MT - 51 - Stress Testing !

Like load testing stress testing is also non-functional testing. Stress testing is a generic term used to describe the process of putting a system through exertion or stress. The Stress test can combine aspects of performance testing and security testing. It is performed to see the behaviour of the system beyond its maximum capacity. It may be used to find the breaking point of the system where the system starts behaving abruptly.Stress tests commonly put a greater emphasis on robustness, availability, and error handling under a heavy load, than on what would be considered correct behaviour under normal circumstances.

Lets take an example that on an application there are maximum of 1000 visitors on the daily basis. Now to perform stress test we will see the behave of the system beyond 1000 users. We will observe the throughput and response time  at increased loads beyond 1000. We keep on increasing the load until the system breaks.