JMeter Tutorial: Learn what Jmeter is and how it helps performance testing

By Prometteur solutions 17 Min Read

We are about to take you on a ride in the world of JMeter testing tool. As you embark on this enlightening journey, we will shine a spotlight on JMeter, a powerful tool that holds the key to achieving your performance testing goals. 

So join us as we delve into the depths of this tutorial, uncovering the wonders of JMeter, its inner workings, and how it can transform your approach to performance testing.

JMeter is a robust and versatile performance testing tool that empowers you to assess and enhance the performance of your application. 

In this tutorial, we will unravel the intricacies of JMeter, exploring its features, functionalities, and best practices. Learn how to harness the power of JMeter to create realistic test scenarios, analyze performance metrics, and identify bottlenecks that may impact your application’s performance.

Through this tutorial, we aim to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize JMeter effectively, enabling you to streamline your performance testing efforts. Discover the art of designing comprehensive test plans, defining realistic user loads, and analyzing performance metrics with precision. With JMeter as your ally, you’ll be able to fine-tune your application’s performance, ensuring it stands strong even in the face of demanding situations.

What is Jmeter?

JMeter is a performance testing tool that unveils the true potential of applications and systems. JMeter helps testers to conquer;

 web applications

Java applications

databases

network protocols, and others

JMeter allows you to constantly monitor and evaluate the performance of your applications and systems. With its extensive range of testing capabilities, it empowers you to push the boundaries of performance testing. Whether you’re assessing the load capacity of a web application, scrutinizing the performance of a Java application, examining the efficiency of a database, or measuring the responsiveness of network protocols, JMeter stands as your trusted testing tool.

One of the most striking features of JMeter is its ability to measure the response time of applications and systems. It allows you to capture and analyze the time taken for requests to be processed, shedding light on the performance bottlenecks that may hinder optimal functionality.

With its precision and versatility, you gain a holistic view of your application’s performance, unearthing potential issues and paving the way for optimization. Through load testing, stress testing, and beyond, JMeter serves as your steadfast companion, ensuring your applications and systems stand strong under various scenarios.

What can Jmeter do?

If you are looking for one of the most powerful performance testing tools, JMeter can be trusted. It is recommended for troubleshooting issues in apps, can identify performance issues, and is very effective in measuring the impact of the changes you make in trying to address any performance issues.

This performance-testing tool is enjoyed by developers, testers, and system administrators who want to measure the performance of their apps

  • JMETER comes with the following benefits;
  • Jmeter is open source 
  • Jmeter is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
  • Jmeter is a versatile tool
  • Jmeter is easy to use
  • Jmeter is a performance testing tool 

How to install Jmeter?

Follow these step-by-step instructions to get started with your Jmeter installations:

  • Begin by visiting the official website (https://jmeter.apache.org/download_jmeter.cgi)
  • Look for the download link for the binary file.
  • Once the download is complete, you will have a zip folder. 
  • Unzip this folder to a location of your choice, where you’d like to store JMeter.
  • Navigate to the bin folder within the unzipped JMeter folder. Inside this folder, you will find the jmeter.bat file.
  • To run JMeter in the graphical user interface (GUI) mode, simply double-click on the jmeter.bat file. 
  • This will launch the JMeter application.
  • After launching JMeter, you will need to create a user account. Follow the provided instructions to set up your account and proceed with the configuration process.
  • Once the initial setup is complete, it’s time to configure JMeter. This step involves customizing various settings according to your requirements. Take your time to explore the configuration options and make any necessary adjustments.
  • With JMeter successfully installed and configured, it’s time to create your first project. Choose a directory where JMeter will save your project files and set it as the working directory.
  • Once your project is created, you can begin performance testing. 

How to use Jmeter?

Here is a 5-step procedure for doing JMeter Performance Testing:

1. Installing Apache JMeter

The first step, go to the Apache JMeter directory.

Enter the bin folder.

Choose the JMeter.bat file.

Double-click on this file to open it.

This may take some time, after which the JMeter window will appear on the screen.

2. Creating a Thread Group 

Right-click on the Performance Testing folder and choose New Thread Group.

Go to add, then to Threads (Users), and finally to Thread Group Adding Thread Group.

Following a mistake, the following action should be taken: You may customize it as you like.

Then there’s a “number of threads” option where you can choose how many people you want.

Then there’s a “ramp-up period in seconds” that specifies the time between the users’ hits.

A “loop count” option allows you to specify how many times the Test should run given the number of users. You may also set the Test to continue indefinitely.

There is also a scheduler here to assist you in planning the start and finish times of the exam.

3. Adding an HTTP Request 

  • Add the Thread group
  • Select HTTP request from the menu.
  • Adding HTTP Request

4. Including Listeners

You may utilise three different listeners to get a sense of the representation provided by JMeter.

Right-click on the Thread Group and choose Properties.

Go to Add, choose the Listener option, and then pick the View Results in Tree option Adding Listeners.

Right-click the listener option again and choose graph results.

And for the third listener, right-click once again and choose View Results in Table.

It is now time to perform the Test.

5. Carrying out the Test

This JMeter test should be saved.

Save Run JMeter Test.

Run the Test by clicking the green button.

When you go to the “View Results Tree,” you can see the Test is now running. The same goes for graph findings. The time the Test has been running is also shown.

