Performance / Load Testing Tools
1. HP LoadRunner
HP LoadRunner captures end-user response times for business processes and transactions to determine whether the application can meet the required service-level agreements (SLAs). Non-intrusive, real-time performance monitors obtain and display performance data from every tier, server, and system component. Use a diagnostics probe to gather code-level data, isolate bottlenecks at the method level, and inspect individual structured query language (SQL) statements. This combination of end-user, system-level, and code-level visibility dramatically reduces time to problem resolution.
After the load test completes, the HP LoadRunner analysis engine provides a single view of end-user, system-level, and code-level performance data.
HP LoadRunner can reduce the script-creation process, even to just a few simple mouse clicks. The new Click and Script technology lets you record scripts at the user-interface level by clicking on screens for automatic script generation, making the scripting process easier.
LoadRunner Blog | HP Software Quality Assurance
Get the LoadRunner trial version, Reference Guides, White papers etc here.
2. Oracle Load Testing for Web Applications (Formerly E-Load)
Features:
Automates testing of the most complex Web applications and Web services with robust test scripts.
Simulates hundreds to tens of thousands of users while minimising the hardware required.
Gathers critical performance metrics to identify bottlenecks.
Simplifies accessibility with an intuitive Web based user interface.
Allows distributed users to share testing results during live testing.
3. NeoLoad
NeoLoad lets you test any HTTP application: ASP, .Net, J2EE, PHP etc.
NeoLoad records all HTTP requests. Applications using Ajax send HTTP requests to the web servers; NeoLoad will create an HTTP page containing the request for each action. You will then be able to vary this request just like any other request and to verify the server response.
NeoLoad can record HTTPS requests and play them back. What's more, NeoLoad also supports client certificate authentication. It should be noted that the browser generates a security alert on recording an SSL site. This is normal; ignore the alerts and continue browsing normally.
Although NeoLoad is not a tool for functional testing, it can carry out checks on content returned by the server. Validations such as regular expression-based content assertions allow you to perform basic functional tests.
NeoLoad records and replays browser requests to the server, which means that NeoLoad: can simulate requests made by components such as plug-ins, Java applets, ActiveX, Flash animations,...cannot simulate local actions such as updating a graphical component using client-side JavaScript.
4. Apache Jmeter
Apache JMeter is open source software, a 100% pure Java desktop application designed to load test functional behavior and measure performance. It was originally designed for testing Web Applications but has since expanded to other test functions.
Apache JMeter features include:
Can load and performance test many different server types:
Web - HTTP, HTTPS
SOAP
Database via JDBC
LDAP
JMS
Mail - POP3(S) and IMAP(S)
Complete portability and 100% Java purity.
Full multithreading framework allows concurrent sampling by many threads and simultaneous sampling of different functions by seperate thread groups.
Careful GUI design allows faster operation and more precise timings.
Caching and offline analysis/replaying of test results.
Highly Extensible:
Pluggable Samplers allow unlimited testing capabilities.
Several load statistics may be choosen with pluggable timers .
Data analysis and visualization plugins allow great extendibility as well as personalization.
Functions can be used to provide dynamic input to a test or provide data manipulation.
Scriptable Samplers (BeanShell is fully supported; and there is a sampler which supports BSF-compatible languages).
5. WebLoad
WebLoad provides out-of-the-box support for the latest Web 2.0 technologies such as Web Services, SOA and Ajax. WebLOAD’s robust support for these new technologies enables easy recording, parameterization, correlation and data verification.
WebLOAD supports a wide range of internet protocols ranging from HTTP/S, WAP, SOAP and Ajax to, RTSP/RTP, FTP, SMTP and raw TCP/IP. WebLOAD’s reliance on open standards means that you can now extend and add new and proprietary protocols.
WebLOAD’s parameterization capability can turn static user sessions into dynamic sessions that draw upon data from a variety of different sources including databases, files and other external sources such as Microsoft Active Directory.
WebLOAD enables execution of external components that are written in Java and COM from its test scripts. This allows WebLOAD to load-test individual components, extend WebLOAD’s capabilities to additional protocols and manipulate and integrate test data.
WebLOAD Professional provides comprehensive reporting and analysis starting from runtime where you can actively monitor and analyze results as they happen without having to wait for post-test reports.All analysis reports can be exported to standard file formats such as PDF, Excel, RTF, HTML, Etc.
