Performance testing for websites is something which, in the past, was mostly done with software tools installed on local machines. Take for example HP's LoadRunner, probably the most well known tool in the world of performance testing (it’s been around for a while).

LoadRunner is made up of two components: the IDE, in which scripts are created using a Windows-based application (Windows support only), and the load generators, which are supported on both Windows and Linux based.

For a long time HP was the only serious contender in the performance testing market, and they were able to charge an arm and a leg in licensing fees since at the time there weren’t many viable alternatives. HP still demands a very hefty price for LoadRunner. Some companies are paying six figures for the maintenance fee alone. Additionally, as with many outdated licensing-type software, transferring the LoadRunner license from one machine to another can be a nightmare.

Besides the cost of the software itself, running large scale performance tests with LoadRunner is no easy feat. Essentially, you have to create your own performance testing lab, including an adequate number of virtual user license purchases. Aside from proper capacity planning, HP has a very old school approach to scheduling performance tests, requiring advance coordination to secure performance testing time slots. While this approach may seem outdated, it has worked well for HP in the past, and many companies continue to do this today. Furthermore, Loadrunner uses a Windows based IDE, opposed to modern solutions which are either browser based or cross platform.

JMeter - An Advanced Open Source Option
JMeter is an open source project that is very similar to LoadRunner as far as technical capabilities go. It essentially runs simulated, virtual users that make all of the requests that a real browser would make.

Many people were looking for an open source alternative for performance testing as a result of the high price of LoadRunner. Accordingly, JMeter was born as an Apache project, under the Apache umbrella, and has been fairly active over the past few years. Technically speaking, it is an application written in Java, meaning it can run on any machine, Windows, Linux or Mac. It is GUI based, so elements can be added via the GUI tool, such as http requests. While the interface may seem a bit overwhelming at first, in a way, JMeter is like the cockpit of a jetliner airplane. It is most likely that 4 or 5 dials and levers are actually needed to fly the plane, though supplemental equipment is there just in case. Most of the time, only 4 to 5 elements in JMeter are used, however the number of features displayed can be …