Apache JMeter vs RadView WebLOAD comparison

Apache JMeter is an open-source Java application that tests load and functional behavior and performance in applications. Created initially to test web applications, it has expanded its functionality to test other functions. For instance, you can test a server to see how efficiently it works and how many user requests can be handled simultaneously.

You can use JMeter to test functional performance and regression tests on different technologies. This Java desktop application has an easy-to-use graphical interface which uses the Swing graphical API. You can run JMeter on any environment that accepts a Java virtual machine, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac.

What protocols does JMeter support?

• Web - HTTP, HTTPS
• Web services - SOAP/XML-RPC
• Email service - POP3, IMAP, SMTP
• FTP service
• Database via JDBC drivers
• LDAP
• Native commands or shell scripts
• TCP
• Java objects

How does JMeter work?

JMeter sends requests to a target server by simulating a group of user requests. Then it collects and calculates statistics on the performance of the target. This target can be a server or an application.

You can test the performance of static resources, such as JavaScript or HTML, and dynamic resources, such as JSP, Servlets, and AJAX. It is also helpful to determine how many concurrent users your website can handle.

There are two main tests you can carry out with JMeter: load test and stress test. The load test models expected usage of a server by simulating multiple users accessing the web server simultaneously. The stress testing aims to find the maximum load capacity of the server or application.

Apache JMeter Key Features

• JMeter enables fast test plan recording, building, and debugging via a featured test IDE (integrated development environment).
• Command-line mode allows carrying out load tests from any OS compatible with Java.
• JMeter can extract data from most popular response formats, such as HTML, JSON, XML.
• JMeter is entirely portable.
• A multithreading framework allows you to simultaneously test multiple samplings and separate thread groups.
• Thanks to the caching feature, you can conduct offline analysis or replay test results.

Apache JMeter Benefits

• As open-source software, it is freely available and continuously improved.
• The setup is user-friendly, and no installation is needed.
• The GUI (graphic user interface) is intuitive and easy to use.
• You can write your own tests and use the visualization plugins to extend the testing.
• It is a platform-agnostic tool. For example, JMeter can work with Linux by clicking on the JMeter shell script. On Windows, you can call up JMeter by starting the jmeter.bat file.
• Since the test plans are stored in XML format, you can generate a test plan using any text editor.
• You can simulate a heavy load on a server, a group of servers, a network, or an object. Use JMeter to test an application or server's strength and performance under different load types.

The JMeter extensible core has numerous benefits:

• Unlimited testing capabilities via pluggable samplers.
• You can choose multiple load statistics with pluggable timers.
• Visualization plugins and data analysis enable customization.
• Continuous integration via third-party open-source libraries (Maven, Gradle, and Jenkins).

Reviews from Real Users

Stephen B., I.T. Architect, Analyst, and Developer at an educational organization, says, "The scripting ability is most valuable. It is easy to use. There is a UI, and you can go in there and figure those things out. After you've got a good set of tests, you basically have a scripted document that you can grab and execute in a pipeline. It is pretty quick to set up, and you can scale it and version control it."

"I like the fact that JMeter integrates well with other tools," adds the Founder and Principal Consultant at a tech services company.

A Quality Engineering Delivery Leader at a financial services firm says, “The performance of the solution is excellent. They have designed the product so that it is very easy to configure. You can basically do anything you like with the product. It's not very restrictive. We like the fact that the technology is open-source.”

RadView WebLOAD is an enterprise-scale load testing solution that enables your organization to simulate massive user loads and understand how your application, servers, database, and other components behave to identify bottlenecks. The solution allows you to easily and rapidly record sessions and turn them into robust test scripts that you can execute in a variety of realistic runtime scenarios. RadView WebLOAD is capable of generating reliable and real-life load scenarios even for the most complex systems. It supports Windows and Linux OS systems, and is suitable for organizations of all sizes. 

RadView WebLOAD Features

RadView WebLOAD has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• IDE: IDE full form is an integrated development environment that helps users edit and debug load scripts.

• Load generation: RadView WebLOAD’s load generation feature generates load from on-premise and the cloud.

• Correlation: RadView WebLOAD offers automatic connection of the dynamic values such as session IDs and allows a script to be executed dynamically with many virtual clients.

• Analytics: With the solution’s analytics, you gain access to a set of predefined analysis reports that provides performance data.

• Performance Measurements Manager (PMM): The integrated PMM collects server-side information throughout test runs.

• Web dashboard: With RadView WebLOAD’s web dashboard, test results can be executed from any web browser. 

• Code-free parameterization: RadView WebLOAD turns recorded values into dynamic parameters, including date, time, input files, random strings, and more. These values are automatically populated at runtime to create richer testing scenarios.

• Intelligent validation logic: You can define validation criteria, like expected page title, size, and content, in order to validate business transactions. You can also write custom code in JavaScript that can later be reused across your test library.

RadView WebLOAD Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing RadView WebLOAD. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

• Easy to get started: RadView WebLOAD’s test development environment combines the ease of recording with the power of JavaScript. To get started, users simply need to navigate through the application using a web browser or a mobile device. WebLOAD captures your actions and automatically translates them into a test script. 

• Realistic load scenarios: RadView WebLOAD gives you the ability to simulate realistic and varied load conditions for an unlimited number of users. By using the load scenarios, you can define a variety of scripts, browsers, network characteristics, and schedules in a single test run. Virtual users have a very small footprint to optimize hardware usage.

• Actionable intelligence: RadView WebLOAD transforms client and server-side data collected during test execution into actionable intelligence. You can use the data to improve the performance of your application. In addition, RadView WebLOAD provides a comprehensive view of performance at the level of the system, transaction, component, and end user. 

• Mobile recording and playback: You can test your applications in mobile, multi-device environments and can also record directly from the mobile device or from a simulator. During test execution, you can mix different browser types and connection speeds to accurately simulate real conditions.

Reviews from Real Users

PeerSpot user Todd S., Test Team Lead at Medtronic, Inc., says, "The most valuable aspect is that the IDE is simple and it's quick to complete the process." He also adds, “It's very stable.”