Performance Testing Software

The client is a US-based early-stage enterprise providing specialized technology solutions for the food service industry. One of their launch offerings was an aggregator platform connecting catering companies with end users. The platform aimed to unite distinctive catering companies onto a single platform, accessible to individuals organizing events such as house parties and wedding receptions.

In addition to the aggregator services, the client also organizes food festivals, providing a platform for caterers and end users to engage. The client uses e-tickets for transactions, with QR codes issued to end users for making payments during the event.

Before rolling out the solution, it was crucial to measure and validate various performance parameters to ensure the platform could handle real-world usage without service disruptions. The client needed to assess if the application could scale to the required capacity during an event and whether the technology infrastructure was adequate for smooth operations. To achieve this, the client sought robust performance testing software to simulate real-world scenarios and validate the platform’s ability to meet operational demands.

Experion’s ‘Independent Verification and Validation Team’ conducted the performance testing for the client. The testing focused on the QR code scan and redeem functionality and the transaction response for different scenarios. By utilizing advanced performance testing software, the goal was to uncover any potential flaws in the infrastructure and application architecture.

The performance testing aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• Ensure non-functional constraints such as reliability and responsiveness matched expectations under real-world conditions.
  Validate that the error percentage did not exceed acceptable thresholds.
• Ensure the response time for APIs involved in the scan and redeem functionality remained within acceptable limits.
• Benchmark the capacity of the cloud infrastructure under load to help managers make informed decisions about scaling.

The Experion testing team analyzed the business workflow and simulated a virtual food festival scenario with a projected number of service providers. Using performance testing software like BlazeMeter, the team generated virtual users to simulate real-world traffic on the application servers. The test modeled the process flow, including login, scan, and redeem APIs, with realistic delays to mimic actual user behavior.

The test was conducted over 20-minute runs, with best-of-three results analyzed for accuracy.

In the above diagram, the vertical flow shows the spawn of virtual users and the horizontal flow shows the sequence in which APIs are invoked in the test configuration. BlazeMeter was configured to spawn virtual users to match the projected number of service providers, in separate threads which run concurrently/ parallelly. In each thread the APIs under test are invoked in sequential order; Login API followed by Scan API and then Redeem API, which represented the Scan and Redeem work flow. A think time or a delay of 5 seconds between each Scan and Redeem routine was applied to model the flow as close to reality as possible. The test was conducted for 20 min and this was considered as a Run. After every Run a considerable delay (pacing) of almost 10mins was given before starting the next run. Results of best of three runs were considered for analysis.

The results from the performance testing software provided valuable insights. The infrastructure provisioned for the server was deemed adequate, with the load evenly distributed across servers, confirming that the load balancer configuration was appropriate. The test also verified the autoscaling capabilities on the cloud, giving the client confidence that the system would handle peak loads during major events.

During the testing, exploratory manual testing was also conducted to identify any performance flaws. The performance testing results assured the client that the system could handle large-scale events without disruption. The request response times were within acceptable limits, and application logs and database integrity checks yielded positive results.

• The performance testing validated the client’s infrastructure and application, ensuring readiness for large events.
• The use of advanced performance testing software helped mitigate risks related to performance degradation under load.
• The client gained confidence that their platform would deliver a seamless experience, even during peak loads at food festivals.