Load Configuration Settings

These settings specify how LoadNinja determines the duration of a load test.

Duration-based load tests run for some period of time. The Duration of test value sets the duration of the maximum load in minutes.

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During this period, LoadNinja simulates the number of concurrent virtual users requested by the Load Distribution setting. If some user completes its test, LoadNinja starts the next iteration of that virtual user.

The number of iterations is not limited. If some virtual user is running when the Duration of Test period elapses, LoadNinja will stop that user. VU debugging will be stopped as well.

Notes:

• The maximum allowed duration of your load test depends on your subscription plan.

• The duration of a load test should be longer than the duration of each of the UI or API tests comprised in it. To check the duration of the UI test, check the playback log.

• The Ramp-up Time is included in Duration of Test. The Duration of the test is the sum of the Ramp-up Time and Peak Time of Test values.

In iteration-based load tests, LoadNinja will simulate each virtual user the number of times that is set in Iterations per VU:

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The above image shows a load test that will simulate three iterations per virtual user.

Iteration-based load tests are not time-limited by default, so they run for as long as is needed to finish all iterations. Max Duration allows you to set a limit on the test.

Specifies the “warm-up” period for the load test. During this time, LoadNinja changes the load gradually from 0 VUs to the number that the Virtual Users setting specifies.

In duration-based load tests, the ramp-up time is included in the time set by the Duration of Test value (see above).

In iteration-based, virtual user iterations that “occurred” during the ramp-up period decrease the iteration counter.

Specifies how many ramp-up steps the load test should perform before reaching the maximum number of virtual users.

How it works

How it worksHow it works

For example, you have a load test with 15 virtual users, and you have set the ramp-up time to 3 minutes.

If you command LoadNinja to use 3 ramp-up steps, the number of virtual users will increase in the following way:

1 minute = 5 virtual users
2 minute = 10 virtual users
3 minute = 15 virtual users

By default, the number of ramp-up steps is 1. You can use up to 600 ramp-up steps in a scenario.

In the right part of the Load Configuration panel, LoadNinja shows the currently specified ramp-up settings in a visual form. The visualization is based on the gradually increasing number of virtual users over the duration of the load test:

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The pause (in seconds) after a virtual user instance finishes running its test and before LoadNinja starts another instance of that virtual user.

If selected, then, before starting the load test, LoadNinja will show IP addresses of cloud machines on which LoadNinja will simulate virtual users.

Select this check box if the tested website works behind a firewall or proxy. For example, if it is available in your local network only. Having the list of IP addresses, you can configure your firewall to pass external requests to the tested server. See Test Web Apps in Local Network for more information.

The wait time is counted against the load testing time purchased under your plan.

These settings apply only to the load scenarios that use UI tests. These tests require more resources in comparison with API tests to run. To generate the needed load, LoadNinja uses cloud machines of different capacities. When you use the machines, the test engine consumes the load testing hours provided by your plan. The higher the level of the machines, the more load testing hours are consumed.

Keep in mind that if you use high-capacity machines frequently, you may quickly run out of the load testing hours provided by your plan.

There are three levels of such machines:

To get recommendations on which machines will best suit your testing needs, click Run Free Benchmark Test. LoadNinja will collect information about your load test and give you a hint.

Note: If the geo regions you selected for load simulation in the Load Distribution settings don’t have enough cloud machines with the requested productivity level, LoadNinja will try searching for the machines in other regions. You can select them in the Error handling > Fallback server location setting.