Performance Testing Terminologies
It is challenging to comprehend the fundamentals without having the proper definitions of performance testing terms. This page defines all the key phrases that are often used in performance testing. The terms and their meanings are as follows:
Virtual User
The Virtual User Performance Testing Tool creates virtual users who mimic the behavior of real users. In reality, they are the programming threads that carry out tasks on the application or website on behalf of actual users, adding to the server’s burden. Some performance testing tools refer to the virtual user by a different term, such as VUser, User, Thread, User Load, etc.
Response Time
The response time measures the interval between the initial byte of the client’s request and the last byte of the server’s reply. To put it simply, a user inputs his login information and clicks the “Login” button to access a website. Assuming the following page loads in 5 seconds, the response time will be 5 seconds. The “Login” button is pressed, and the response time computation begins. It stops when he receives the whole answer from the website.
Response time is sometimes referred to as “Page Response Time” or “Transaction Response Time” in some contexts. Keep in mind that Network Latency and Server Processing Time are included to determine Response Time.
Throughput
According to Micro Focus LoadRunner, throughput is the volume of data (measured in bytes or MBs) that the VUsers are receiving at any given moment from the server.
According to Apache JMeter, throughput is the number of requests that JMeter sends to the server per unit of time.
30 requests per minute, for instance.
Request
The URL of a web page is represented by a request. A web page may have several requests for different web page elements, such as graphics, javascript, CSS, etc. Each element has a unique URL.
Transaction
A transaction is a collection of requests for a specific page. In order to assess reaction time separately, it is ideal for each user activity to have its own transaction. Nevertheless, a single transaction may include many user activities. Everything depends on what is being measured.
An illustration would be a login, search, or order submission transaction.
Transactions per second (TPS)
The term “transactions per second,” or TPS, indicates how many transactions users send in a single second. One important non-functional requirement statistic, TPS, aids in determining the anticipated server load. Transactions per hour (TPH), which measure transaction rates on an hourly basis, are the larger TPS unit.
Iteration
Iteration describes a user’s whole trip as it appears in the test case. It is a collection of transactions that represents the whole course of user activity.
An iteration could include the transactions listed below:
Logging in, searching, and selecting items from the home page. Purchase Item -> Logout
The iteration shown above shows the user’s path from the Home Page to Logout.
Iterations per second (IPS)
The number of transactions sent by users in a second is indicated as iterations per second or IPS. Iterations per hour, or IPH, stands for the rate of iteration per hour.
Example: Assuming that one order was submitted in a single transaction, a performance tester doing testing for order submission on an e-commerce website may easily determine the total number of orders submitted during the test by looking at the number of iterations.
Think Time
The interval between two transactions is shown by Think Time. In reality, an online user takes the time to study a web page’s content and complete a web form. These acts cause a pause between two user actions. Think time adds a delay between two transactions to imitate the same time difference.
Pacing
Pacing defines a delay between two iterations, just like think time defines a delay between two transactions. In a performance test, pacing aids in achieving the needed TPS (transactions per second).
Network Latency
The length of time it takes for a network to send data from one end to the other is known as network latency. While the data is being sent between the Client and Server, a channel or network causes some additional latency. Network delay decreases with network speed. Consequently, network latency is crucial in performance testing.
Server Response Time
Once a request has been sent from the client to the server, it takes some time for the server to process it and send the client a reply. The amount of time it takes the server to respond to a request is known as the server response time.
The overall response time is calculated as the sum of network delay and server response time.
Non-Functional Requirement (NFR)
NFRs are the objectives and standards that are specified for an application before performance testing begins. The client’s expectations of the performance of the application under various circumstances are covered by non-functional requirements. A performance tester compares the outcomes with the established NFRs when the test is complete.
Example:
The ABC application should be able to support 1000 users.
Response time for the ABC application shouldn’t exceed five seconds.
Script
A computer program called a performance test script automates actual user actions. An application for performance testing creates such a script.
Protocol
the means via which a client and a server communicate. A protocol option is not included in every performance testing software.
The protocol chosen for an application relies on the language and technology employed.
Examples are Ajax TruClient and Web HTTP/HTML.
Scenario
It is a group of business procedures organised according to performance standards. A performance tester will describe the number of users, test duration, Vuser running pattern, etc. in a scenario window along with the business operations.
Workload Modelling
Workload modelling is a method of dividing the load among the defined test cases, simulating a real-world scenario in the performance test environment, and achieving the test’s objectives.
Load Generator
These are the physical machines used to generate virtual users. The quantity of Load Generator depends on the user load and memory footprint of each user.
These are the important performance testing terminologies. Hope, these performance testing terminologies had provided basic knowledge in an easy and simple way.
