In this blog we will see about the differences between load testing and stress testing. Before discussing about the differences, I would like to define load and stress testing. Both load and stress testing are the types of performance testing. But there is a thin line of difference exists.
What is Load Testing? How fast you can drive your car.
Load Testing help us to study the behavior of the application under various loads. The main parameter to focus is response time. This study reveals how many concurrent users that server can handle effectively and quickly.
What is Stress Testing? You can drive the car fast, but what is the speed limit
Stress Testing help us to observe the stability of the application. The main intention is to identify the breaking point of the server. The main parameter to focus is throughput (how much data is being transferred between client and server)
Differences between Load Testing and Stress Testing
|
Load Testing |
Stress Testing |
| Helps us to determine the reliability of the application. | Help us to observe the stability of the application. |
| Help us to study the behavior of the application under various loads | The main intention is to identify the breaking point of the server |
| The main parameter to focus is response time. | The main parameter to focus is throughput. |
| Load Testing is the subset of stress testing. | Stress Testing is the super set of Load Testing. |
I hope above blog post helps you to know the differences between Load and Stress Testing. Please subscribe our newsletter for more such articles.
Image Credits: Apica Systems