Load testing and performance monitoring tools in use with AJAX based web applications

In order to deliver quality assured software and avoid potential costs caused by unstable software, software testing is essential in software lifecycle. Load testing is one of the testing types with high importance. It is usually accompanied by performance monitoring of the hosting environment. In the case of web applications which are today widely used, one fact is obvious: most of web applications are public and used by vast number of users, which are making a considerable traffic load on hosting environments and web applications. Load testing and performance monitoring become facilitated with existing tools aimed for load testing and performance monitoring. In the paper we analyze and compare several existing tools which facilitate load testing and performance monitoring, in order to find the most appropriate tools by criteria such as ease of use, supported features, and license. Selected tools were put in action in the real environment, through several web applications. For the case study one of the web applications is used in order to introduce different capabilities of tools, including distributed testing, assembling of test scenario from previously recorded usage scenarios, security support, results analysis, monitoring of key parameters, and reporting and alerting about changes of these parameters.