Stress Testing in Software Engineering

About Stress Testing in Software Engineering

• Stress testing is also known as “Endurance Testing”.
• Stress testing is a type of performance testing that evaluates the system’s reliability and stability.
• It checks that how the system works under the load conditions ( normal and at peak point). This testing ensure that system would not crash under critical situations.
• The main aim of the stress testing is to find the limit at which the system or software or hardware breaks.
• This testing tests on the normal operating point and also at the high load point and tests how the system behave at those heavy points.
• Software testers performed this testing to ensure that system’s performance/ behavior and working under load and stress conditions.
• It determines the breaking point of the system, that is just before its system’s crash.
• For example, Notepad is under stress and gives ‘Not Responded’ error message if 5GB data is copied from the website and pasted in notepad.

Need of Stress Testing

• To evaluate the system behavior under abnormal or heavy conditions.
• Showing appropriate error message when the system or application is under stress.
• To analyze the behavior of the system after failure. 
• To recover the system after failure.
• System failure could result in enormous revenue loss under various abnormal conditions.  
• To verify if unexpected failures do not cause security issues.
• To ensure that data is saved before the system’s crash.

Types of Stress Testing in Software Engineering

Stress testing helps us see how a system behaves under extreme conditions. There are different types of stress testing to check specific aspects:

• Distributed Stress Testing: This type checks how a system works when many users access it from different locations at the same time. It ensures that the system can handle high traffic from various places.
• Application Stress Testing: This focuses on finding weaknesses in a specific application. It tests parts like databases, network, or code to see if they can handle heavy loads.
• Transactional Stress Testing: This tests the system’s ability to process multiple transactions simultaneously. It checks if the system can handle the pressure without slowing down or crashing.
• Systemic Stress Testing: This type tests the entire system by applying stress across all components at once. It helps identify how the system as a whole will perform under heavy load.
• Exploratory Stress Testing: This type involves testing the system in unusual conditions that might not occur often but are possible. It’s like trying to find out what happens when you push the system beyond its limits.

Stress Testing Process in Software Engineering

Here’s how the process works, step by step:

• Set Goals: Decide what you want to test – like handling many users at once.
• Plan the Test: Outline what you’ll test, how you’ll do it, and what tools you’ll use.
• Prepare the Environment: Set up a test environment similar to the real world.
• Create Scenarios: Design situations to simulate heavy load or stress.
• Run the Test: Execute the scenarios and watch how the system performs.
• Review Results: Check the outcomes to find any issues.
• Fix and Retest: Address the problems and test again if needed.

This process helps ensure that the system can handle tough situations without failing.

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