance testing services from a next-generation QA and independent software services provider to acquire high-performing, high-quality, scalable, and robust software.
9. Measure Key Performance Metrics Easily with TestDel
TestDel includes all the procedures and tools required to guarantee the faultless functioning of your application as you begin the performance testing process. We assist you in starting up right away and:
- By automating the performance testing procedure, resources can be saved.
- Spend less effort by quickly creating load tests from pre-configured templates.
- Visualizing the results using real-time monitoring can help you better understand the server’s performance.
- Benchmarking the advanced performance testing measures can help you analyze the findings.
- Reuse the current test cases to improve the application’s effectiveness and performance.
- You can prevent expensive downtime during periods of high traffic and guarantee the greatest user experience by monitoring performance testing parameters.
TestDel can streamline and improve the entire process from beginning to end. To learn more about the capabilities and advantages of our testing solution, please contact us.