What Makes Mobile App Performance Testing Distinctive
What Makes Mobile App Performance Testing Distinctive
A mobile application is a software that runs on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. It can be either web-based or stand-alone. Due to limited software resources, one-screen limits, and understanding quality, mobile apps rarely support multitasking. Testing mobile apps for functionality, usability, and consistency is known as mobile testing. For testers, performance testing often entails performing simultaneous tests of the system response on a variety of devices, verifying the app’s performance under high traffic loads, and verifying that it is reliable even when the internet connection is bad and enables device-specific transactions.
Understand how your end-users use their devices to access apps, and then utilize performance testing to set expectations. Create a strategic plan to replicate realistic load situations once the users’ demands have been established.?Almost all industry performance testing tools enable performance testing of mobile apps – native, variant, or app accessed via browser from the device. Regardless of the communication protocol, most tools include out-of-the-box features for conducting tests (HTTP or HTTPS). As modern applications get more complicated and feature-rich, developing a clear approach to tackle difficulties depending on the tool you use becomes increasingly important.
A few requirements are listed below to assist you in developing a complete test plan:
The steps of planning, development, execution and analysis will follow once a proper test strategy has been created.
1. Some Methods to Suggest for the Above Stages
1.1. Scripting
Choose a load testing tool that has a proxy recording option. The steps are straightforward and easy to follow. Set up a proxy on the device and make sure it’s on the same network as the tool. Start recording the traffic after that’s done. Consider employing packet capture tools from the play store or app store if your application’s security measures prevent you from capturing traffic. The network capture can be exported to other programs. To record HTTP calls from the client to the server, you can use JMeter, LoadRunner, Fiddler, Blazemeter, Wireshark, or any other packet capture tool. Each can also be recorded for Android and iOS. If your application uses SOA, REST, or Jason calls, ask the supplier or programmers for help learning the different HTTP request types (GET, POST, PUT) and arguments. These might be beneficial when working with programs that, for security reasons, do not enable you to collect traffic using various tools.
1.2. Improvements to the Script
In this stage, instead of utilizing hardcoded values, test with parameters. Examine whether a header file change is required (If you prefer to simulate load from both Android & IOS). Ensure that all dynamic parameters are appropriately associated and managed so that the script can be used by numerous users with a variety of test data. Simulating actual network circumstances, such as 2G, 3G, and 5G LTE, is one of the most important aspects. A number of tools include built-in functionality that can be used to simulate similar scenarios. Because certain tools allow you to make modifications to the configuration file, it’s crucial to choose the proper tool for your needs.
1.3. Implementation
Set up a test environment with a controller and agents to accommodate the required type of test and number of users in this phase. Set up your load test agents to replicate comparable behaviors if you want to imitate load from diverse geo-locations.
We recommend performing a few sanity dry runs with a few users to confirm that the implementation is going smoothly.
To help you monitor application behavior from an end user’s point of view, make sure your end-users or BAs have authority over the application during high traffic times. Request that your team members complete a few business transactions and keep track of their results. Because most tools don’t account for generating time or client-side processing, it’s a good idea to have someone familiar with the application implement a few transactions manually or run tests at the GUI layer. During the load test execution, we suggest involving all major stakeholders (BAs, developers, and infrastructure). When all relevant individuals are involved during the formal load test runs, most faults or blockages detected during execution are considerably easier to address.
If these activities are being coordinated remotely, set up a conference call to verify that each layer of the application is being watched in real-time.?
To gain a full analysis of transaction response times, you can use the APM – Application Performance Monitoring tool in conjunction with a load testing tool. Despite the fact that this is a time-consuming approach, it is an excellent technique to identify application faults that can be resolved right away.
2. Eventually, What Makes Mobile App Performance Testing Distinctive
Load testing a mobile application is similar to load testing a web-based application if you’ve done it before. The key distinction is only during script development. Because load testing tools cannot be installed on the device, the proxy function is used to collect HTTP traffic from devices and export it to a load testing tool.?
The following are some more major differences:
Performance at the Device Level:?During high load, manually monitor the device-level performance. Load testing techniques can be combined with functional testing tools to help capture. At a minimal, track response time, CPU, memory, and battery usage for each step of the business transaction.