Endurance testing is a non-functional testing method that checks if a system is capable of enduring or sustaining a huge amount of load over a longer period of time.
The endurance of a software system is measured in terms of how the response time of the system behaves with an extended load over a significant amount of time.
The main purpose of endurance testing is to find memory leakages that can be detrimental to system performance in the long run. Endurance testing falls under the performance testing category and is done at the last phase of performance run of the system.
Objectives
Endurance testing ensures that the following objectives are met:
- Check for any memory leaks in the application that can slow down or crash the system in the future.
- Monitor the response time of the system over a longer period of time and identify possible causes if response time deteriorates.
- Verify that all database connections are successfully closed.
How endurance testing is performed
- Identify the hardware, software, and operating system required for the testing environment and set up before the testing phase.
- Devise the test plan and scenario. Estimate the load that the system may face, and find the limit that the system can reach before its breaking point. For example, determine how many database transactions over a certain time the system can sustain.
- Analyze how much time should be given to each test.
- Perform a risk-analysis for each test that is created, and devise appropriate actions for the prevention of any system crashes. Prioritize test cases based on their risk factor.
- Estimate the budget and time schedule for the testing phase.