Spike Testing is a type of performance testing used to evaluate how a software application behaves under sudden and extreme changes in load, typically large and abrupt increases or decreases in user traffic. The primary goal of spike testing is to determine the system's robustness, scalability, and recovery time when subjected to these sudden load variations.
Key Aspects of Spike Testing
Purpose:
To assess the application's performance under unexpected and extreme load conditions.
To identify potential bottlenecks and weaknesses that may not be apparent under normal conditions.
To determine the system's recovery time after a spike in user load.
Process:
Determine Load Capacity: Identify the maximum user load capacity of the application.
Prepare Test Environment: Set up a testing environment that mirrors the production environment and configure it to record performance metrics.
Define Expected Load: Use a performance testing tool to apply the expected maximum load to the application.
Increase Load: Rapidly increase the load to the system for a set period.
Set Load Back to Normal: Gradually reduce the load back to its original level.
Analyze Results: Evaluate performance metrics such as failures, response times, and resource utilization to identify any issues.
Examples of Spike Testing Scenarios:
E-commerce sites during Black Friday sales.
Web applications live streaming popular events.
Websites experiencing viral content.
Systems recovering from a power outage with users logging back in simultaneously.
