The Science and Art of Web Site Load Testing

Summary:

Web site load testing is very different from traditional load testing and requires new tools and new approaches. Most Web site load tests are wildly inaccurate and unrealistic and consequently useless or dangerously misleading. Useful load testing requires loading a Web site with different scenarios, at different load points, and monitoring all the key components. Approach Web site load testing as 80% science and 20% art.

About the author

Alberto Savoia

Alberto Savoia has been a pioneer and innovator in software test automation for nearly twenty years. He's recently co-founded and become CTO of TestAgility, a start-up focused on test automation technology. His previous start-up, Velogic, was the first to introduce Web-based load testing and was ultimately acquired by Keynote Systems. His professional positions include director of software technology research at Sun Microsystems Laboratories, general manager of Sun's SunTest business unit, chief technologist at Keynote Systems, and director of engineering at Google. He is the author of many articles, papers, and patents on software test automation, and has led the design and implementation of several award-winning testing tools.