Performance measurements of Web applications

The goal of this research is to produce objective data comparing the performance of the most widely utilized Web application classes in an invariant laboratory environment. Efficient Web applications lead to faster response to user requests and to more efficient utilization of server resources. Commercial tests utilize aggregated load-test benchmarks to obtain outcomes usually intended to promote proprietary products. In this research, various Web applications are tested on the same system with homogeneous page requests having known content that produces a known response from the application. The laboratory LAN environment ensures repeatability of test conditions and avoids problems such as multipath effects on the Internet. The test environment and testing protocol are described. Results of the first round of performance testing are summarized.