Distributed load testing is a technique used to simulate the behavior of a large number of users simultaneously accessing a system. In this technique, the load is distributed across multiple machines to ensure the accurate simulation of real-world scenarios.
We Need Distributed Load Testing...
When a single load-generating machine cannot handle a large amount of user demand.
When real-time (real browser) test conditions need to be tested.
When testing is required accross multiple geolocations and scalability is to be measured.
Distributed Load Testing Process using JMeter
JMeter is a powerful tool that allows us to perform distributed load testing efficiently.
There are three main components in Jmeter: A master, Few slaves and the target.
Master: This is the test controller, or in other words, it’s where you will have the tests running from the JMeter GUI.
Slaves: Slaves take command from the master and generate requests to hit the server.
Target: This is where the application under test is hosted.
There can be multiple slaves to distribute the load by taking the commands that they receive from the master.
Only the master computer will have the JMeter UI running because it is responsible for keeping track of the tests and generating the report.
The master machine doesn’t generate load, but will command the slave machines to do so. Slave machines should only be set up with the JMeter server since only they are responsible for sending the request.
Distributed load testing with JMeter is a powerful technique for accurately simulating real-world scenarios and ensuring the performance and scalability of a system.