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Gatling vs Loader.io: What are the differences?
Introduction
Gatling and Loader.io are both popular tools used for performance testing applications. However, there are key differences between the two that make them suitable for different use cases.
Protocol Support: Gatling has strong support for HTTP protocol and can also handle WebSocket and Server-Sent Events. On the other hand, Loader.io focuses mainly on HTTP and HTTPS protocols, making it more suitable for testing web applications with these protocols.
Scalability: Gatling is more suited for testing complex scenarios and high loads on a single machine due to its intensive CPU utilization. In contrast, Loader.io provides on-demand cloud-based load testing capabilities, allowing for easy scalability by provisioning more virtual users.
Real-Time Monitoring: Loader.io offers real-time monitoring and detailed analytics during the test execution, which can help in understanding the performance of the application under load. Gatling, on the other hand, requires additional integration with monitoring tools for similar real-time insights.
Ease of Use: Loader.io provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing load tests without the need for scripting or programming knowledge, making it ideal for beginners. Gatling, while powerful, has a steeper learning curve due to its scripting-based test scenarios.
Cost: Gatling is open-source software, making it a cost-effective option for performance testing. Loader.io, being a cloud-based service, comes with a pricing model based on the number of virtual users and test duration, which may incur costs based on the test requirements.
In Summary, Gatling and Loader.io differ in protocol support, scalability, real-time monitoring, ease of use, and cost, catering to different needs in performance testing.
I have a team that is not heavy on programming skills. I am looking for a load testing tool that is easy to use. Preferably, the tool should be a record and playback tool without much programming. Also, the tool should be able to test APIs apart from web-based applications. What tool should I opt for?
My choice would be Apache JMeter, It's free and opensource plus it comes with lots of plugins and extendability. Apache JMeter needs a small amount of a learning curve and a basic understanding of Network, Protocols (TCP/IP ports, HTTP(S) and REST/SOAP, etc.) for initial setup. But it doesn't require programming skills. it has a nice record and playback option. You can still carry on without the developer skillset if you follow these steps. 1. Take backup. 2. Start recording and interact with the application. 3. stop recording and save the test case. This will give you your test-bed, after this, after these steps, every time just do Restore from backup and then Playback and observer results.
If you have longer recordings then an understanding of how to modify the recorded scripts will come handy.
For some of the advanced features such as Configuring variables, implementing loops, throttling adding think time, and automating test scaling to the number of users will require good planning of test scenarios and a Developer experience but this is true for any tool (even loader.io)
Disclaimer: I work at k6, and I recommend you try our tool.
It might require some coding skills, but we support a few options to record a user session to autogenerate the load test. Read How to record a browser session with k6 OSS.
The k6 Cloud also supports recording a user session with a Browser Extension. Additionally, it provides a Test Builder UI to generate a load test for testing APIs.
If you have questions or need help, you can ask on Slack and the Community forum.
Pros of Gatling
- Great detailed reports6
- Can run in cluster mode5
- Loadrunner5
- Scala based3
- Load test as code2
- Faster0
Pros of Loader.io
- Easy to use9
- Free tier6
- Heroku add-on3
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Cons of Gatling
- Steep Learning Curve2
- Hard to test non-supported protocols1
- Not distributed0
