Introduction to Web Performance Testing Tools
Web Performance Testing Tools – Looking to test the load stress capacity and performance of your web applications? Here are ten of the best web performance testing tools to ensure that your application performs even in extreme stress and peak traffic conditions.
This list includes licensed as well as open source web performance testing tools, but you can find free trial versions of most licensed tools.
Top 10 Excellent Tools you must apply in Web Performance Testing
Try your hand with these trial versions before you make your final decision. Let’s take a look at them.
1. WebLOAD
WebLOAD is a load and web performance testing tool for web applications that enables stress and load testing using Adobe Flex, Ajax, HTML5, Oracle Forms, Microsoft .NET and other technologies. You can generate load from on-premises machines or from the cloud. The tool is pretty easy to use, and it features automatic correlation, DOM-based recording and playback, and other features. Based on JavaScript, the tool supports large-scale testing with complex and heavy user load conditions.
The tool generates a clear analysis of a web application’s performance and functionality, and it has a dedicated, strong client base. It has also won several awards. More importantly, it has a pretty attractive pricing and licensing model.
WebLOAD has an extensive range of features and supports multiple web technologies, allowing you to perform load testing and mimic massive user loads. You can quickly build tests, generate load and analyze the results with a rich set of reports that identifies specific performance issues. The load scenario is generated in JavaScript so that you can make enhancements as per your requirements. The standard language is enhanced with inbuilt load-testing methods and objects that offer HTTP functionality, DOM functionality, load methods and more. The tool also includes automated correlation to find and replace session IDs, time and other dynamic values.
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2. Apache JMeter
An open source load testing tool, Apache JMeter is also built on a Java platform. Although it is considered mainly as a web performance testing tool, you can also integrate it with the test plan. You can create load test and functional test plans as well. The tool can be loaded into a network or server in order to assess its performance under various working conditions.
Apache JMeter was first introduced for web application testing, but today it is used for a number of other purposes as well. It is particularly useful to test the performance of Java objects, Perl Scripts and Servlets and other resources.
The tool can also test the performance of static resources, web dynamic languages like ASP.NET, Java, and PHP, databases, queries, FTP servers and much more. It can simulate a heavy load on server groups, individual servers, objects or networks to assess its strength and performance under different types of loads. You can use the JMeter to generate a graphical analysis of your web application’s performance or to test your server, object or script behavior under heavy concurrent load.
Apache JMeter can load and test the performance of several types of servers/protocols:
- Web-HTTP, HTTPS
- FTP
- SOAP/REST
- LDAP
- Database via JDBC
- Message-oriented middleware through JMS
- MongoDB
- SMTP, POP3, and IMAP email
- Native commands and shell scripts
- TCP
Other features of this tool include:
- 100 percent Java purity
- Portability
- A full multithreading framework for concurrent sampling by multiple threads and sampling of various functions simultaneously by thread groups
- A GUI design that enables faster debugging and test plan creation
- Caching and offline analysis
- Test results replaying
- Pluggable samplers for further testing capabilities
- Pluggable timers for a wide choice of load statistics
- Data visualization and analysis plugins for personalization and extensibility
- Functions to provide dynamic test input or data manipulation
- Scriptable samplers in JSR223-compatible and BSF-compatible languages
3. HP LoadRunner
Hewlett Packard’s LoadRunner is a purchasable web performance testing tool that can understand and determine the performance of a system under load. A key advantage of this tool is that it can handle and generate thousands of users simultaneously. It enables you to gather all performance-related and infrastructure-based information.
LoadRunner consists of various separate tools: Virtual User Generator, Load Generator and Analysis, and Controller. It works by creating a scenario that contains the script that is to be executed. The number of virtual users needed is also generated, along with other prerequisites for running the test and generating the expected results. The number of virtual users to be generated could range from a few hundred to a few thousand.
The scenario could be manual or goal-oriented, in which the tool automatically generates the scenarios based on previously specified goals by the tester. The series of actions to be performed are recorded onto the virtual user script. A load generator is then used to run the users, generating the necessary level of load on the system. The processes to be measured are represented as transactions. Once the load is generated, the system behavior is monitored and analyzed.
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4. Rational Web Performance Tester
The Rational Performance Tester from IBM is an automated web performance testing tool for web and server-based applications in which there is an input and output process. The tool generates a demo of the original transaction process, gathering and analyzing statistical information to increase efficiency. Any server or website leakage can be immediately identified and rectified, and it can be used to create an error-free, effective cloud computing service.
The tool can identify the presence and root cause of bottlenecks in system performance. It combines several ease-of-use features along with detailed analysis, simplifying test creation, lead generation, and data collection processes to ensure that their web applications can accommodate the required user loads.
