JMeter

JMeter is a desktop application, designed to test and measure the performance and functional behavior of client/server applications. JMeter works by acting as the "client side" of a "client/server" application.


It measures response time and all other server resources such as CPU loads, memory usage, and resource usage. JMeter is used to load-test FTP servers, database servers, and Java Servlets and objects. Today, it has been widely accepted as a performance testing tool for web applications.

The Features—What JMeter Can Do for You

• Performance testing of HTTP and FTP servers, and database queries
• 100% Java-based
• Efficient GUI (Java Swing) design
• Caching of test results

The basic elements of a JMeter include: Thread Group, Listeners, and Samplers. 

The Thread Group element simulates a group of users, which contains at least one user. As a Sampler element makes requests to the target server, a Listener element captures the response data or page following each request.

The Look-How-Easy-to-Use GUI

• Thread Group—each thread simulates a single user. All elements of a test plan must be under a thread group.
• Listeners—Provide access to the information gathered by JMeter about the test cases while JMeter runs.
• Controllers—Samplers tell JMeter to send requests to a server, while Logical Controllers let you customize its logic.
• Timers—Allow JMeter to delay between each request that a thread makes.
• Assertions—Allow you to "test" that your application is returning the results you expect it to.
• Configuration Elements—Working closely with a Sampler, these can add to or modify requests.

Once JMeter runs, you will see two elements, Test Plan and WorkBench,

A Test Plan describes a series of steps JMeter will execute once the Test Plan runs, while a WorkBench functions as a temporary workspace to store test elements.