Loadster

Loadster is a load testing platform developed by Loadster, Inc. According to the vendor, Loadster is designed to simulate heavy traffic on websites, web applications, and APIs. It is marketed as a solution suitable for companies of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. Loadster is said to be utilized by various professionals in fields such as web development, software engineering, DevOps, quality assurance/testing, e-commerce, business analysis, and IT management. The platform aims to help users measure the performance and stability of their sites under high load conditions.

Key Features

Load Testing: According to the vendor, Loadster allows users to simulate heavy traffic on websites, web applications, and APIs, enabling them to measure performance and stability under high load conditions.

Bots & Scripting: Loadster provides users with the ability to control the behavior of bots using scripts. The platform offers two types of bots: Protocol Bots, which are suitable for low-level testing of APIs and simple static websites, and Browser Bots, which are designed for testing complex websites and web applications.

Load Test Scenarios: Loadster allows users to create load test scenarios, which are configurations for assembling bots into a load test. Users can specify the number of bot groups, the scripts to execute, and the start/stop patterns for each group.

Test Infrastructure: Loadster offers users the flexibility to run load tests in 29 cloud regions or on their own self-hosted engines. This allows users to choose the test infrastructure that best suits their specific needs.

Analyzing Test Results: According to the vendor, Loadster provides real-time performance metrics and error reporting during load tests. Users can view response times, errors, and other metrics on a dashboard while the load test is running. After the test finishes, Loadster generates a report with high-level performance metrics, graphs, and tables for further analysis.

Continuous Integration: Loadster can be integrated into a continuous integration pipeline to automatically test the performance and scalability of each release. This, according to the vendor, allows users to catch performance issues early in the development process and ensure that their sites can handle heavy traffic.

Speedy Script Recording: Loadster offers a browser extension called Loadster Recorder, which allows users to record load test scripts directly in their browser. According to the vendor, users can record every step of their site like a real user and play it back in real time. They can also add custom validation and capture server responses for reuse. The platform supports advanced control flow, looping, and conditionals with JavaScript Code Blocks.

Browser-based Editing: Loadster provides users with the ability to add, edit, and tweak steps in their load test scripts directly in their web browser. The vendor claims that users can make changes to their scripts in real time, allowing them to optimize performance efficiently.

Rapid Script Feedback: According to the vendor, Loadster allows users to play scripts from their web browser and watch each step run in real time. Users can repeat and iterate as necessary, getting immediate feedback on the performance of their scripts.

Detailed Diagnostics: Loadster enables users to view the full HTTP request and response from every step in their load test scripts. According to the vendor, users can see both headers and the body of each request and response, which can help them identify any issues or errors in their scripts.