5. NeoLoad
NeoLoad by France-based Netosys is a Java-based web performance testing tool that can be used for measuring and analyzing a website’s performance. It can also be used to analyze further steps to be taken based on the performance of the website and end result of the tests. This, in turn, helps improve and optimize the performance of your web application.
The tool works by increasing the traffic on your website and then analyzing the performance of the application under heavy load. You get to understand the capacity of the application and how many users it can handle simultaneously. Written in Java, NeoLoad is available in French and English. It simulates user activity in web and mobile applications as well, and monitors the infrastructure behavior. You can choose from cloud-based load generators for the performance test.
NeoLoad can be used for automating the complete Web 2.0 suite, which includes Flex, Silver Light, Web Services, Web and Multimedia. The user can determine the number of load generators that are needed and the LGs from LAN. They can also choose to simulate 2G-4G and WiFi mobile networks with variations in signal strengths.
The tool can be integrated with third party tools like Dynatrace, App Dynamics, Introscope and Site Scorpion for a deep dive analysis on servers. However, SLA configuration is not available on this tool for analyzing the results. Ultimately, it is a performance testing solution for mobile and web applications that can be used for running cloud-based tests. If you or your performance team needs a tool that can analyze and co-relate test results with raw data, NeoLoad would be a great choice. The tool is compatible on operating systems Solaris, Linux, and Windows.
6. LoadUI
The next open source stress test and web performance testing tool in this list is LoadUI, yet again for measuring the performance of a web application. The tool works pretty well when it is integrated with the soapUI functional testing tool. It is one of the most interactive and flexible testing tools too, allowing you to create, update and configure your tests while the application is tested. It gives a visual aid too for the user with a drag and drop feature.
LoadUI is far from a static performance tool. It offers advanced report generating and analysis generating features that let you examine the actual performance of the web application by adding new data even as the application is being tested. You do not have to restart the tool every time that you change or modify the application. LoadUI gets updated automatically in the interface. It is a cross-platform tool, so it should work for any major operating system. It is also available for free, given that it is open system.
7. WAPT
This particular web performance testing tool can be used for intranet applications and websites. WAPT is short for Web Application Performance Tool, and it acts as a scale or analyzing tool for measuring the output and performance of a web application and related interface. The tools help measure the performance of any web-related interface, web service or web application. You can use this tool to test the application performance in different environments and load conditions. The tool provides detailed information on the virtual users and its output to the users during load testing. It is considered by many to be one of the best and most cost-effective tools for analyzing the performance of web services. The WAPT tool can also test the compatibility of a web application with operating systems and browsers. It can be used for testing the compatibility with Windows applications in certain cases. However, the tool only works on Windows operating systems.
8. Loadster
Loadster is an advanced desktop-based HTTP load testing and web performance testing tool. It uses the web browser to record scripts that are easy to record and use. The graphical user interface of the tool can be used to modify the basic script with dynamic variables for validating the response. If you have control over the network bandwidth, you can also simulate a large virtual user base to conduct stress tests on your application. Once the test is completed, a HTML report is generated for you to analyze. Loadster is particularly useful in identifying bottlenecks in web applications. It works on Windows 7, Vista and XP systems.
9. LoadImpact
LoadImpact is a load testing and online web performance testing tool with a difference. It is generally used in cloud-based services. This can also help in website optimization and improving your web application’s functioning. The tool creates traffic to the website or application by simulating users. It uses this to identify the stress on the application and website and find out the maximum load that it can work under.
LoadImpact has two major elements. The first is the load testing tool itself, and the second is the page analyzer. The load testing tool can be divided into three types as well: Timeout, Ramp up and Fixed. Meanwhile, the page analyzer works in a way similar to a web browser, giving important information on the working and statistics of the website being tested.
The tool was developed by Gatorhole in Sweden. It is a freemium service, which means that it is available in free and paid versions. The free version, as you may have guessed, is more basic and bare-bones. The paid version comes with more features and options. The tool works on Linux and Windows systems.
10. Testing Anywhere
An automated testing tool, Test Anywhere can be deployed for the testing of web applications, websites and other online objects. A lot of testers and developers use this web performance testing free tools to identify bottlenecks in their web application, service or site and solve the issues accordingly.
The tool is pretty powerful; it can automatically test any application and comes with an inbuilt editor that allows users to edit the testing criteria to fit their requirements. There are basically five steps for creating a test on this tool. They are object recorder, SMART test recorder, advanced recorder, editor and image recognition.
Testing Anywhere was first developed by Automation Anywhere Inc., based in San Jose, California in the US. Today, there are several thousand users of the product. The tool is compatible with all Windows operating systems.
Conclusion
There are several other best web performance tools that are worth checking out. Here is a look at some of them:
- CloudTest
- Loadstorm
- QEngine
- OpenSTA
- Httperf
Remember to test your web applications, services and sites thoroughly before they are deployed, to avoid unpleasant surprises later down the road.
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