JMeter

Apache JMeter™ is a widely used, well known, and accessible, open source load testing tool. JMeter simulates load at the protocol level, and while it focuses on web-based applications, it also supports many other protocols.

JMeter on Premise

Getting started with JMeter is easy - install Java, grab the latest copy of JMeter, and away you go. Many Flood customers start their journey here. JMeter, on its own, is a convenient starting point for your load testing efforts. Customers turn to Flood to take advantage of supporting JMeter at its core while supplementing it with advanced test management, reporting, and analytical features. Coupled with Flood Agent, customers can leverage JMeter with their on-premise load generation infrastructure that meets their remote, unique network and security needs while taking advantage of a centralized management platform that’s easy to share.

JMeter cloud load testing

Running one instance of JMeter is easy. Running many instances of JMeter starts to get hard. When you don’t have the time or the budget to manage your load generation infrastructure on-premise, you can take advantage of Flood’s cloud-based load test infrastructure - configure load generators on demand within minutes. If you are already a customer of popular cloud-based platforms such as AWS or Azure, you can also leverage Flood within your own hosted infrastructure for increased configuration and network security deployment options.

Getting started with JMeter (is hard)

If you’re new to load testing or have never thought about simulating load at the protocol level, writing your first load test script can be difficult.

Flood’s online Test Builder helps you to get started generating load against any HTTP endpoint quickly. Enter the target URL and let Flood build your first load test plan for you. The Test Builder has the added convenience of generating a JMeter compatible load test plan. You can download a copy of JMeter test plans from Flood and extend them further within JMeter itself, or you can continue to build, test, and run load tests direct from your browser instead. Flood makes it easy to get started with your first JMeter test.

If you already have a JMeter test plan, you can upload that along with any supporting data and let Flood run it for you, either on-premise or in the cloud. Take advantage of Flood’s advanced test management and reporting features, from the convenience of your browser. No need to install additional software, no need to collate, and manually analyze results. Flood gives you a load testing dashboard to examine all of your results in real-time, whether it’s from one load generator or many.

Take your scripting to the next level with Flood’s Ruby-JMeter, an open source library that gives you an easy-to-use domain-specific language for fluent communication with JMeter. It also includes API integration with Flood, so you an automate your load testing pipeline, from continuous integration to deployment, Flood makes it simple.

Distributed remote testing with JMeter (is hard)

While JMeter on one machine is relatively straight forward, JMeter on many devices is not for the faint-hearted. Take the heartache (and remote method invocations) out of distributed testing with JMeter, and use Flood instead. Unlike the majority of load test solutions that rely on one machine controlling many remote devices (master/slave), Flood uses a truly distributed, shared-nothing infrastructure, where each machine is independent and loosely-coupled. Combined with the use of cloud-based provisioning, this means Flood can scale from one to thousands of load generators within minutes, without significant overheads or bottlenecks within the load generation itself.

There’s no need to plan or provision expensive load generation infrastructure in advance. Specify where in the world you want to load test from, and Flood will spare you the headache of configuring, building, and provisioning a load test platform yourself. Leverage the cloud to obtain economy of scale from your load tests, or use your existing on-premise compute and network infrastructure to cater to your specific needs. Flood is a flexible, and complete, distributed load test platform.

Take a broad view of your performance tests

JMeter has many plugins to help you analyze the results of a single test. You might even be using spreadsheets to do your analysis of results. Widen your view from an individual load test perspective, to performance over time using Flood Insights. With a balance between detailed real-time analysis for single load tests and historical analysis of many load tests over time, Flood gives you a single reporting platform to manage your performance results.

Watch and observe the real-time performance of your applications under load. Fine-tune your systems to eliminate performance bottlenecks. Identify trends or regression in performance over time. Flood’s reporting is customizable to your needs, is easily shared with other members of your organization, and takes the pain out of collecting and analyzing load test results.

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