6. QALoad
Using Micro Focus QALoad, you can emulate the load generated by hundreds or thousands of users on your application—without requiring the involvement of the end users or their equipment. You can easily repeat load tests with varied system configurations to achieve optimum performance.
Micro Focus QALoad's Script Development Workbench provides customized modules that facilitate the development of testing scripts. These modules, called EasyScripts, allow testers to record the traffic an application generates and convert it into a testing script.
QALoad enables testers to insert checkpoints into scripts to identify and review specific areas of system performance for a test. QALoad automatically presents test results in a variety of easy to understand reports, graphs and charts.
7. SilkPerformer
Micro Focus SilkPerformer offers a cost-effective, enterprise-class tool for software application performance and load testing, delivering automated software load, stress and performance testing in an open and sharable model. With SilkPerformer, you can create powerful, realistic load tests for thousands of users running business scenarios across a broad range of enterprise application environments to identify bottlenecks, and then apply powerful diagnostics to resolve performance issues.
You can rapidly generate test drivers for Web Services, .NEeT, and COMom+ server components as well as for Eenterprise JavaBeans (EeJB) and Java RMIrmi objects, by exploring them via a point-and-click interface.
8. Rational Performance Tester
No programming knowledge is necessary to create, comprehend, edit or execute a performance test.
Rational Performance Tester goes beyond problem identification to problem diagnosis. Using Root Cause Analysis features, you can identify both the source code and physical application tier that is causing the bottleneck.
Rational Performance Tester generates performance and throughput reports in real time, enabling you to detect performance problems at any time during a test run. These reports provide multiple filtering and configuration options that can be set before, during, and after a test run.
Advanced testers have the option of inserting custom Java code into their performance tests to perform activities such as advanced data analysis and request parsing.
The IBM Performance Tester recorder and editor can be used on both the Windows and Linux platforms.
9. Load Testing Software
With WPT 2.8 the Application State Management wizard automatically finds and configures each dynamic variable for you. It locates where the variable is first used, and configures a parser to extract that value at runtime, and then detects where the value is used, and configures data replacement so that each virtual user gets its own unique runtime value.
Web Performance Load Tester™ supports most authentication techniques, including forms, basic authentication, SSL client certificates and NTLM. Using runtime data replacement each virtual user playing back a recorded business case can log in as a separate user. The Authentication Wizard leads the user through the process of configuring usernames and passwords.
WPT 2.8 now allows the configuration of this popular browser as the default. And since Firefox is cross-platform, so is our support, so you can use Firefox on Windows, Linux or Solaris.
With Playback Start Location Control the test case will play back the login part of the test case only once, and then the rest of the test case can repeat, accurately simulating the activities of the real user.
10. OpenSTA
OpenSTA actually stands for Open System Testing Architecture. It is not in fact the name for a specific tool but for a distributed software architecture based on CORBA. The name OpenSTA is used here for a collection of tools that implement and use this distributed architecture.
Use it to develop load Tests that include an HTTP/S load element, known as Scripts, to help assess the performance of WAEs during development, and to create Collector-only Tests that monitor and record performance data from live WAEs within a production environment.
OpenSTA enables you to run Tests against the same target system within both load testing and production monitoring scenarios. This means that you can directly compare the performance of the target system within these two environments.
Running a Test with both Script and Collector Task Groups enabled allows you to test and record the performance of a WAE during development. After the WAE goes live, Script-based Task Groups can be disabled and the Test re-run within a production environment. This enables you to generate useful comparative performance results and to continuously monitor the target WAE.
11. Webmetrics
Webmetrics has the most flexible website monitoring services platform enabling online businesses to solve immediate performance management needs. Their products include:
GlobalWatch
GlobalWatch is the premiere hosted (SaaS) monitoring platform that provides detailed availability and performance monitoring analysis – enabling you to make better business decisions faster. With comprehensive measurements, detailed reports and flexible alerts, Webmetrics GlobalWatch can have an immediate impact on your web profitability and brand image.
SiteStress
SiteStress is a managed service that couples proprietary web performance and load testing product technology with hands-on engineering expertise to provide an easy-to-use, cost-effective load & web performance testing solution.
Also See:
Stress Testing Examples
Difference between Load & Stress Testing
Excellent Performance Testing Articles
What is Load Testing
What is Performance Testing
What is Stress Testing