Different types of performance tests help us evaluate the system from various perspectives.
| Test Type & Description | Objective | Typical Duration | Typical Load Pattern | Key Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Warm up / Dry-run / Discovery Test
Not the actual test. Ensures environment, scripts, data and application are running fine and stable.
|
Ensure environment and scripts are stable.
|
10-30 Min
|
Load Pattern (Warm up)
|
Response Time
Throughput (TPS)
Error Rate
Resource Utilization
|
|
Performance / Baseline Test
Execute with single user, single script, single iteration in standalone mode to get baseline response time.
|
Establish baseline response time with single user.
|
15-30 Min
|
Load Pattern (Single User)
|
Response Time (Baseline)
TPS
Error Rate
|
|
Load Test
Verify application behavior under expected load (100% load).
|
Validate system under expected peak load.
|
1 Hour
|
Load Pattern (Load Test - 1 Hour)
|
Response Time
Throughput (TPS)
Error Rate
Resource Utilization
|
|
Endurance / Soak / Longevity Test
Verify whether application is available for long duration.
|
Validate stability over long duration & detect leaks.
|
12 Hours
|
Load Pattern (Endurance - 12 Hours)
|
Response Time
Throughput (TPS)
Error Rate
Resource Utilization
|
|
Stress Test
Identify breaking point or performance degradation point of application.
|
Find system breaking point & degradation level.
|
1-2 Hours
|
Load Pattern (Stress - 1 Hour)
|
Response Time
Throughput (TPS)
Error Rate
System Capacity
|
|
Failover Test (On Demand)
Verify system availability if primary data center/node fails.
|
Validate high availability & seamless failover.
|
2 Hours
|
Failover Scenario - 2 Hours
|
Response Time
Throughput
Error Rate
Availability
|
|
Benchmark Test
Provides repeatable, quantifiable results from current and future releases.
|
Compare performance across versions/releases.
|
1-2 Hours
|
Benchmark Comparison - 1 Hour
|
Response Time
Throughput (TPS)
Resource Utilization
|
|
Capacity Planning Test
Forecast future usage and plan infrastructure capacity.
|
Plan capacity for future growth & cost optimization.
|
2-4 Hours
|
Capacity vs Demand - 2 Hours
|
Max Capacity
Projected Users
Required Resources
|
|
Spike Test
Test application under sudden spike load conditions.
|
Validate behavior under abnormal spikes.
|
45-60 Min
|
Spike Pattern - 1 Hour
|
Response Time
Error Rate
Recovery Time
|
|
Volume Test
Verify behavior under huge amount of data (large files, batches, etc.).
|
Validate with large data volume.
|
2-4 Hours
|
Increasing Data Volume - 2 Hours
|
Batch Processing Time
Throughput
Error Rate
|
|
Scalability Test
Measure application capacity by scaling up or down.
|
Validate scale up/down & resource utilization.
|
1-3 Hours
|
Scaling Trend - 2 Hours
|
Throughput (TPS)
Response Time
Resource Utilization
|
|
Network Latency / WAN Emulation Test
Simulate network latency using tools and validate performance.
|
Validate performance under network latency conditions.
|
1-2 Hours
|
Latency Impact - 2 Hours
|
Response Time
Throughput
Error Rate
|
Comparison Summary (Typical Durations)
| Test Type | Duration Example |
| Warm up / Dry-run | 10 - 30 Min |
| Baseline Test | 15 - 30 Min |
| Load Test | 1 Hour |
| Endurance / Soak | 12 Hours |
| Stress Test | 1 - 2 Hours |
| Failover Test | 2 Hours |
| Capacity Planning | 2 - 4 Hours |
| Spike Test | 45 - 60 Min |
| Volume Test | 2 - 4 Hours |
Best Practices
- Define clear objectives for each test type.
- Use realistic data and scenarios.
- Start with baseline and build towards stress.
- Monitor key metrics and system resources.
- Validate business impact and SLAs.
- Document results and learnings for future testing.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping baseline or warm-up tests.
- Running stress test without knowing the system.
- Not monitoring system resources.
- Ignoring network impact.
- Using unrealistic test data.
- Not validating failover properly.