What is performance testing?

Software performance testing is a means of quality assurance (QA). It involves testing software applications to ensure they

will perform well under their expected workload.

Performance testing is the process of determining the speed or effectiveness of a computer, network, software program or

device

Performance testing is checking-

    Speed – Determines whether the application responds quickly

    Scalability – Determines maximum user load the software application can handle.

    Stability – Determines if the application is stable under varying loads

Types of performance testing

    Load testing – checks the application’s ability to perform under anticipated user loads. The objective is to identify performance bottlenecks before the software application goes live.

    Stress testing – involves testing an application under extreme workloads to see how it handles high traffic or data processing .The objective is to identify breaking point of an application.

    Endurance testing – is done to make sure the software can handle the expected load over a long period of time.

    Spike testing – tests the software’s reaction to sudden large spikes in the load generated by users.

    Volume testing – Under Volume Testing large no. of. Data is populated in database and the overall software system’s behavior is monitored. The objective is to check software application’s performance under varying database volumes.

    Scalability testing – The objective of scalability testing is to determine the software application’s effectiveness in “scaling up” to support an increase in user load. It helps plan capacity addition to your software system.