What do we want out of load or performance test?
We use performance tests to verify the raw throughput of some subsystems and to verify the overall impact some subsystem has on an entire ecosystem. Load tests act as documentation for performance indicators and re-enforce performance expectations. They are vital in identifying performance regression. Load and performance tests are an often overlooked part of the software release lifecycle. Load tests, at their most basic level, are about stress testing a system by dropping a lot of work onto it. Sometimes it is a percentage of expected load, other times it is the expected load, and other times it is future expected levels of load. A failure to test expected near-term load can lead to spectacular public failures. Video Measurements Your business requirements determine requirements for throughput, latency. Your financial requirements impact the choices you take towards achieving those goals