What is Benchmark Testing? An Overview, Examples, and Frameworks

Whenever you and your team set out to develop an app, there is always going to be a set of standards that you strive to adhere to. Whether these standards are reflected in the aesthetic and UX, complex functionality, or even engaging mobile games, these standards serve as your guide throughout the development process. 

Another term for those standards? Benchmarks. 

Benchmark testing can be a great way to ensure your app is meeting the mark at every stage of its development. It provides visibility into where your app may be excelling and also where it may be falling short. 

In this blog, we will discuss what benchmark testing is, types of benchmark tests available to you, notable frameworks to use, and best practices for executing benchmark tests.

What is Benchmark Testing? 

Benchmark testing is a software testing method used to evaluate the performance of an application compared to previously established benchmarks or standards. It is an effective way of identifying strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the product.  

Benchmark testing can be used in a multitude of ways to improve an app, such as: 

• Incorporating it into the overall QA process as an overarching check-in process to be certain the app is meeting established benchmarks throughout the development process. 

• Analyzing current performance to identify opportunities for optimization and performance improvements. 

• Testing new features and functionality to ensure they meet the mark before being released. 

Benchmark Testing Types

One of the benefits of benchmark testing is that it can come in the form of several different types of tests. Each type of benchmark test employs different sets of metrics, so one type of benchmark test can be more effective than the other depending on your team’s needs. What is more, you can also execute a combination of multiple types of benchmark tests — whatever suits you best. 

Below are a few types of benchmark tests that you can use to ensure your app is up to the standards your team has set. 

Network Benchmarking

Determine the performance of your networks such as wide area networks (WANs) and local area networks (LANs). 

System Benchmarking 

Evaluate the performance of your system as a whole — including network components, software, and hardware. 

Storage Benchmarking 

Test the performance of storage systems such as storage area networks (SANs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and hard drives. 

Hardware Benchmarking 

Focus on specific hardware components to ensure the performance of processors, memory, and graphic cards meet your benchmarks. 

Application Benchmarking 

Identify areas of improvement or success in specific applications like databases and web or mobile apps. 

Mastering Continuous Testing with Automation 

Platforms like Perforce’sBlazeMeterContinous Testing enable organizations to improve software quality and flexibility. Learn about the immense value of automated continuous testing with this in-depth GigaOM report. 

Get Report

Benchmark Testing Frameworks

There are several popular testing frameworks that you can use to help design and execute benchmark tests. Learn more about five of the most notable frameworks below. 

1. BlazeMeter — The industry leading platform for performance and load testing, which is paired with advanced analytics and reporting. Pairing BlazeMeter with JMeter creates a more robust testing solution. 

2. JMeter — An open-source framework primarily used for load testing and performance testing. 

3. Grinder — A Java-based load testing framework that allows for distributed tests across multiple machines. 

4. stress-ng — A stress workload generator that simulates stress on a machine and measures throughput rates. 

5. Gatling — A load and performance testing framework that supports HTTP, WebSocket, SSE, and JMS. 

Benchmark Testing Best Practices

While there are several types of benchmark tests available to you, it is important to know a few key best practices regardless of which one(s) you choose to employ. 

Clear Definitions

Before the rubber meets the road, it is important to determine where you want that road to lead you. Define clear, concise, and measurable objectives for what you hope to achieve with benchmark tests. 

Recognize Industry Standards

You could make up your own key performance indicators (KPIs), but what impact would they really have? There are industry standards for a reason — using these industry-accepted KPIs to determine the efficacy of your benchmark tests gives you a solid foundation to stand on. 

Vary Your Tests 

A hallmark of good testing in general — not just benchmark testing — is to test numerous times throughout the development process. But not only should you test numerous times, you should test a numerous variety of tests. This means testing against multiple types of devices, browsers, and OSs. 

Real-World Simulation 

You want your software or app to react as it would when it is in the hands of your users in the real world. That means you should always test against real-world scenarios and workloads to ensure your system responds as designed in both normal settings and peak traffic events.