[Tutor] load test a web application?

[Alan Gauld]

On 02/11/13 11:11, Albert-Jan Roskam wrote:

> ...It is surprising that, unlike unittests, load/stress tests apparently
 > are a more obscure domain.

Probably because, to do them well, they are incredibly complex and 
difficult to perform. Even with banks of rack mounted computers and 
specialised load simulators you still have to get your data build and 
transaction gapping tuned exactly right to replicate the real world. And 
then you have the network aspects to simulate and it gets even more 
complex. If you have to handle clustered deployments, or worse, cloud 
based, virtual environments it becomes next to impossible.

I've worked on maybe 50 major projects over the last 30 years of
which only about 5 or 6 even attempted any realistic load/performamce 
testing. And they all had mega budgets to throw at it.

It's just too hard, so most folk just give up or do some token
robotics which doesn't really prove anything.

-- 
Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alangauldphotos