I have been working on Apache JMeter and HPE LoadRunner from past more than 6+ years. Recently I got a chance to explore and learn more about RadView’s WebLOAD performance testing tool. In this article, I am going to share my experience with WebLOAD tool.
Table of Contents
What is WebLOAD?
WebLOAD is a performance testing product from RadView which is a complete solution to test the performance, scalability, and reliability of web applications.
WebLOAD IDE
WebLOAD has intuitive user interface like MS Office 2010 ribbon, see below snapshot. Using WebLOAD IDE (Integrated Development Environment) you can record, create, and execute test scripts (aka Agendas).
WebLOAD IDE has toolbox, agendas, view pane, and assistance by default; menus are located at the top.
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How to record in WebLOAD?
To record your agendas, simply click on Start button and enter the URL to record and the browser as shown below and then click on OK.
Now record your steps and once the recording is done, click on Stop button. Then it will prompt below dialog box whether to auto-correlate or not.
Below is the snapshot of recorded agenda. You can switch the views from JavaScript View to Page View or HTML View or HTTP Headers View.
You can add steps like sleep, transactions, comment, sync point by right clicking on the Agenda Tree as shown below.
Parameterization can be done in Home > Parameterization Manager under Tools group as shown below.
Runtime settings can be changed under Tools ribbon. Debugging options are available under Debug ribbon.
Editing Modes
WebLOAD offers two types of editing modes: Visual Editing and JavaScript Editing. Visual Editing mode is very simple and easy to use. No need of programming skills required, you have to just record, add the items by simple drag-and-drop from the toolbox.
JavaScript mode allows you to write code into the recorded Agenda or you can import the JavaScript file. You have intellisense, syntax checker and insert menu which has commonly used functions.
Correlation
Correlating specific values is simple, select the text and right click and click on Correlate Specific Value. More options available in Home > Correlation under Tools group as shown below. If there is a dynamic response detected, WebLOAD will correlate it for you.
Project Options
All the default project options can be edited at by clicking on IDE > Default Project Options. Options like Sleep Time Control, HTTP Parameters, Java Options, Authentication, Diagnostic, Pass/Fail Definition etc.
WebLOAD integrates with dynatrace and AppDynamics to identify root cause of the performance problems. Also WebLOAD has utilities like converting certificate files from *.pfx or *.p12 to *.pem format. WebLOAD supports native mobile recording as well as simulate mobile in browser. It integrates with PerfectoMobile mobile testing solution and with Selenium.
You can reduce your costs by switching it to WebLOAD when comparing it to LoadRunner. You can also double your virtual user licenses as WebLOAD pricing model is affordable than LoadRunner.
Pros:
- Simple and clean ribbon based UI
- Recording, Editing, and Executing is easy and faster
- Parameterization and Correlation process is quick
- WebLOAD Utilities
- Cost
Cons
- Ribbon based UI can be improved further like in latest MS Office UI
- No support for AJAX or Angular JS based applications
Conclusion
WebLOAD offers complete performance testing solution with ease of use and support all the protocols (mostly) at much reduced cost. You can save your money on testing tool infrastructure by switching it to WebLOAD. Overall it is a great tool for performance testing where you will not be disappointed.
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