Load Testing vs Stress Testing: What is the Difference?
In the software quality assurance field, two terms seem to stick out the most, “load testing and stress testing” – It is on any client’s top priority list to make certain that their application can handle larger levels of usage and maintain all factors of quality.
Our methods at Q-Pros guarantee that software applications are set and ready for extreme scenarios for future users.
In this article, we will investigate and differentiate the two tests we conduct to eliminate the possibility of such malfunctions as overloading and stress, which cause the application to either stop performing and crash, or to perform slower and force users to uninstall the application altogether.
What is Load Testing?
A load test will help us understand how an application behaves under expected loads. In other words, it allows us to monitor the overall performance of the application under the basic demands of real users.
Load testing is not concerned with overusing the application, but it is all about measuring the performance stats under what is expected of the application.
This is done via requesting several demands from the application and then investigating the speed at which it accomplishes its required responses. Load testing helps determine the bottlenecks of applications.
Load testing comes in handy in certain periods of the application’s usage. For example, your application might have a standard number of users most of the time, but it is not until there is an update or an offer in which will cause the number of users to spike up, take for instance a government portal in which there was a certain event that caused citizens to suddenly request an official paper, or a shopping application on black Friday.
Having a good testing foundation firsthand allows you to prepare for all kinds of circumstances, and it will guarantee an increase in ROI (Return of Investment).
What is Stress Testing?
Stress testing allows us to identify the breaking point of the application. Breaking points are the maximum level of load an application can endure before failure.
The benefit of stress testing is not only to inform companies of their application’s limitations but also to make use of such results and scale up the application based on the data gathered from stress testing.
For example, knowing the breaking points allows developers to make certain changes in the application’s behavior before the breaking point is reached to allow for adjustments and adaptation and avoid extreme results. This in return evaluates the robustness of the application.
Stress testing is necessary for developers to know what features break first in case of extreme stress. Knowing that will help them act accordingly to make sure that no permanent crashes occur and to limit the possibility of catastrophic events.
What are the differences between Load Testing and Stress Testing?
| Load Testing is more of an organic approach. It is not concerned with breaking the application as much as it is concerned with finding out if the application has covered its basic requirements of handling the expected levels of load. Load testing is essential for companies because it asserts confidence in the application in case of future challenges. |
| On the other hand, Stress testing is mainly concerned with finding an application’s upper limit. Stress Testing helps us determine where the application is most likely to have some sort of failure, and by doing so, it evaluates the robustness of the application. Stress testing also allows developers to enhance the application’s behavior by knowing how it will react in case of failure due to maximum usage. |
Both load testing and stress testing are essential for companies, especially when dealing with bigger service applications that will require more usage and constant maintenance/updates.
At Q-Pros, we rely on a team of testing experts using the best testing tools to achieve the best results.
If you want to learn more about Load & Stress testing, request service now via our list of offers.
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