Table of contents
1.
Introduction 
2.
Thread Group
3.
Adding a Thread Group Element
4.
Controls
5.
Components of a JMeter Thread Group
5.1.
1. Action to be taken after a Sampler Error
5.2.
2. Thread Properties
6.
Frequently Asked Questions 
6.1.
What do JMeter thread groups mean?
6.2.
What use does a JMeter thread group serve?
6.3.
JMeter has how many different thread groups?
6.4.
Can JMeter support a lot of threads?
6.5.
What does JMeter's thread lifespan mean?
7.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
Easy

What is JMeter Thread Group?

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Introduction 

JMeter is a desktop tool for load and performance testing that is entirely Java-based. JMeter contains several components: timers, thread groups, listeners, and controllers. We will learn about the JMeter Thread Group element in this post.

What is JMeter Thread Group?

Thread Group

JMeter Thread Group is the component of a Jmeter test plan. A set of threads executing the same structure is referred to as a "thread group." It determines the configuration's number of iterations. It denotes the starting point of a test strategy. Test components, including samplers, configuration components, controllers, and listeners, belong to the threat group. Each Thread will independently execute each component under the JMeter Thread Group in the thread group. Each Thread mimics a genuine user virtually by submitting a request to the server during a test.

The picture below is the JMeter Thread Group element's control panel.

Thread Group

A Thread Group is a component of the test plan, consisting of various components: Controllers, Configuration Elements, Listeners, and Samplers.

Thread Group components
  • Controllers can be divided into two parts:
    • Samplers enable JMeter to send queries to servers and wait for replies. Its repeat count may be changed using controllers.
       
    • Logical controllers imitate a user asking the target server for a page. Managing the flow and sequencing of sampler processing in a thread can be done with the aid of logic controllers.

 

  • Configuration elements specify variables, which Samplers utilize later and can only be accessed from within the tree node where it is declared.

 

  • Listeners represent the data visually that is obtained about test cases. It can be changed at any point. 

Adding a Thread Group Element

  • Thread Group is an element of the test plan. 
  • Test Plan creation is a pre-requisite for creating thread groups.
  • Right-click on the selected test plan.
  • Click on add. 
  • Click on Threads(Users).
  • Finally, select the thread group.

 

Test plan >> Add >> Threads( users) >> Thread Group 

Adding a Thread Group Element

Controls

Using a JMeter Thread Group's controls, you can:

  • Decide how many threads are required and set them accordingly.
  • Configure the ramp-up time.
  • Determine how many times the Test needs to be run.

 

JMeter can estimate the ramp-up time by knowing how long it will take to "raise the level" to the total number of selected threads. The ramp-up period must be both long enough to prevent an excessive workload at the beginning of a test and brief enough so that the last threads begin operating before the previous ones are finished.

Components of a JMeter Thread Group

The following components are contained in the Thread Group Panel:

1. Action to be taken after a Sampler Error

These actions are taken if the user makes an error in the sampler. The default setting is to continue.

Action to be taken after a Sampler Error
  • Continue- ignore the error and move to the next element.
  • Start Next Thread Loop- Stop the current Thread and Start Next Thread
  • Stop Thread- Stop the current Thread.
  • Stop Test- If any error occurs, stop the test execution completely.
  • Stop Test Now- the entire Test will be stopped immediately.

2. Thread Properties

Thread Properties
  • Number of Threads(users) – generates a count of the number of connections or users using your server application to run the test script. It has the value 1 by default.

 

  • Ramp-Up Period (in seconds)- It gives JMeter a time estimate for when the Thread will be completed. It has a 1 second setting by default. For instance, if you set the "Number of Threads" to "10" and the "Ramp-Up Period to 100 seconds," JMeter will wait 100 seconds before starting all 10 threads.
    • Formula: Ramp-Up Period / Number of Threads= x(second)

 

  • Loop Count – This count shows how many times each Thread will be intended to execute the operation. When there are 2 threads and 3 loops, the identical task will be carried out 6 times. If this parameter is set to infinity, the task will keep running until the Test is terminated. The value is set to 1 by default.

 

  • Delay Thread Creation Until Needed – This option must be checked when you need the ramp-up delay, and the startup delay must be executed before creating the thread group. This option is not selected by default.

 

  • Specify Thread lifetime – Provide the threads with the duration and start delay. By default, "the same user on each iteration" is checked.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What do JMeter thread groups mean?

A thread group represents a group of threads.

What use does a JMeter thread group serve?

A group of threads is created using ThreadGroup. It provides a practical method for controlling thread groups collectively in JMeter Thread Groups.

JMeter has how many different thread groups?

One thread is the default setting in JMeter Thread Group.

Can JMeter support a lot of threads?

When used correctly, JMeter may generate up to 200 threads per instance, allowing the execution of many processes simultaneously.

What does JMeter's thread lifespan mean?

When the lifespan expires, JMeter "asks" the threads to terminate. JMeter may delay terminating the thread until the answer has been received if the response time exceeds the test duration.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have discussed an introduction to the JMeter Thread group with short descriptions of what each component means.

If you think this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge about the above question, and if you want to learn more, check out our articles. Visit our website to read more such blogs. 

  1. What are JMeter ─ Functions?
  2. Introduction to JMS test Plan in JMeter
  3. Introduction to JMeter Listeners

 

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