What Is Load Testing and What Types of Testing Does It Include?

Modern systems operate under constant pressure from traffic, transactions, and data. To evaluate the system’s operation in different states, including peak loads, load testing is used, aimed at identifying bottlenecks in the operation of systems and predicting scaling. In this article, we will analyze what load testing is, what types it has, and in particular, we will consider the difference between volume testing and capacity testing.

What Is Load Testing?

Any software must operate under load for a long time. System failures and crashes can lead to losses, loss of customers and other unpleasant consequences. Load testing allows you to determine how and at what speed the program operates under a certain load. Load testing is used to assess the compliance of product performance with the requirements formulated in the technical specifications.

Load testing is recommended when releasing new software, finalizing the software in use and when changing the configuration of stands.

Key benefits:

• Assessing system capabilities and determining maximum performance.
• Preventing system failures in industrial operation.
• Detecting errors (for example, memory leaks, incorrect settings or resource allocation).
• Finding the optimal set of technical means.

Withstanding enormous loads, software simply must work efficiently. Therefore, load testing is a guarantee of the stability of application operations.

Main stages of load testing

1. Preparation. The goals and statistics of system operation are analyzed. Business operations that are important in terms of the load on the system are determined. The document “Load Testing Methodology” is created and agreed upon, which includes: testing strategy, list and description of tests, criteria for successful completion, description of monitoring tools and load testing tools. Test data is prepared, monitoring is configured, the database is filled.
2. Conducting. Testers record and debug load testing scripts and implement load testing scenarios. They test the application using the developed load testing system. During that process, they collect various statistical information and use it to analyze performance.
3. Report. After the company has completed load testing, the client is provided with a report that describes the test results, deviations from the methodology (if any), a list of errors, suggestions for optimizing the system, and general comments.

Load Testing Areas

Here are the main areas of load testing:

• Performance testing. Determining the system’s performance characteristics
• Stability testing. Checking the system’s operability over a long period of operation, including with large volumes of data and high load
• Stress testing. Checking the correct operation of the system in overload and failure mode
• Volume testing. Testing the system’s behavior with an increase in the volume of data
• Server testing. Checking the operability and reliability of the server part of the system
• Capacity testing. This is a specialized form of load testing that is aimed at assessing the maximum amount of data, traffic that the system under test can handle before performance degrades. That is, it is an assessment of the system’s operation beyond its limits, identifying the point at which the system ceases to operate stably.

Performance Testing

Performance testing allows you to determine the maximum intensity of operations at which the system meets the response time requirements. Performance testing is recommended for a new version of software planned for implementation.

Key benefits:

1. Detection and prevention of system failures before implementation in industrial operation.
2. Determination of the maximum number of simultaneously working users in the system.
3. Determination of the maximum number of simultaneously performed operations without loss of quality of service.

As part of performance testing, system usage statistics are collected, based on which a load profile is created. After that, the starting point and step size for increasing the intensity of operations are calculated.

During testing, the maximum system performance is determined:

• the highest intensity of operations with the required quality of service (SLA);
• peak system performance at which the quality of service indicators for operations (execution time, failures) deteriorate.

Volume Testing

This type of testing allows you to check the use of system resources with an increase in the volume of data and take proactive measures to prevent system failure in the future. Volumetric testing is suitable not only for systems planned for pilot implementation, but also at the design stage.

Key advantages:

1. Volumetric testing allows you to determine the depth of data storage, at which there will be no degradation of system performance.
2. Testing allows you to select the optimal set of technical means and also identify the best architectural solution for a system at the design stage.

The main task of volumetric testing is to evaluate the system performance with an increase in data flow. During testing, an increase in the intensity of system operations is emulated with a simultaneous increase in the database volume. During testing, the overall performance of the system is measured: the number of operations over a certain period of time, the system response time, and the number of users simultaneously working in the system.

Stability Testing

Stability testing is designed to assess the ability of a system to operate under load for a long time. This type of testing allows you to identify memory leaks or incorrect software settings. This type of work is recommended for both new systems and new versions of software that is already in use.

Key benefits:

1. Stability testing helps prevent system failures and deterioration in the speed and quality of data processing.
2. Testing allows you to check the ability of a system to operate stably under long-term load.
3. Testing allows you to determine the characteristics of the system that are subject to monitoring during pilot operation.
4. Testing also allows you to identify a lack of hardware and system resources before introducing it into pilot operation.

During stability testing, the target system is subjected to an average load level of 70-80% of the maximum level for at least 24 hours.

The following indicators are measured simultaneously with the load:

• operation execution time;
• system resource distribution;
• other indicators taking into account the system’s features.

As a result of testing, many errors that are difficult to detect under normal conditions can be found, such as memory leaks, incorrect server environment settings, lack of hardware or system resources.

Conclusion

Conducting load testing helps turn assumptions about system performance into measurable data. Different types of testing allow you to understand what load the system can confidently handle, where failures begin, and what resources need and can be scaled. If you are interested in load testing or, for example, in capacity testing or bottleneck testing, we recommend PFLB. A team of experts will select tools, implement tests in CI/CD, prepare reproducible scenarios, and help eliminate bottlenecks so that your system is ready for growth.

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