Load testing, part of the broader work of QA testing and automated testing, involves putting demand on software or devices in order to measure the system’s behavior in normal usage and possible “peak load” scenarios. Sometimes called stress testing, the process is essential for understanding how a system will handle different numbers of simultaneous users. Load testing tools are used to help determine optimal architecture and scale needed to support projected usage patterns
PeerSpot users have commented on what they look for in a load testing tool. They generally want a tool that can easily identify the bottlenecks in an application. Simplicity is prized. There is a preference for tools that enable the automating of manual flows, which helps save time and effort for testing teams.
Testing professionals on PeerSpot prefer load testing tools that support multiple platforms and metrics. For instance, it is beneficial if a tool can support JMX for WebLogic, modern SNMP versions, flexible custom metrics, and so forth.
Testers want to easily assess load characteristics on any operating system and with many programming languages, including Windows, Linux and Solaris. For departments that base many of their systems on products from the same vendor, such as Oracle, an integrated package that fits their standard is also viewed as a boon to testing productivity.
The best load testing tools, according to users, feature recording and playback of test sequences. Some users express an interest in having a custom dashboard to enable different views of test results. Ideally, the tool will take test automation through the entire business process. For example, it will test web service availability before it starts automated test packs. This is important because applications touch multiple processes and do not exist in isolation. The behavior of one process step can affect others if load is an issue.