Stress vs Load Testing

Also known as performance testing, load testing is the process of providing stress scenarios on a software application or IT system to understand how it performs under normal circumstances. You might confuse this with stress testing which involves overloading the system with the intention of determining the breaking point. Both can be applied to either the frontend software, like a website, or the backend, like a server hosting the site. Through deliberate induced failures, stress testing allows you to determine the breaking points and risks which allow you to change aspects of your program so the break smoothly. Stress testing allows you to prepare for the unexpected where as load testing tests your software to make sure it works as intended.

Load testing is about setting up production simulations in a system and measuring response times, resource-utilization, and throughput rates to see if your application is performing at least at peak load condition. This means that the break point of your software is not below peak load condition. For example, say you want to test how your check out system works on your website for users trying to buy your product. A load test would set up a scenario for a normal number of users who are trying to check out. After the test is over, you can analyze how it performed and if users would have trouble checking out.

One important thing about load testing and stress testing that should be kept in mind is only performing these tests when your application is finished or nearly finished. It will not provide useful data if these tests are used on an unfinished project. Otherwise you will get useless data that will become obsolete as soon as you update your software.