Technology

What is stress testing? Everything you need to know about stress testing that you may not know

Have you ever heard of the term "stress testing"? What is stress testing? What are its functions and methods? FPT Shop will answer all of these questions in the following article.

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14 December, 2023

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In the software development phase, stress testing is a very important testing method used to evaluate the performance of software systems under high load conditions. However, many people do not know what stress testing is and the benefits it brings. Let’s find out.

What is Stress Testing?

Stress testing (also known as load testing) is a type of performance testing, in which the system or software application is tested under higher loads than normal operating conditions.

The main purpose of stress testing is to test the endurance of the system or software application under stressful conditions and ensure that it still operates stably and can meet the full needs of users under the most challenging conditions.

When using stress testing for testing, several scenarios are assumed to increase access traffic simultaneously within a short period, the number of users of the software at the same time, the demand of users at the same time, or uploading the database to the system. Testing is often done under high load to determine the maximum limit of the system, thereby identifying issues that cause malfunctions or errors in the software or application.

Stress testing is usually used to test important applications such as banking applications, e-commerce websites, applications containing important information, and applications that require high reliability.

Why is Stress Testing Necessary?

Performing stress testing brings countless important benefits to most organizations and businesses, including:

Detect performance-related issues and test the performance capabilities of software or systems: Stress testing helps developers discover performance issues in software or applications in high-load conditions. It helps determine the maximum capacity of the system.

Enhance user experience: If an application or system cannot meet the required load, users will experience problems such as slow loading or system interruption, which significantly affects the user experience. Stress testing ensures that the system operates smoothly and quickly responds to user requests.

Minimize system failures and risks: Stress testing helps developers detect and resolve performance-related issues before the system, application, or software is widely deployed and used, reducing risks and potential problems that may affect the user experience.

Improve software, application, or system reliability: Stress testing ensures that the access system operates reliably and handles user access requests efficiently. This enhances the reliability and stability of the system.

Enhance competitiveness: Stress testing helps businesses enhance their competitiveness in the market by ensuring that their systems can meet user needs, provide the best user experience, and increase the reliability of the system.

In summary, stress testing is a crucial testing tool that helps system, application, or software developers ensure the stable operation and endurance of their systems under high loads. It minimizes risks and failures, ensures reliability and user satisfaction.

Differentiating Stress Testing and Load Testing

Load testing and stress testing are two different performance testing methods, characterized by different purposes and approaches.

	Stress Testing	Load Testing
Purpose	To test the endurance of the system or software application under stressful conditions, with a higher load than normal conditions. The main purpose of stress testing is to find the highest limit of the system and detect additional issues causing system malfunctions or errors.	To test the operational capability of an application or system, software under a large load and measure the response time of the system under maximum or average load according to user requirements. The main purpose is to evaluate the system’s capability to handle the required load and ensure it meets user needs under heavy load conditions.
Approach	Testing is performed at higher loads than normal, with several scenarios such as increased user access, simultaneous use of devices, simultaneous user requests, or uploading databases to the system.	Testing is performed at the maximum load of the system, application, or software to evaluate its capability to handle the load requirements, ensuring that the system can fully meet user needs under heavy load conditions.

In summary, load testing and stress testing are two different performance testing methods, with similar goals but different approaches. Stress testing is often performed at higher loads than normal conditions to determine the system’s endurance limit, while load testing is performed at the maximum load of the system to assess its capability to handle a large number of requests.

Some Stress Testing Methods

There are various methods to perform stress testing, depending on the specific testing objectives of each application, software, or system. Here are some of the most common methods:

Spike Testing

This method is used to test the system’s ability to handle sudden, rapid increases in load. It is often used to test the stability and maximum endurance of the system in situations where a large number of users simultaneously access the system or application.

Soak Testing

This method is used to test the continuous operation capability of the system over a long period of time. It helps test the system’s ability to handle sudden continuous requests from the application or system, ensuring that the system does not encounter any errors or slow down after a long period of time.

Configuration Testing

This method is used to test the system’s operation capabilities with different configurations. It helps test the compatibility of the application or system with different hardware and software configurations.

Volume Testing

This method is used to test the system’s ability to handle a large amount of data. It tests the system’s storage and processing capabilities for large amounts of data, ensuring that the application, system does not encounter issues related to processing speed or system overload.

Scalability Testing

This method is used to test the system’s ability to scale up when the number of users increases. It helps test the system’s ability to handle user growth and increased access traffic.

These are some of the most common methods for performing stress testing. Testers can choose the method that best suits the specific testing objective.

Commonly Used Tools for Stress Testing

LoadRunner: LoadRunner by HP is a widely used Load Testing tool. Test results from LoadRunner are considered the standard for testing.

Jmeter: Jmeter is an open-source performance testing tool. It is a Java-based application used for performance testing. The tool requires JDK 5 or higher to work.

Stress Tester: This tool is used to analyze the performance of web applications in more detail, providing users with visually appealing, easy-to-use graphics.

Neo load: This is a popular tool on the market used to test the stress level of web and smartphone applications. The tool simulates thousands of users using the application to evaluate its performance under stress conditions and provides detailed analysis of application response time. The tool supports integration with iCloud, load testing, and stress testing. Neo load is user-friendly, cost-effective, and highly scalable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, stress testing is a crucial testing method during the development phase of software or systems. It ensures the stability and endurance of systems under abnormal loads before deployment. Performing stress testing helps identify and resolve issues related to the performance of applications, software, and systems, minimizing risks and incidents that may affect the user experience and enhancing reliability and customer satisfaction.

Frequently asked questions

Stress testing is a type of software testing that evaluates the performance and stability of a system or application under extreme conditions. It involves deliberately subjecting the system to heavy loads, beyond what would be expected in normal operation, to identify potential bottlenecks, errors, or failures.

Stress testing helps to identify and address potential issues with the system’s performance, stability, and resilience. By simulating extreme conditions, stress tests can reveal weaknesses or limitations in the system’s design, coding, or infrastructure. This allows developers and administrators to make necessary improvements to ensure the system can handle unexpected or peak loads without failing.