How To Use Apache JMeter To Perform Load Test On Mobile App

As we know our life in this innovative era is driven by mobile apps in every phase of life. With such a growing significance of web applications, there is also a requirement to conduct performance testing on the mobile application. You and I all are tremendously relying on the mobile apps such as apps being utilized for Payment Transactions, social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, Online Gaming applications, Learning applications, just a few to be named.

Apache Jmeter is one of the most renowned and searched mobile app performance testing tools that has been put to use by freelance testers as well as mobile app testing company’s worldwide.

Let’s go through a detailed tutorial about the how to use the tool.

What is the role of JMeter?

Mobile application requests on HTTP(S) Script Recorder are recorded by JMeter and it has characteristics to develop and run the performance test scripts for our mobile application. All we ought to do is to configure JMeter and Mobile device both.

Simply speaking, it is very much like recording scripts in web applications.

JMeter Configurations

Prior to the script development, you have to configure your mobile system, which will be utilized for the test recording. JMeter records every action applying its own proxy. So, you need to configure your internet connection in a particular way.

• Launch JMeter – > Navigate to File – > Templates – > Choose Recording – > Tap on Create (Thus, now you see that we have included all the fundamental parameters for Recording scripts).
• Go to HTTPS Test Script Recorder – > Set port to 8080

Then, locate your IP Address by ipconfig for Windows and ifconfig for Linux. We will load up this IP address on our mobile device- iOS or Android phone- to set up the proxy.

Firstly, you will need appropriate JMeter Certificate to save it to our phone. Here, I’m putting the downloading link for Apache JMeter Temporary Root CA for Android and for iOS

Download the zip file for the certificate from here of your required operating system and store it in the mail.Install the certificate from the mail on your mobile device. It will ask to apply a lock. Then a notification pops up displaying Network may be monitored.

Now, let’s begin the real configuration process for mobile.

Configure Android Mobile Device

• Go to Options – Wi-Fi, long tap on your current network connection.
• Select the “Modify Network” popup menu.
• Mark “Show advanced options” checkbox.
• Selectthe parameter “Proxy settings” to “Manual”.
• In the field “Proxy hostname” type the IP of the system into the domain “Proxy port” our port – 8089.
• Click Save.

A video tutorial to make the process clearer:

Configure iOS Mobile Device

• Go to Settings–>Wi-Fi option.
• Tap on your connected network.
• Choose ‘Manual’ option from HTTP Proxy segment.
• Set ‘Server’ value as your system’s IP address, ‘Port’ value to 8080 as JMeter configuration.
• Install the above-given certificate for iOS.

Run Mobile Web Application

By far you must have understood the mobile configuration process. Now, it’s time to open the web application you need to test and utilize it as you typically do.

• Begin the application on mobile and its every request will be recorded in JMeter.
• Before running the application, ensure that HTTP(S) script recorder was launched in JMeter.
• Once the application is ready, you’ll see script actions will be recorded under the section “Recording Controller.”
• When actions are performed in the application, click the ‘Stop’ button in HTTP(S) script recorder display to stop the script recording.
• Presently, extend the “Recording Controller” in JMeter. You can see all the Recorded scripts of whatever activities are completed in the applications.
• Tap the ‘Play’ button. This will run recorded scripts according to your Threads setup.
• Finally, click on the “View Results in Tree”. Here you will view the outcome of your script.

Subsequent to recording actions from the mobile device and ultimate revision of the load script, we will run a load test using BlazeMeter’s abilities. Let’s learn that further.

Create load test and run, analyze results

BlazeMeter provides a range of helpful opportunities to simulate the performance of users with different mobile devices.

Sign into your Blaze Meter account and from the top of the main account page utilize the ‘Add Test’ link. Set up general test settings and transfer the required script file.

BlazeMeter gives you the likelihood to reenact the utilization of mobile systems by setting a unique level of parameters in the test configuration. When we go to the test setup page, we’ll extend the ‘System Emulation’ group and choose the network type to set our own parameters or to emulate parameters.

You’ll find that after the formation of the new test, you can run it and acquire load testing results for your application.

After the test run, we can review decisions about the web application’s overall strength and quality of the service. BlazeMeteralso offers us with the graphical review of app performance.

Given outcomes are stored for you and might be utilized to contrast with the tests result later.

Thus, BlazeMeter can copy high load for mobile web applications without utilizing various genuine smartphones. Likewise, the administration encourages us to save our resources as opposed to utilizing Android emulators or real devices.

Conclusion

So, after understanding the complete process we can conclude to certain benefits linked with JMeter mobile performance testing:

• Zero investment, since it is an open source tool!
• Accessible on both Android on iOS devices.
• The simplest plus efficient tool to check the mobile performance.
• Very user-friendly and an interactive UI.

Hopefully, after going all through this guide you will be capable to record JMeter script for mobile performance testing.