Apache JMeter Review

PROS: I’m using Jmeter for HTTP, HTTPS, SOAP, SMTP, SAP and Kerberos and other cases of protocols that demand special plug-ins. I like that it’s always accurate and scalable. Also, it is free and open source platform.

CONS: The product is technically mature but it misses UNDO feature. Also, the internal documentation need to updated and they can increase the number of provided examples.

PROS: It has a simple user interface for anyone to use. As such, you do not have to spend a lot of time learning how different features work. It is highly customizable to suits your need and offers a better platform on which you can test the functionality of HTTP and other web endpoints. You can add users to the system if you want to measure or test the load of the system. This switch from the functionality role is fast and reliable making the tool efficient for that purpose.

CONS: The JMeter product offers reliable testing for stress, performance and load. However, it has some limitations to it that would be better if they were not there. One is that, it does not offer detailed documentation for its features and how to make the best use of it. Although the interface is simple, it has a learning curve to it. Proper documentation would help users to learn best how to use the product. Also, non-Java applications are not supported which limits users on which applications to run or test.

PROS: Jmeter is great tool for performance testing of the web service. It allows you to record all your interactions with web services like Update, GET and POST and others and you can edit it and have good load testing plan. Also, you can create graph of load testing where you can keep track of the performances.

CONS: Sophisticated load testing project can be difficult to understand and lot of modules depend on position within the project structure.

PROS: I like that when using Jmeter there is no need to programming test scripts and this is extremely useful if you’re familiar with HTTP requests. Also, it allows us to write test cases. The good thing is that Jmeter’s test scripts are simple and easy to maintain and it can be copied and saved.

CONS: I don’t like that JS program cannot be verified by using Jmeter and this means that you have to verify it by yourself. Also, the program cannot determine wheter the program is executed correctly or not.

PROS: First of all, this is easy to use software that has great graphical UI with wonderful set of features and it can be used even by those who are not tech savvy. It helps you to define load, stress testing notions and performances. I like that it’s configurable tool and it allows us to create both simple and complex test plans. In addition, you can use CSV files as inputs and create graphical reports according to your needs. Also, it is free to use.

CONS: The graphical interface is not easy and intuitive, the documentation that’s available is not understandable so you cannot easily figure out how to start and create test plans. Also, sometimes it crashes when used for non-Java apps. Furthermore, you’ll need powerful PC if you need to use test plac with more than 1000 concurrent virtual users.

PROS: JMeter has what you need to test load and performance. It equips you with the right tools that allow you to test performance of your projects. The interface is simple for nay beginner with little or no experience in testing performance. Its graphical nature allows this to be simple. It is highly customizable such that you can create test plans based on the needs on your projects. It helps you to run simulations on load tests and compare them with what is in the real life. The fact that you can use the CSV files to input data into the system makes it reliable. It generates graphical reports for you to interpret and view. To top it off, all this is done for free.

CONS: Although the interface looks presentable, it is not as easy as it should be. It has a learning curve at first which can give you trouble before you get the hang of it. At times, the product is down especially when you are using applications that are not Java. This brings about the need to always restart the application which can be disappointing. The tool is heavy when accommodating multiple users, which means that you need a powerful machine or PC. Luckily, you can correct this problem by switching to the distributed mode although it attracts additional costs. Another drawback is the fact that you are limited in terms of modifying the files within the system.

PROS: It allows its users to create test cases with little to no training. It is great to test functionally test HTTP restful UI and web endpoints and you can customize it so you can test legacy apps. You can easily switch from functional to lead test and the other good thing is that you can run integration test as well.

CONS: It has limited documentation, it would be great if they could make it more detailed and well organized. In addition, there are some limitations when it comes to testing non-Java apps.

PROS: I like that Apache is Java based product and it is made for web app testing. It is full featured product great for concurrent sampling by lot of threads and sampling of various functions. Its great GUI design allows quick operation and precise timings. In addition, I like the caching and offline analysis and replying of test results. You can use it to make graphical analysis of performance and you can even test your server behavior.

CONS: The set up can be hard and not intuitive but once you set it up everything works smoothly.

PROS: It has an overall simplicity in use as you do not need a lot to get started. Provided you are knowledgeable about business process and HTTP, you create test cases with ease. It helps you to write the scripts to those tests, copy and save them for future reference. As a user, you do not have to be a programmer to come up with the test scripts. It is highly flexible according to the role you want it to play in project development and implementation.

CONS: The automation feature of the tool is not intuitive. For example, the JMeter script program and the page you intend to test cannot be verified automatically. You have to enter the program so that you can view the status of the script which can be frustrating. It would be better if such tasks or actions were clearly automated to prevent the need to manually verify or check the status of the script within the system.

PROS: This tool is great for performance testing with support for benchmarking HTTP with lot of other protocols including JMX. The UI is bit bare but it does the job perfectly. Also, I like that it can output data as CSV for analysis when needed. Also, there are some great plugins that provides response time and it’s grouped by user-defined criteria.

CONS: The setting up process can be really complicated. Also, I’d like to see better integration with other build tools like Maven. You can easily add lot of delay between steps so you have to be careful to validate your results.