JMeter is designed to measure performance and perform load testing. This open source application can simulate various scenarios with different loads and show output in CSV, XML, and multiple file formats.

The test results can be affected by various factors, including the system CPU and Ram. So, you can distribute the load to multiple JMeter servers to ensure that the results are not affected as the load is increased.

JMeter Installation

Considering Apache JMeter as a desktop application, it is very easy to install. You can either download the JMeter binaries or use the package manager.

You might have to add a Java bin directory to your PATH environmental library. It depends upon how you have installed Java. Once you have installed JMeter, you can build a test plan.

Building Test Plan

Once you run JMeter, you will see GUI with the empty Test Plan.

It includes a number of test components that will decide how the simulation will take place.

  • Adding a Thread Group: Thread Group has three properties that can affect the load test
    • Number of users
    • Ramp-Up Periods
    • Loop Count
  • Adding HTTP Requests: The HTTP Requests default value is set using HTTP Request Defaults Config Elements. This is used for sending multiple HTTP requests.
  • Adding HTTP Cookie Manager: You can add HTTP Cookie Manager to the Thread Group to provide support for cookies.
  • Adding HTTP Request Sampler: You can add HTTP Request Sampler to Thread Group, which shows a page request.
  • Adding View Results in Table Listener: You can install Plugins to add listeners to output the results of a load test.

Running the Basic Test Plan

Once the test plan is created, you can save the test plan. From the main menu, click ‘Run’ and then click ‘Start’. You will see the test results then.

  • Interpreting the Results: You will see ‘Success’ in the status of all the requests. You will see columns, like.
    • Latency
    • Sample Time
  • Increasing the Load: You can increase the load by changing the number of threads (users) in the Thread Group. You can always manage the number of threads in the test to check how many threads can be handled by the server before the performance is affected.

360logica makes use of open source and commercial tools to execute performance testing. This proves to cost effective and high in standards. We give priority to the client’s requirements and select tools following industry standards based on that. Our performance testing services are also provided through client server and web applications. This allows us to perform load and stress testing on Windows, Linux, and other platforms.