Introduction to JMeter

"Stefano Mazzocchi of the Apache Software Foundation was the original developer of JMeter."


Now here we will first of all learn to know about JMeter. Some basic and simple questions about JMeter.
Now hearing a word JMeter will invoke so many questions in your mind machine. So here are some common questions that a normal man would think & ask about any new thing.

What is JMeter?

• JMeter is an Apache Jakarta project that can be used as a load testing tool for analysing and measuring the performance of a variety of services, with a focus on web applications.

• Apache JMeter is open source software, a 100% pure Java desktop application designed to load test functional behaviour and measure performance. It was originally designed for testing Web Applications but has since expanded to other test functions.

What can I do with it?

• Apache JMeter may be used to test performance both on static and dynamic resources (files, Servlets, Perl scripts, Java Objects, Data Bases and Queries, FTP Servers and more). It can be used to simulate a heavy load on a server, network or object to test its strength or to analyse overall

performance under different load types.

• You can use it to make a graphical analysis of performance or to test your server/script/object behaviour under heavy concurrent load.

What does JMeter do?

Apache JMeter features include:

• Can load and performance test many different server types:

• Web - HTTP, HTTPS

• SOAP

• Database via JDBC

• LDAP

• JMS

• Mail - POP3(S) and IMAP(S)

• Complete portability and 100% Java purity .

• Full multithreading framework allows concurrent sampling by many threads and simultaneous sampling of different functions by separate thread groups.

• Careful GUI design allows faster operation and more precise timings.

• Caching and offline analysis/replaying of test results.

• Highly Extensible:

• Pluggable Samplers allow unlimited testing capabilities.

• Several load statistics may be chosen with pluggable timers.

• Data analysis and visualization plugins allow great extendibility as well

as personalization.

• Functions can be used to provide dynamic input to a test or provide

data manipulation.

• Multi-platform

• Test plans can be stored in XML and can be version controlled.

Why JMeter ?

1. Zero acquisition cost — simply download the binaries from the URL.

(http://jakarta.apache.org/site/downloads/downloads_jmeter.cgi).

2. Low learning curve — a basic knowledge of HTML and/or regular expressions helps

too.

3. Versatile — can be used to test more than just web applications.

4. Scalable — its modular design allows components to be merged to support largescale

testing. Testing may also be run by more than one machine.

5. Extensible — API is available for customization.

6. Good support — online user manual, user forums, web notes etc.

Now after getting some answers for some silly questions you might have understood atleast a bit of JMeter features.

That's sufficient to know about JMeter as we don't have to read a bible instead of doing it practically some new things.

Now as we got to know that JMeter can be used as a performance testing tool, it is also necessary to know what does performance testing means?

That we will go through in next post. So keep reading this Blog for new updates on JMeter.