The Web Performance Lab has been working hard to improve our testing and scoring methodology, and the new benchmark for Magento is here! We had high expectations for Magento because it is such a favorite among web developers globally. Unfortunately, the testing shows that the scalability of an out-of-the-box implementation of Magento was disappointing. Our target objectives for scalability and web performance were not achieved by the load tests, and we saw slower response and more errors at a lower volume than we hoped. Experiment Methodology Our Magento e-commerce platform has been installed on an Amazon Elastic Cloud Compute m3.Large […]
The new e-commerce experiments are here! The goal of these experiments is to expose how well these e-commerce platforms perform in their most basic setup when running on an Amazon m3.large server. To test the scalability of each platform, we will run three hour-long tests to ensure reproducible results. This time around we are utilizing quick, preliminary testing to establish a rough baseline for the amount of users each platform can handle. In addition, the Web Performance Lab has modified the criteria that will be used to determine performance failure. WooCommerce Experiment Methodology The first platform we will be re-working […]
The FCC Proposes to End Net Neutrality This week’s web performance news hits close to home for performance engineers. The concept of “the end of net neutrality” leaked a couple weeks ago and the public response was very strong. Learn more about what net neutrality means to you from our blog post last week. Last Thursday (5/15) the FCC voted on a proposal that will allow internet “fast lanes” for companies willing and able to pay for them. The proposal was accepted by a 3-2 majority vote. The vote was divided down party lines with the 3 democratic commissioners voting […]
This idea of “Net Neutrality” has been all over the news lately. In fact, just a quick google search will turn up numerous articles published in all the top news sources including Washington Post, the NewYorker, Fox News, Huffington Post and NBC News. And after doing some research, its very clear why net neutrality is on the forefront of so many articles- the new rules proposed by the FCC “may be the end of the Internet as we know it” (Gerry Smith, Huffington Post). What is Net Neutrality? Net neutrality is the concept that Internet service providers (ISP’s) should allow […]
Performance testing is typically done to help identify bottlenecks in a system, establish a baseline for future testing, or support a performance tuning effort. Some performance tests are used to determine compliance with performance goals and requirements, and/or collect other performance-related data to help stakeholders make informed decisions related to the overall quality of the application being tested. In addition, the results from performance testing and analysis can help you to estimate the hardware configuration and scale required to support the application(s) when you “go live” to production. Follow these best practice steps of performance testing. 1. Identify the Test […]
You probably have been wondering why I’ve posted so infrequently over the past year. We have been bombarded with emails and phone calls demanding more blogging that includes my extremely dry, obtuse humor. So, in the interest of global stability and national security, I must acquiesce to the will of the masses. Right. That’s a joke. I’m only slightly more popular than Justin Bieber. If you are a serious tech geek, you’ll need to look up that Bieber reference. Web performance is why you read our blog, and web performance is my life. I want our blog to contain the […]
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Andy Kucharski for several years on various performance testing projects. He’s recognized as one of the top Drupal performance experts in the world. He is the Founder of Promet Source and is a frequent speaker at conferences, as well as a great client of LoadStorm. As an example of his speaking prowess, he gave the following presentation at Drupal Mid Camp in Chicago 2014. Promet Source is a Drupal web application and website development company that offers expert services and support. They specialize in building and performance tuning complex Drupal web applications. Andy’s […]
Performance Testing can be viewed as the systematic process of collecting and monitoring the results of system usage, then analyzing them to aid system improvement towards desired results. As part of the performance testing process, the tester needs to gather statistical information, examine server logs and system state histories, determine the system’s performance under natural and artificial conditions and alter system modes of operation. Performance testing complements functional testing. Functional testing can validate proper functionality under correct usage and proper error handling under incorrect usage. It cannot, however, tell how much load an application can handle before it breaks or […]
There are many companies that design or re-design websites with the goal of increasing conversion rates. What do we mean by conversion rates? SiteTuners defines Conversion Rate as: “The percentage of landing page visitors who take the desired conversion action.” Included in this list are completing a purchase, filling out an information form, or donating to the cause. Almost all companies focus on the design, look, and layout of a website when attempting to increase conversion rates. However, we at LoadStorm want to draw more attention to the role that web performance plays in conversions. Many studies have conclusively shown […]
A Look Back at Healthcare.gov The period of time during which individuals are able to take part in the open enrollment end March 31, 2014. The amount of publicity Healthcare.gov received in October last year drew in numerous discussions. The situation has settled down and now we can look back with a clearer picture. Complex System Healthcare.gov was more than just a website. It’s a front-end for an entire set of systems interconnected to exchange data. The system has to make requests to a handful of other agencies checking for citizenship, financial eligibility, IRS, Homeland Security, SSA, etc. Because of […]