Load Testing Guide

This guide covers load testing methodologies and tools provided in Lambda Softworks' scripts to ensure your systems can handle expected workloads.

Load Testing Basics

Test Types

1. Stress Testing

   • Push system beyond normal capacity
   • Find breaking points
   • Test recovery capabilities

2. Load Testing

   • Simulate expected load
   • Verify performance metrics
   • Validate optimization settings

3. Endurance Testing

   • Long-duration tests
   • Memory leak detection
   • Resource utilization trends

Load Testing Tools

Basic Load Testing

# Quick load test
./load-tester.sh --quick-test \
  --target http://your-server \
  --users 100 \
  --duration 5m

# Comprehensive test
./load-tester.sh --full-test \
  --target http://your-server \
  --scenario production \
  --duration 1h

Advanced Scenarios

# Custom test scenario
./load-tester.sh --custom-test \
  --config /path/to/scenario.yml \
  --metrics all \
  --report-format html

# Distributed testing
./load-tester.sh --distributed-test \
  --nodes 5 \
  --total-users 1000 \
  --coordinator master.example.com

Test Configuration

Basic Test Configuration

# /etc/lambdasoftworks/load-testing/scenario.yml
test:
  name: "Production Simulation"
  duration: 1h
  ramp_up: 5m
  
users:
  total: 1000
  ramp_up_rate: 10/s
  think_time: 2s
  
scenarios:
  - name: "Web Browsing"
    weight: 70%
    actions:
      - GET /
      - GET /products
      - GET /about
      - POST /search
  
  - name: "API Usage"
    weight: 30%
    actions:
      - GET /api/v1/status
      - POST /api/v1/data
      - PUT /api/v1/update

thresholds:
  response_time:
    p95: 500ms
    p99: 1s
  error_rate: 1%
  throughput: 100/s

Advanced Test Configuration

# /etc/lambdasoftworks/load-testing/advanced-scenario.yml
test:
  name: "Enterprise Load Test"
  phases:
    - name: "Warm-up"
      duration: 5m
      users: 100
    - name: "Peak Load"
      duration: 30m
      users: 1000
    - name: "Stress"
      duration: 10m
      users: 2000
    - name: "Cool-down"
      duration: 5m
      users: 100

monitoring:
  metrics:
    - cpu_usage
    - memory_usage
    - disk_io
    - network_io
    - response_time
    - error_rate
  
  thresholds:
    cpu:
      warning: 80%
      critical: 90%
    memory:
      warning: 85%
      critical: 95%
    response_time:
      p50: 200ms
      p95: 500ms
      p99: 1s

scenarios:
  - name: "User Journey 1"
    weight: 40%
    think_time: 
      min: 1s
      max: 5s
    actions:
      - name: "Homepage"
        method: GET
        url: /
        expect:
          status: 200
          response_time: 200ms
      
      - name: "Search"
        method: POST
        url: /search
        payload:
          query: "test"
        headers:
          Content-Type: application/json
        expect:
          status: 200
          response_time: 500ms

  - name: "API Tests"
    weight: 60%
    think_time: 100ms
    actions:
      - name: "Data Fetch"
        method: GET
        url: /api/v1/data
        headers:
          Authorization: "Bearer ${TOKEN}"
        expect:
          status: 200
          
      - name: "Data Update"
        method: PUT
        url: /api/v1/update
        payload_file: "test-data.json"
        expect:
          status: 200

Running Tests

Basic Test Execution

# Run with default settings
./load-tester.sh --run \
  --scenario basic \
  --target http://your-server

# Run with custom configuration
./load-tester.sh --run \
  --config /path/to/scenario.yml \
  --variables "TOKEN=abc123,ENV=prod"

Monitoring During Tests

# Real-time monitoring
./load-tester.sh --monitor \
  --test-id test_123 \
  --metrics all \
  --refresh 5s

# Alert configuration
./load-tester.sh --alerts \
  --threshold-cpu 80 \
  --threshold-memory 85 \
  --notify slack

Results Analysis

Basic Analysis

# Generate quick report
./load-tester.sh --quick-report \
  --test-id test_123 \
  --format pdf

# Detailed analysis
./load-tester.sh --analyze \
  --test-id test_123 \
  --compare-baseline \
  --include-graphs

Advanced Analysis

# Performance regression analysis
./load-tester.sh --regression-analysis \
  --current test_123 \
  --baseline test_122 \
  --threshold 10%

# Generate recommendations
./load-tester.sh --recommend \
  --test-id test_123 \
  --target-metrics response_time,throughput

Best Practices

Test Environment

1. Isolation

   • Use dedicated test environment
   • Mirror production configuration
   • Isolate network traffic

2. Data Management

   • Use representative test data
   • Reset between tests
   • Protect sensitive information

3. Monitoring

   • Monitor all system components
   • Collect detailed metrics
   • Save results for comparison

Test Execution

1. Gradual Approach

   • Start with basic tests
   • Incrementally increase load
   • Monitor for stability

2. Realistic Scenarios

   • Model real user behavior
   • Include think time
   • Mix different operations

3. Regular Testing

   • Schedule periodic tests
   • Test after major changes
   • Maintain baseline results

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Resource Exhaustion

# Check resource limits
./load-tester.sh --check-limits \
  --component all

# Adjust system limits
./load-tester.sh --adjust-limits \
  --nofile 65535 \
  --nproc 65535

2. Network Issues

# Test network capacity
./load-tester.sh --network-test \
  --bandwidth 1Gbps \
  --latency 50ms

# Diagnose connectivity
./load-tester.sh --diagnose-network \
  --target your-server

Next Steps

• Advanced Load Testing Patterns
• Performance Benchmarking
• Continuous Performance Testing
• Custom Scenario Development