Synthetic testing is a proactive software testing technique that uses simulated users, transactions, or interactions to evaluate an application’s performance, functionality, and availability. Unlike traditional testing, which often relies on real user data or live environments, synthetic testing creates artificial conditions to mimic real-world usage.
How It Works
Synthetic testing involves generating artificial traffic or interactions with an application and monitoring its behavior under these controlled conditions. It’s typically executed through automated scripts or tools that simulate user actions, system events, or network conditions. The process can be broken down into these steps:
- Scenario Design:
- Testers define realistic user journeys or system interactions, such as logging in, searching for a product, or processing a payment. These scenarios are based on expected usage patterns or critical workflows.
- Simulation Execution:
- Specialized tools mimic these interactions by sending requests to the application, often from various geographic locations, devices, or network conditions (e.g., 4G vs. Wi-Fi).
- The simulation may include variables like load (e.g., 100 users vs. 10,000), timing (e.g., peak hours), or failure conditions (e.g., server latency).
- Monitoring and Measurement:
- Key metrics are collected in real time, such as response times, error rates, throughput, or resource utilization (CPU, memory).
- The system’s behavior is compared against benchmarks or SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
- Analysis and Reporting:
- Results are analyzed to identify bottlenecks, failures, or deviations from expected performance. Dashboards or alerts highlight issues like slow page loads or unavailable services.
- Iteration:
- Findings inform development fixes, and the tests are rerun to validate improvements or monitor ongoing stability.