Supportsoft Glossary

Performance Testing for Speed, Load, and Stability

Performance testing is a method for assessing the performance of a particular system based on varying degrees of demand. In contrast to functional testing, which focuses on determining whether or not a particular function works correctly, performance testing focuses on determining speed, responsiveness, scalability, and stability. Typically, performance tests measure the rate at which an application loads, the maximum number of concurrent users supported by the application, and the ability of the application to support its maximum load. 

Performance tests include many different types of tests, including load testing, which measures how a system performs under expected usage levels; stress testing, which measures how long it takes a system to become unresponsive under extreme conditions; and endurance or soak testing, which measures the ability of a system to remain stable over an extended period of time. Performance testing not only enables organisations to identify bottlenecks within the back-end of their systems, including slow database queries, poor programming practices, and poor server configurations, but also protects the customer experience from outages due to performance problems, as well as reducing downtime and disruption of business operations. 

Performance testing is a vital step when developing products that anticipate high traffic, complex transactions, or mission-critical workloads, and it helps ensure that as an organisation's customer base expands, the product continues to perform well and is reliable and scalable.