How to Use JMeter for Performance & Load Testing?

Performance Testing Using JMeter

Let's say we want to test Google.com for 100 users. For this performance testing, we need to determine these three factors-

• Your target in this test.
• Normal Load: Average number of users visiting your website.
• Heavy Load: The maximum number of users visiting your website will be tested.

So it's time to follow the steps for performance testing your desired website.

Step 1: 

Setting up Apache JMeter

The first step is to open the Apache JMeter folder->bin folder->JMeter .bat file. This will open the JMeter window on the screen.

Step 2:

Add Thread Group

Right click on Test Plan->Add->Thread(users)->Thread Group

Here, the thread group can be understood as the number of users. 

Now fill in the following thread properties in the thread group control panel.

• Number of Threads: 100 (the number of users you want: 100).
• Loop Count: 10 (Number of times the test will run for the number of users).
• Ramp-Up Period(in seconds): 100 ( the time gap between the users' hits).

Step 3: 

Adding JMeter Elements

1) The first element we will add is HTTP Request Default.

Right-clicking on the Thread Group-> Add -> Config Element -> HTTP Request Defaults.

Enter the Website name(http://www.google.com) under test in the HTTP Request Defaults control panel.

2) Now, we will add the HTTP Request element.

Right-click on Thread Group-> Add -> Sampler -> HTTP Request.

Here the path field indicates which URL request you wish to send to the Google server. Here, we will keep the Path field blank so that JMeter creates the URL request http://www.google.com to the Google server.

Step 4:

Adding Graph result

To get the test result in Graph format right, click on Test Plan-> Add -> Listener -> Graph Results.

Step 5:

Getting the test result

Press the Run button (Ctrl + R) to start the software testing process. You will see the test result displayed on the graph.

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The snapshot below presents a graph of a test plan, where we have simulated 100 users who accessed on website www.google.com.

Once it receives the server's response, it collects them and visualizes those details in a chart or graph. In the given graph, every color represents a different statistic. 

Such as:

• Black: Total number of current samples sent to the server.
• Red: The current standard deviation.
• Blue: Average of all the samples sent.
• Green: Throughput rate( number of requests the server handled per minute).

To analyze the performance of web server(www.google.com) under test, you should focus on two parameters

• Throughput

The throughput represents the ability of the server to handle a heavy load. The higher the Throughput is, the better the server performance.

In this test, the throughput of the Google server is 1,491.193/minute. It means the Google server can handle 1,491.193 requests per minute. This value is relatively high, so we can conclude that Google server has good performance

• Deviation

The deviation is shown in red color– it indicates the deviation from the average. The smaller the deviation, the better it will be.

This result may depend on several factors like current server load at Google, your CPU power, your internet speed, etc. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the slash signify while entering the Path?

Writing Path as "/" (slash) suggests that we want the root page of the server.

Is the JMeter tool capable of simulating a real browser?

No, JMeter does not replicate or operate the same way as a genuine browser. It cannot render HTML responses as a real browser can.

Describe how JMeter works internally.

JMeter creates numerous threads that make simultaneous requests to a target server to simulate real-world user load. The server's performance is then displayed via tables and graphs.

What is the purpose of the Timer in JMeter?

JMeter can use a timer to delay the time between each request a thread makes. It is capable of resolving the server's overload issue.

Does JMeter require coding?

No, it does not require coding skills. If any script has to be created, that can be done using an inbuilt recorder.

Conclusion

This article discusses the various performance testing that can be done using the JMeter tool. We have discussed the step-by-step implementation of the process to perform JMeter Performance Testing.

To explore more on JMeter, here are more articles for rescue. 

• Introduction to JMeter Timers
• What is the Monitor test Plan in JMeter?
• JMeter Interview Questions

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