Rehearsing a busy day
For an online shop, a load test simulates the expected number of customers browsing and paying at once. A stress test simulates even more customers until the site slows or fails, then checks how it recovers.
A soak test keeps demand steady for hours or days to reveal problems that build up. A spike test simulates a sudden rush of customers.
Make the test realistic
Browsing, searching, uploading images, and paying put different demands on a site. Tests should mix these activities and use realistic data. Teams measure how long actions take, how often they fail, and how many customers the site can serve at once. The results help them plan capacity and cope with excess demand.