Performance Testing Basics

Check speed, load, and stress before users feel pain.

Manual QA Module 5 Lesson 2
10 min read

What you'll learn

  • Know the main speed terms.
  • Test with more users.
  • Find slow spots and limits.

Performance Testing Basics

Check speed, load, and stress before users feel pain.

Big Picture

One small picture can make this idea easier to hold.

Empty road

  • Few cars.
  • Fast movement.
  • Low pressure.
  • Easy to drive.

Rush hour

  • Many cars.
  • Slow movement.
  • High pressure.
  • Bottlenecks appear.

VerdictThe app must survive rush hour, not just quiet time.

How It Moves

Short steps make the flow easier to see.

Pick target

Choose the speed goal.

Add load

Send more users or requests.

Watch time

Check response and delay.

4

Find limit

See where it starts to slow down.

Step By Step

This is the same idea, stretched across time.

  1. 1

    Baseline taken

    The team checks the normal speed.

  2. 2

    Load increased

    More users are added.

  3. 3

    Slow point seen

    The app starts to lag.

  4. 4

    Fix tested

    The team checks if the fix helped.

One Small Model

Think of this like a tiny card you can keep in your pocket.

Load graph

5 fields
Users:"How many are active"
Response:"How fast the app answers"
Errors:"How often requests fail"
Peak:"The busiest point"
Limit:"Where the app starts to struggle"
A graph shows when speed starts to fall.

Quick Check

Question 1 of 10 correct

What does performance testing measure?

Map It

One more picture helps you see where this lesson matters most.

Load vs response time

Response time
Slow

Few users, fast

Normal app use

Many users, fast

Healthy scaling

Few users, slow

Bad code path

Many users, slow

Peak traffic lag

Fast
Few usersMany users
Load
You want speed to stay good as load grows.

Final Quiz

Question 1 of 30 correct

What is performance testing for?