What is Cloud Performance Testing and What are the Top Cloud-Based Performance Testing Service Providers?
In the last tutorial, we came across the Ways to Supercharge your Performance Testing in detail.
With the emergence of Cloud Technology, all of us are now moving towards adopting a cloud-based paradigm and this is due to the vast benefit that we derive from cloud computing.
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As per the current trend, we want our websites/app pages to load fast, we do care a lot about the response times which is making even performance and load test, a very integral part of software testing.
Major challenges faced earlier with performance testing were the availability of resources. The problems are now solved by bringing in cloud performance testing.
Read below to know more about what can actually be done in cloud-based performance testing and what benefits we derive, how should we test, etc along with some of the top companies offering cloud-based services.
What You Will Learn:
What Is Cloud-Based Testing?
Cloud Testing is a term that is used to define testing which is done using cloud infrastructure i.e we do not need to install hardware or any resources locally and we can use the on-demand cloud infrastructure for our testing. In the case of performance testing, the use of cloud testing makes it easy to create an environment for the test. Overall it reduces the time and cost by simulating the users across the world.
How Does Cloud Performance Testing Work?
Given below are the steps, that we need to follow –
Once the user is ready with the test cases, the service providers leverage servers start to generate web traffic originating from around the world and hence that would ensure complete and proper testing. Server Providers usually maintain good easy-to-use dashboards that display the results to the user and can be interpreted easily.
Once the testing is complete, the results are displayed to the user for monitoring and analysis.
Top Cloud-Based Performance and Load Testing Service Providers
Here’s the list with more details.
#1) WebLOAD (Recommended)
WebLOAD is an advanced load testing solution that provides different options for distributed hybrid and multi-cloud load testing. Options include a fully managed SaaS load testing product and a dedicated private WebLOAD cloud instance managed by RadView or the customer.
Further reading =>> How to move from Visual Studio/Azure DevOps to WebLOAD
WebLOAD also supports hybrid cloud load testing with several load generators running on different clouds.
#2) Load Storm
Load Storm is a growing cloud performance service provider. For additional information about Load Storm and the various services offered by them please check the below link.
Website: Load Storm
#3) SOASTA
SOASTA is a cloud performance service provider, which is now a part of Akamai. For detailed information about SOASTA and the various services offered by them please check the below link.
Website: SOASTA
#4) NeoLoad
NeoLoad offers a wide range of services in an excellent way. It is the only load-test platform that covers cloud-ready apps, IoT, mobile apps, etc. To know more about NeoLoad and the various services offered by them check the below link.
Website: Neotys
#5) Blitz
Blitz offers services in a cost-effective way. For detailed information about Blitz and the various services offered by them check the below link.
Website: Blitz
#6) BlazeMeter
BlazeMeter has several prominent features and offers a wide range of services to its customers. To know more about BlazeMeter and the various services offered by them check the below link.
Website: BlazeMeter
#7) CSS Corp
CSS Corp is spread across several countries and it offers a wide range of services. For detailed information about CSS Corp and the various services offered by them check the below link.
Website: Css Corp
#8) Belatrix Software
Belatrix offers a wide range of services and saves a lot of time for its customers. If you wish to know more about Belatrix, check the below link.
Website: Belatrixsf
#9) Apica System
Apica System offers a wide range of services to clients all over the globe. To know more about the Apica system and the various services offered by them please check the below link.
Website: Apica System
#10) KeyNote
KeyNote has now become a part of Dynatrace. It offers a wide range of services and creates the most advanced user experience. For detailed information about KeyNote and the various services offered by them check the below link.
Website: KeyNote
#11) StormForge
StormForge provides fast and accurate enterprise-grade performance testing and application optimization made easy. Shift performance left to ensure performance and reliability before release.
Suggested reading =>> How to use StormForge to optimize Kubernetes applications
Reduce risk and release your applications with confidence by testing in real-world scenarios before releasing new code into production. Cut cloud costs and reduce your cloud waste guaranteed.
Benefits of Cloud Testing
Given below are some of the benefits derived out of Cloud Testing:
#1) Supports Testing Scalability
With a cloud-based platform, performance testing doesn’t have to be with a restricted number of users, the testing can be more realistic with hits from the expected number of users.
#2) Supports Geographical Testing
Performance testing on a cloud can be done from any region, wherever the application is expected to be accessible, hence global scaling is also possible.
#3) Supports testing Production Apps/Systems
Most of the time, the testing is restricted to the Staging or test environment, but with the use of cloud-based testing tools, testing can be done in a production environment also.
#4) Reduces Overall Cost
Using the cloud as a platform for test reduces the need for installation setup and maintenance of hardware, which in turn reduces the overall cost.
Recommended => Cloud Security Companies
Performance Testing Approach for Cloud-based Applications
Let us first understand what is meant by a cloud.
Cloud is nothing but a virtually hosted environment. Which means there won’t be any physical devices and servers, everything is virtual. This makes the environment set up cost-effective for testing as well as to host an application.
For Example, we initially requested for 3 servers, and then after one test run we planned to add more servers to the existing setup, we can raise a request for any number of additional servers that will be added to the existing setup. We also have an option to request server degradation after the test run.
In Cloud performance testing, we use cloud-based infrastructure to conduct our tests. Cloud performance testing not only helps us to deploy our application over the cloud but it also supports generating the user load across different geographical locations without setting up any additional components.
We need to consider Storage, Processing, Bandwidth, and the total number of users to successfully implement the cloud environment.
We can set up the performance environment in any of the three ways based on our project scope.
- Deploy the application in a local lab and load generators on the cloud.
- Deploy the application in the cloud and load generators in the local lab.
- Deploy both application and load generators on a cloud.
Once the user scenarios are developed and the test is designed, the service providers will provide the cloud servers, For Example, AWS ie Amazon Web server to generate the web traffic that will originate from all around the world. After the test run is complete the cloud service providers will deliver results and analytics back to us for analysis.
Given below is the approach for Cloud-based Performance Testing.
(Note: Click on the below image for an enlarged view)
Types of Performance Tests that you can perform on the cloud include:
- Stress Test
- Load & Performance Test
- Browser Performance Test
- Latency Test
- Failover Test
- Capacity Test
- Soak Test
Hence, while writing a Strategy for Performance Testing on the cloud you need to include the benefits of performance testing on the cloud, the types of tests that you will execute, the type of cloud set up, etc.
Also Read:
Conclusion
All the good things come with a challenge and so does cloud testing.
The benefit received from cloud testing is incomparable, but there are some concerns associated with cloud performance testing which should also be kept in mind, like the test results may not always be accurate due to the varying performance caused by the provider’s network condition.
At times there could be chances of a service outage from the provider, and you may not always get the same resources. Also, there will be some challenges associated with the migration or the move from traditional methods to cloud, but the way the cloud market is booming up, I am pretty sure that it will be a good move.
Our upcoming tutorial will be a perfect guide for Mobile App Performance Testing.
=> Visit Here For Complete Performance Testing Tutorials Series