Silverlight Application Testing

Load testing your Silverlight applications before going live with them ensures that you are aware of any performance issues that the application has. If you load test correctly, you can have confidence knowing that your users will be able to enjoy the full range of multimedia experiences that Silverlight applications make possible. That means less time adjusting your application once it goes live and more time developing newer and better applications.

Here is how to set up and execute a load test for your Silverlight applications. If you follow this advice, you will get useful data from your load tests in the least amount of time and at the lowest cost.

Step 1: Select the right load tester

This is the most important step. The load tester that you select will determine how your load tests go. If you select the wrong load tester, your load test will be expensive and time-consuming. If you select the right load tester, your load tests will be affordable, efficient, and effective.

The best load tester on the market for Silverlight applications is AppLoader. Unlike other load testers, AppLoader requires no special coding. It is a simple but powerful load tester that is easy to set up and fast in its execution. Because it is protocol independent, it can test your Silverlight applications on any platform.

As you will see, the following four steps will be easy if you select AppLoader as your load tester.

Step 2: Identify what you are testing for

Before setting up your load test, you should think through the kind of information that you are looking for. The most important part of this is estimating the amount of stress that your application will be under when it goes live. If it is a new application, this will be more of a guess then it will be if it is an update to an existing one.

Step 3: Set up the load test

Once you have an idea of the stress you like to test your application for, it is time to set up the load test. Whereas other load testers require a complicated set up, AppLoader is very straightforward. All you need to do is tell AppLoader which application you would like to stress and then tell it how much stress to put it under. Once you do this, your load test is ready to go.

Step 4: Execute the load test

The actual execution of the test is straightforward. AppLoader automates the entire process, so you really do not have to do anything but let it run and gather the results. You are, of course, free to set up other load tests. It is a good idea to test for both the normal load that you expect your application to receive along with a higher than expected load to gauge whether it is truly sound. AppLoader makes setting up and executing multiple load tests at different loads easy and efficient.

Step 5: Use your results

Of course running the test is only part of the process. You need to take the data that you get from your load test and use it to identify the bottlenecks in your application’s performance. AppLoader makes this easy because it presents the data from the load test to you in easy to interpret charts and graphs. Because it tests from the end users’ point of view, the data that you get is the most useful data that you can get on the performance of your application.

As you can see, with AppLoader the set up and execution of load tests on Silverlight applications is easy. It is the most cost effective, effective way to go with your Silverlight load tests. You will get great data, will be able to make the necessary adjustments to your application, and will be able to get your application out in as little time as possible. Ultimately, your users will be happy that you did!