JMeter

An Opensource Load Testing tool

JMeter

Colin LEVERGER

15 February 2016

Summary

  2. 1. Why JMeter?
  3. 2. JMeter functionalities
  4. 3. Installation & configuration
  5. 4. Case studies: PrimesUI
  6. 5. Going further

This is a relatively short tutorial to JMeter tool

The aim is to give an overview of the tool - it will not cover everything

We will focus here on using the GUI, it is still possible to use CLI only

1. Why JMeter?

Pros

  • Free & Opensource Load Test tool
  • Java app - run on any system with Java
  • GUI
  • Work with many protocols / lots of plugins for almost everything
  • Distributed testing is possible
  • Widely used & approved

Cons

  • You can only test web app
  • High consumption of memory with GUI (warning: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle)
  • Doc is not exhaustive
  • It is sometimes hard to follow too complex scenarios

2. JMeter functionalities

Supported protocols

  • Web - HTTP, HTTPS
  • SOAP / REST
  • FTP
  • Database via JDBC
  • LDAP
  • Message-oriented middleware (MOM) via JMS
  • Mail - SMTP(S), POP3(S) and IMAP(S)
  • MongoDB (NoSQL)
  • Native commands or shell scripts
  • TCP

Recorder

It is possible to record scenarios: simply browse your website with your web browser configured with JMeter, and replay your recorded scenarios with hundreds of VUSers.

Reports & listener

  • Automatic report generation
  • Add & delete listeners easily with GUI
  • One listener = one way to vizualise data from test
  • With graphs and metrics, it is easier to analyse and understand the possible problems

Possible listener output in JMeter

3. Installation & configuration

Before reading further, you should:

    For JMeter install itself:

  • Have Java JVM > 1.6 on your machine
  • Have enough memory on your machine... (> 4 GB is better)

    • To test JMeter, we will need:

  • Docker installed & ready (see: Docker)
  • Git

Download links

Official website: jmeter.apache.org/download_jmeter.cgi

Download the latest binary in zip / tgz format

Direct Link (15 Feb 2016 - Version 2.13)

Extract & execute

For Linux


user : ~ > mkdir ~/Sandbox
user : ~ > cp Downloads/apache-jmeter-*.tgz ~/Sandbox/
user : ~ > cd Sandbox/
user : ~/Sandbox > tar -xvf apache-jmeter-*.tgz
user : ~/Sandbox > cd apache-jmeter-*/
user : ~/Sandbox > chmod 755 ./bin/jmeter
user : ~/Sandbox > ./bin/jmeter  #if you are using JMeter without proxy
user : ~/Sandbox > ./bin/jmeter -H proxy-addr -P proxy-port #with proxy

Note: if your proxy is localhost, just use -H localhost (http://127.0.0.1 & http://localhost won't actually work...)

For Windows

  • Unzip the previously downloaded archive
  • Go to bin/ directory
  • Double-click on "jmeter.bat"
  • Done !

If you are using a proxy:

jmeter.bat -H proxy-addr -P proxy-port

JMeter interface

Troubleshooting: see jmeter.apache.org/usermanual/get-started.html

Need more configuration ? See: configuration details

4. Case studies: PrimesUI

Step 1. Setup PrimesUI

About PrimesUI

  • App to test various langages & implementations efficiency
  • Playing with primes
  • GitHub page: here
  • Dockerized environnement

Basically, we will hit an url with a certain number of VUsers to test the application

We will use this app to run our first JMeter test

Install PrimesUI

  • Follow github.com/dacr/dock-primesui
  • Run the following: 
    curl http://localhost:8888/primesui/check
  • This command should give you back some html code if primesui is ready
  • If you hit http://127.0.0.1:8888/primesui/ with your favorite browser, you should see the following webpage (see below)

PrimesUI webpage

Step 2: Configure the JMeter recorder

Principle

You will now setup a proxy with JMeter and this proxy will record any action you have on PrimesUI:

  • Click on a link
  • Reload the page
  • Download something (css, image, ...)
  • ...

You will be able afterward to replay all the recorded actions with VUsers

Let's get started!

