What is Spike testing?
Spike testing is a software testing process in which the application is tested by a sudden increase and decrease in load. This test is used to check the system’s response in the event of an extreme increase in user load.
The test allows developers to check the system response under extreme load and take steps to improve the performance. Developers can take measures to prevent the application from breaking in the case of an unexpected rise of users that is beyond maximum anticipated levels.
Spike testing should only be done in a separate test environment to ensure that the main application is not affected – this saves application from crashing at the time of unusual load.
Spike testing vs. Load testing
Spike testing is a bit different from load testing. Load testing involves varying the user load on the site and checking the performance and response times. Whereas, Spike testing deals with just a sudden increase and decrease of users in a short span of time.
When is spike testing used?
One example of spike testing is streaming a website. At times, a site may face a sudden spike in users during, for example, a crucial point in a football match. In this situation, it would be advantageous for the site owners to do spike testing to see the site’s performance and enable them to take necessary measures beforehand.
