Did you realize that there are over 5 million apps available for download on both the Android and Apple marketplaces? In order to make the app you offer consumers more appealing, you need to keep it both reliable and engaging.
Unless you have extensive experience with the development and maintaining of apps, it can be difficult to catch and fix issues with these programs in a timely manner. Often times, hiring app development and IT professionals to help with this type of work is essential.
It is your job as the owner of the app in question to ensure it is ready for widespread use by the general public. Luckily, there are a variety of things you can do to test these programs to find out about problems before they cause widespread outages.
Read below to find out more about load testing and why it is essential to keeping an app functional and running efficiently.
The Ins and Outs of Load Testing
You may be asking yourself, why do I need to load test my app? The short answer to this question is that load testing can help you find out about any problems or vulnerabilities your app may have.
During a load test, apps and software programs have ordinary stress applied to them to see if they can handle it. Exposing the app to a sudden influx of traffic and widespread use is essential before releasing this program for mass consumption.
The last thing you want is to have your app crash due to infrastructure issues or design flaws. If problems are discovered during the load test, an app developer can address them with ease.
Are You Expecting an Onslaught of New Traffic to Your App?
If you are launching a full frontal marketing campaign to get people to use your app, making sure it is ready for this traffic increase is a must. Large apps and websites are constantly load testing their programs to address any problems that may exist.
Back in 2003, Amazon experienced server overload issues due to a simple pricing error. This situation ended in litigation and Amazon lost a lot of money as a result.
Even government sites are susceptible to being overloaded. Most people remember when the Obama Care website crashed shortly after launch due to a server overload. Individuals who were tied to the Obama Care site say that it never underwent load testing, which is one of the main reasons it was unprepared for large amounts of traffic.
With the help of load testing and monitoring for your key systems, you can keep your apps and programs running strong for years to come.
Getting a Better Understanding of the User’s Experience
Many of the cloud-based load testing programs on the market allow you to record video of the test as it progresses. This means you can get a step by step breakdown of the experience consumers have when they visit your site or use your app.
Getting the outsider perspective of your app can help you see where changes need to be made. Continually optimizing your app can help you keep it relevant and popular. Resting on your laurels is a recipe for disaster in the ever changing world of apps and software.
You need to work hard to ensure your app stays on the cutting edge of technology, which is why running routine load tests is so important.
Discovering Third Party Issues
Many apps use third party software to do everything from host their images to handling the chat function they provide to consumers. Without routine testing, it will be hard to discover problems with these third party providers.
It is crucial that every element of your app works for people using it. Load testing your app will make any problems with third party software very obvious. While a third party program may work fine when there is low traffic on the app, some programs buckle under the pressure of increased traffic.
Rather than waiting until one of these problems makes your app crash, you need to take proactive measures by load testing on a regular basis.
Testing the Water After App Updates
As any app developer knows, constantly updating these programs is the only way to keep them functional and safe. After major updates are performed within an app, it is a good idea to load test it. With the information from the load test, you can see whether or not current updates are causing functionality issues with your app.
If there are issues with an update, you may have to get your app developer to roll it back or alter it in some way. While these types of issues are common, you don’t want them to affect the functionality of your app.
The Best Defense is a Good Offense
Taking proactive measures to keep your app running correctly is vital. With load testing and continuous app monitoring, you can bring issues to light that may lead to app instability.
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