Benchmark Testing : What? How? When?

In our daily lives, we always set a benchmark for our goals and activities to compare functionality or success. Likewise, the same applies to software and hardware testing. This is where benchmark testing comes into play. Over the years, the role of benchmark testing has constantly been evolving. It has become more critical as the software and application development industry is witnessing a paradigm shift.

Benchmark testing is a software testing method used to evaluate the performance of an application compared to previously established benchmarks or standards. It is an effective way of identifying strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the product. It refers to a set of activities designed to measure various performance results. These results can then be referenced to set expectations for how a product will perform in the present and in future releases.

A benchmark must be quantifiable, measurable, and repeatable. If it does not meet these three specifications, then it does not qualify as a metric.

Goals of Benchmark Testing   

Ensuring the application is at par with the minimum requirements mandated by the stakeholders.    
Make iterations and retesting until you achieve the set benchmarks.    
Determining the breaking point of the software or application by amplifying the load and demand to its extremes until it breaks.

Significance of Benchmark Testing  

Setting benchmarks against functional attributes is extremely important to compare their performances. So, in the case of software development, evaluate the performance and outcome of the product against the specified metrics where benchmark testing is performed. We have listed down what makes benchmark testing so significant in the software development and testing community:

• It analyzes the performance of the software/application product/service against the competitors.  
• Exposes the hidden errors that might have been missed in other forms of testing.  
• Enables the implementation of SLAs (Service Level Agreements).  
• Helps in demonstrating and validating real-world user experience.  
• It helps to determine the iterations and amendments needed in the program based on the evaluated performance results.

Benchmark Testing Types       

One of the benefits of benchmark testing is that it can come in the form of several different types of tests. Each type of benchmark test employs different sets of metrics, so one type of benchmark test can be more effective than the other depending on your team’s needs. What is more, you can also execute a combination of multiple types of benchmark tests — whatever suits you best.

Below are a few types of benchmark tests that you can use to ensure your app is up to the standards your team has set.

Network Benchmarking         

Determine the performance of your networks such as wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs).

System Benchmarking        

Evaluate the performance of your system as a whole — including network components, software, and hardware.

Storage Benchmarking 

Test the performance of storage systems such as storage area networks (SANs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and hard drives.

Hardware Benchmarking     

Focus on specific hardware components to ensure the performance of processors, memory, and graphic cards meet your benchmarks.

Application Benchmarking         

Identify areas of improvement or success in specific applications like databases and web or mobile apps.

Benchmark Testing Frameworks           

There are several popular testing frameworks that you can use to help design and execute benchmark tests. Learn more about five of the most notable frameworks below.

BlazeMeter — The industry leading platform for performance and load testing, which is paired with advanced analytics and reporting. 

JMeter — An open-source framework primarily used for load testing and performance testing.

Grinder — A Java-based load testing framework that allows for distributed tests across multiple machines.

stress-ng — A stress workload generator that simulates stress on a machine and measures throughput rates.

Gatling — A load and performance testing framework that supports HTTP, WebSocket, SSE, and JMS.

Benchmark Testing Best Practices          

While there are several types of benchmark tests available to you, it is important to know a few key best practices regardless of which one(s) you choose to employ.

Clear Definitions     

Before the rubber meets the road, it is important to determine where you want that road to lead you. Define clear, concise, and measurable objectives for what you hope to achieve with benchmark tests.

Recognize Industry Standards       

You could make up your own key performance indicators (KPIs), but what impact would they really have? There are industry standards for a reason — using these industry-accepted KPIs to determine the efficacy of your benchmark tests gives you a solid foundation to stand on.

Vary Your Tests         

 A hallmark of good testing in general — not just benchmark testing — is to test numerous times throughout the development process. But not only should you test numerous times, you should test a numerous variety of tests. This means testing against multiple types of devices, browsers, and OSs.

Real-World Simulation        

You want your software or app to react as it would when it is in the hands of your users in the real world. That means you should always test against real-world scenarios and workloads to ensure your system responds as designed in both normal settings and peak traffic events.

Honest Analysis

You are not doing you, your team, or your product any favors if you choose to view your test results through a favorable lens. Acknowledge the test conditions and parameters you set for your tests so you can examine the metrics honestly.

Bottom Line    

Benchmark testing can be an excellent tool in any tester’s toolbox to identify areas of optimization for your software or app. By establishing a guiding set of standards or benchmarks at the outset of the development process, you will have a baseline of quality you can strive to adhere to.

The better information you have to make optimizations, the better your app is going to be. Regular benchmark tests help your team keep a consistent eye on your system’s efficiency, stability, and speed — enabling you to optimize as you go.