Is there any difference between load testing and performance testing?

Performance testing and load testing are two of the important testing types that determine the application’s behaviour under specific load conditions. Load testing evaluates the maximum load capacity of a software product or application. Performance testing is a superset of load testing. Identifying performance bottlenecks is one of the key objectives of performance testing. In this article, you will get to know the differences between load testing and performance testing. 

What is Load testing?

It is a testing method that ascertains how an application behaves under expected loads. The expected load for the application needs to be analysed. Once it is known, the load testing process for the application can be initiated. In most of the load testing scenarios, every 30 seconds, 100 extra requests hit the application. The next step is where the number of requests needs to be increased up to the expected load for the application.

Once the expected load has been reached, hitting the application continuously by the testing engineers is preferred for a few more minutes, so that possible memory or CPU issues can be detected. Once the application is hit, these kinds of issues may pop up.

Benefits of load testing:

• A better understanding of the application’s load capacity 

• Proper insights are provided into the CPU time and memory usage of the application

• Those specific limits are understood that reduces the risk of failure.

What is Performance testing?

This testing method analyses the performance of an application or system under varying workloads. The different aspects of a system or application such as reliability, resource usage or scalability are validated. Following are the metrics that are tested through performance testing:

• Scalability: The application’s behaviour is ascertained under different types of loads

• Response time: The average response time for requests is measured

• Stability: The memory and CPU usage is measured

• Reliability: The error rate is determined and how the error changes under higher loads is also considered.

Benefits of Performance testing:

• The software stability is properly measured 

• The application’s behaviour is assessed under normal and varying workload conditions

• The performance bottlenecks are identified early on in the software development process

• When the performance is measured, it helps in further performance improvement and helps tailor configurations for components in order to streamline them.

Following are the differences between load testing and performance testing:

Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing load testing or performance testing for your specific project, then do get connected with a world-class software testing services company that will provide you with specific testing strategies that can justify your project specific requirements.