Chapter 2: Test Plan Fundamentals

Now that JMeter is installed and you understand the core vocabulary, it is time to build something real. In this chapter, you will create a simple but complete test plan from scratch.

We will cover the three elements that every test plan needs:

• Thread Groups - how to define virtual users and their behavior.
• Samplers - how to send requests to a target server.
• Listeners - how to capture and view results.

By the end of this chapter, you will have a working test plan that sends HTTP requests to a sample website and shows you the results in the GUI.

Try It Yourself: Open JMeter GUI and replicate what you read as you go. Hands-on experience is the fastest way to learn.

Let’s begin with Thread Groups.