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What is Load Testing and Why is It Necessary?

Before a software product can be brought to market, it must go through numerous tests to determine if it is working correctly. Some common types of software tests include bug tests, performance scans, and functionality verification. Load testing is one of the most common software tests run on systems and applications. So what is load testing? We’re glad you asked.

What is Load Testing

Load testing is a type of system test that determines how well an application or system performs under normal or anticipated peak conditions. Software load tests send virtual users or requests to the system to determine how well it handles the traffic/requests.

Load testing is similar to stress testing. Stress testing, however, pushes the product past anticipated limits to determine the maximum number of users or requests a product can handle before it breaks. Stress tests take it past expected levels into the realm of unrealistic demands. Load testing only pushes the product to within expected or peak capacity levels. Load testing must take place near the end of the development cycle. Essentially, a system can’t be tested from the end-user perspective until it’s complete.

Why is Load Testing Important

Load testing mimics the way a system or application acts when deployed as a finished product. It helps developers determine if the system behaves as intended. It can also help identify issues like pages not loading correctly, lag time, downtime, and overall performance problems.

Companies must protect their brands. They should never deploy an application or system that isn’t working well. If you launch a website, it should work right for everyone. You don’t want it to crash when the 1,000th person visits the site lest your company look bad or unreliable. The purpose of load testing is to help a company determine if the system or app is ready to deploy and that it can handle all anticipated traffic.

Load testing finds issues before the product hits the market, which gives developers the time they need to correct them. Retesting must occur every time the software changes.

Consider Outsourcing Your Load Testing Needs

Outsources QA teams are an excellent option for organizations that don’t have the resources necessary to keep meet the demands of quality assurance testing. Qualified quality assurance testing labs understand what is load testing and why it is so vital to growing websites.

iBeta Quality Assurance can work within your development and testing cycles. We have an extensive infrastructure perfect for load testing, which we use to determine if your product can handle everyday stress. Click here to learn more about our Load/Performance Testing services.