Why Load Testing is Important for software applications?

Any online business venture requires robust software applications as part of its portfolio needs. In this way, it can reach out to the end customers and register its presence in the market. The applications on their part can gain response from end users provided they satisfy certain criteria such as responsiveness, stability, usability, performance, and security. These criteria become even more vital if the applications deal with financial transactions. Thus, to ensure that the applications work smoothly, they must undergo various types of testing approaches and specifically the load testing approach.

Why load testing?

By taking load test for web applications, their behaviour is checked by putting certain load conditions on them such as the number of users using the application at a given time period. By applying the load testing approach, one can find out if the behaviour of an application remains normal or suffers gradual degradation. Load testing services bring out the inherent flaws in an application before the same is deployed for real usage. The load testing approach incorporates simulated testing by utilizing cloud based resources wherein the application is overwhelmed with a barrage of input parameters but within the prescribed limits.

Load test for web applications are particularly important for ecommerce or gaming apps, for at any given point of time these apps have to cater to a huge rush of customers. And if these applications have not gone through the rigours of utilizing load testing services, they can suffer from functional degradation thus putting off customers.

Load testing services form a part of performance testing, which, as the name suggests, checks the desired performance of a software, system, function, procedure, or link under normal situations. Load test for web applications analyzes the response time and throughput to check if all attributes of applications bring out the desired outcomes as envisaged during the planning and development stages. During the development stage the focus is more on individual users whereby the impact of an army of users at a given point of time can get overlooked. Thus, when the user load is scaled up manifold concurrently across platforms, applying the load testing approach before the application is released into the market becomes absolutely essential. The reason being load test for web applications can bring to light glitches or issues such as latency, non functional links, security et al.

Types of load

Load can be referred to as subjecting a system (software, hardware, or both) to demands and then measuring its response or outcome in a set time period. The demands can be in the form of multiple concurrent inputs, processing of large files, or poor net connectivity. Hence, load test for web applications should consider each and every scenario as mentioned above. By conducting load testing services any problem in the system that leads to inadequate throughput or response is flagged and addressed.

The outcomes borne out of load test for web applications are as follows:

• Identification of possible number of concurrent users that can access the application before the latter reaches its breaking point
• Finds out the breaking point in a system
• Checks the time lag when a service request is placed by user(s)
• Checks the performance of APIs
• Tests the server response time for the application to load
• Checks if the updates carried out on the application are performing as desired

Conclusion

The scalability of applications whereby many concurrent users are responded as desired can only succeed if load testing services are carried out.

Michael works for Cigniti Technologies, which is the world's first Independent Software Testing Company to be appraised at CMMI-SVC Level 5, and an ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 27001:2013 certified organization.