First, create a "Thread Group" by clicking right on "Test Plan"

  • Right click on the new "Thread Group" and "Add/Config Element/HTTP Request Defaults"
  • Put the following "127.0.0.1" on the field "Server Name or IP" and "8888" on the field "Port Number"
  • Right click on "Thread Group" and "Add/Logic Controller/Recording Controller"
  • We now have the minimum requirements to record our actions on the stub website
  • Then, right click on "WorkBench" and "Add/Non-Test Elements/HTTP(S) Test Script Recorder"
  • Configure the port of your proxy (I have chosen 7777 in this case)
  • Configure the Target Controller (Test Plan > Thread Group > Recording Controller)
  • Click on "Add suggested Excludes"

HTTP(S) Test Script Recorder Configuration (detailled image)

Click on the Start button on the Script Recorder to start the recorder

Step 3: Configure the web browser

Principle

  • You will now setup your browser to make it communicate with webpages through your JMeter proxy previously set
  • You will be able afterward to play & record your test scenario
  • Browser used for this part: Firefox

Let's get started!

  • First, open Firefox and go to "Preference/Advanced/Network"
  • On the section "Connection", click on "Settings" and setup your proxy (see below)

Configure Firefox to use JMeter's proxy

  • To install the JMeter certificate in Firefox, go to "Preference/Advanced/Certificates", "View certificates" and "Import"
  • Tip: the JMeters's self-signed certificates is in %JMETER_HOME%/bin/

Install JMeter certificate

And now, browse your app

Good news everyone, your browser is now ready! Simply hit "http://127.0.0.1:8888/primesui/", browse the page, hit several times "http://127.0.0.1:8888/primesui/check", have some fun with urls...

  • When you have finished playing with the app, return to JMeter and click on the "Stop" button on the recorder
  • You should see that there is some newly recorded http requests under the "Recording Controller" (if not, please check your configuration / return to step 2)

Step 4: Replay your recorded test

Principle

  • You will now replay your recorded test with 5 VUsers

Let's get started!

  • First, click on "Thread Group" and:
    1. Set "Number Of Thread" to 5
    2. Set "Loop Count" to 100
  • When it is done, right click on "Thread Group" and "Add/Listener/View Results in Table"

Hit "Start" to play your scenario

  • You can now observe the result of your test with the listeners
    • In real time
    • At the end of the test

See screenshot below

Listeners output 1

Listeners output 2

Build test without recorder

Principle

  • You will now build a test from scratch without help from the recorder
  • All the URL you want to test will be configured directly by you

Let's get started, with a new JMeter project!

  • First, close the actual project
  • Right click on "Test Plan" and "Add/Threads (Users)/Thread Group"
  • Right click on the new "Thread Group" and "Add/Config Element/HTTP Request Defaults"
  • Put the following "127.0.0.1" on the field "Server Name or IP" and "8888" on the field "Port Number"
  • Add a listener of your choice under "Thread Group"
  • Right click on "Thread Group" and "Add/Sampler/HTTP Request
    • This will be the first URL of your test
    • You have to create this URL manually
  • The URL we are interested in is /primesui/check : just put "/primesui/check" in "Path" field
  • Note: The "HTTP Request Defaults" is the default "Server Name" and "Port Number" for every request under it / on the actual "Thread Group"

Manual HTTP Request

Configure your VUsers

  • Click on "Thread Group" and configure:
    • 50 Threads (50 VUsers!)
    • 100 Loops

Run your test and analyse output!

In this configuration, each VUsers will basically hit /primesui/check a hundred times!

Notes

  • You can create as much "HTTP Request" as you need
  • The "HTTP Request" are executed sequentially in the order they are on the "Thread Group"
  • To make the test more realistic, it can be useful to add "Timers" (Right click on "Thread Group", then "Add/Timer"

5. Going Further

Want to practice?

Take a look at:

JMeter on SaaS

Better interfaces & reports sexier, but theses tools are based on JMeter - no big news

Other free tools

  • Gatling: here
    • Scala written
    • Recorder available
    • Code writting with a Domain Specific Language (DSL)
    • Only Http/Https supported

The report generated is very precise and dynamic

Gatling is asynchronous => it is able to simulate a lot of VUs!

The end

I hope you'll find this tutorial useful!

#TOP

Any feedback?

#TOP

About me