You may see your test results in a variety of formats.

JMeter, in essence, constructs a request and transmits it to the server. When it gets the server’s response, it aggregates and displays the information in a chart or graph. It then evaluates the server’s response before generating test results in various forms such as TXT, XML, and JSON so that the tester may examine data.

How to run a Jmeter test case?

Step 1: Prepare for the JMeter Test

Firstly, have a Java application or service that you want to test and that you have JMeter installed on your computer. If you don’t have them, download and install both the application and JMeter.

Step 2: Navigate to the Application Folder

After successfully installing the application and JMeter, open a command prompt on your computer. Use the command prompt to navigate to the folder where your application or service is located. This step ensures that you are in the right directory to run the JMeter test case.

Step 3: Run the JMeter Test Case

In the command prompt, use the JMeter run command to execute the desired test case. For instance, if you want to run a JMeter test case for an application named “myApplication,” enter the following command:

JMeter run myApplication

If you wish to save the output of the test case for later analysis, you can redirect it to a text file. For example, to store the output of the application test case in a file called “myTestCase.txt,” use the following command:

JMeter run myApplication > myTestCase.txt

To stop a running JMeter test case, you can employ the JMeter stop command.

How to report the results of a Jmeter test case?

There are different ways to report the results of a Jmeter test case. For example, you can print the results, save the results to a file, or even email the results to yourself or a colleague.

  • You can report your JMeter test case results in more than one ways, including printing, saving in a file, send via email, etc.
  • How to Print the results

Printing the result is very easy, just use the print report option under the results tabs of any test case. The print button is located in the report option section. Find and click on it to use this feature.

  • How to save the results

Here is how you can save your test case results to a file.

Go to the result tab, find and click on the save results button

The save button is located in the report option section. Just click the save button and you are good to go.

  • How to email your results

Let us look at how to email your test case results.

You can email the test case result to yourself or a colleague. All you need do is to click on the email results button in the results tabs. The email result button is located under the report option section.

How to use jMeter built-in profile validator?

If you are looking for a powerful tool for web performance, JMeter is your best option. It comes with a built in profile validator. Let us walk you through on this

What is a profile validator?

A profile validator tool is used for checking vital information about a website, including company name, address, contact, and phone number(s). Contact validator is useful for addressing customer related disputes by helping businesses to use the right information on their websites.

How to use jMeter built-in profile validator?

JMeter is an amazing tool when it comes to the monitoring of traffic and proper analysis of website performance. Jmeter has a built-in profile validator that testers can use to check and validate the profile of your web visitors.

The first step is to open your installed Jmeter, scroll to the profile button located in the tool bar and access the profile validator. Once you click on it, the profile validator window will open up.

The next step from here is for you to enter the url of your website in the website field.

There is also a visitors field, therein, you may enter the number of visitors you would be analysing.

Furthermore, locate the Time Range field and fill accordingly.

other important steps include;

Entering the profile info of your visitors in the profile field

And then click on the Validation Result field to validate the results

If the validation results are satisfactory, then you can close the Profile Validator window.

If the validation results are unsatisfactory, you will need to fix the errors and re-run the profile validator.

How to create a jMeter profile?

1. Open the jMeter tool.

2. After opening the tool, proceed to choose profile from the menu.

3. Click on the Validate button In the Profile tab, 

4. The validator window will open.

5. Click on the Errors button.

6. The validator window will show you the errors and warnings in the profile.

7. Click on the Hints button.

8. The validator window will show you the hints you need.

FAQs

What cannot be tested with JMeter?

JMeter, for example, does not support JavaScript and hence cannot perform AJAX queries; consequently, JMeter can only imitate HTTP traffic in this scenario. JMeter enables you to simulate SPA HTTP requests to the server without testing the application itself.

How do I test a Java application using JMeter?

Configuring Apache JMeter. The first step is to go to the Apache JMeter directory.

Creating a Thread Group. Right-click on Performance Testing and choose Properties.

Including an HTTP Request. Right-click on the Thread group, choose Add and then select Sampler.

Added listeners.

Execute the Test

What is JMeter non GUI?

JMeter’s non-GUI mode is suggested for test execution. This is because JMeter uses less memory in Non-GUI mode, allowing for more threads on a load generator. Non-GUI mode gives great room to threads and eliminates test failure due to out-of-memory issues.

Is it possible to run JMeter without Java?

Software Requirements: Because JMeter is pure Java software, Java must be installed on your PC. JMeter 4.0 only supports Java 8 and 9. It does not support any previous version of Java or Java 10.

Is JMeter a tool for continuous testing?

JMeter is only a load-testing tool; a continuous integration server is required. If your firm does not have one, various free and open-source alternatives exist, such as Jenkins and Buildbot.

Which tool is superior to JMeter?

Loadrunner from Micro Focus is a popular Load Testing tool. It is one of the most effective JMeter alternatives, featuring a user-friendly monitoring and analysis interface that includes colourful charts and visualisations.

What kinds of tests can JMeter perform?

Apache JMeter is a free and open-source Java-based program. The program is used to do performance testing, functional testing, and load testing on online applications. It is used for load testing, functional behaviour, and performance measurement.

Can JMeter be automated?

Although a performance testing tool, JMeter may be used to automate APIs.

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