Difference between Performance Testing and Stress Testing

Differences Software Testing Testing Tools

Testing is an important stage in the process of delivery of any software product. It not only validates the quality of a software product but also provides an opportunity to the developer to improve its product. There are various types of software testing which are carried out to test different aspects of a software product. In this article, we will concentrate our focus on Performance Testing and Stress Testing.

The most basic difference between these two types of testing is that performance testing is performed to check the performance of a software, website, network, etc. for different load conditions, while stress testing is carried out to check and prepare the system for sudden traffic spikes.

Read this article to learn more about performance testing and stress testing and how they are different from each other.

What is Performance Testing?

Performance testing is performed over a software product to test its performance under a particular workload for its sensitivity, reaction time, and stability. Performance testing is basically a superset of the stress testing.

The primary goal of carrying our performance testing is to set the standards and benchmarks for the product. Performance testing indicates how a software product behaves under regular parameters. Checking for concurrent users and response time is an example of performance testing.

What is Stress Testing?

Stress testing checks the reliability and stability of a software product under a particular workload. It checks the system for extreme conditions like heavy load. Stress testing is basically a subset of performance testing.

The aim of stress testing is to check how the product responds under extreme load conditions and sudden load spikes. Also, it provides information about how the system will recover from failures. Therefore, stress testing is used to determine the effect of sudden high load for a certain duration for which the product does not crash.

The limit for stress testing is always above the threshold of a break. Checking for the casual shutdown and restart for a network is an example of stress testing.

Now, let us discuss the differences between performance testing and stress testing in detail.

Difference between Performance Testing and Stress Testing

The following are some of the important differences between Performance Testing and Stress Testing −

Key	Performance Testing	Stress Testing
Purpose	Performance testing tests the system performance under varying loads.	Stress testing tests the system performance for a sudden surge in loads.
Superset	Performance testing has stress testing and load testing as its components.	Stress testing is a subset of performance testing.
Targets	Performance testing checks the reliability, scalability, and speed of the system.	Stress testing checks the stability of the system.
Threshold	Performance testing is conducted at below and above threshold limits.	Stress testing is conducted at above threshold limits.
Result	Performance testing ensures that the system is performing perfectly under varying loads.	Stress testing ensures that the system can handle a sudden surge in load within given limits.
Application	Performance testing is conducted by varying loads on the system in a uniform fashion.	Stress testing is conducted by increasing the load in a single go.
Load	Load varies from low to very high in a uniform manner.	The load is increased from low to very high directly.

Conclusion

The most significant difference that you should note here is that performance testing tests the system performance under varying loads, while stress testing tests the system performance for a sudden surge in loads.