Performance Test Types

ProjectTrace includes several major test types so you can see how a CRUD web app behaves under different traffic patterns. The same ideas are demonstrated with k6, JMeter, and Gatling so you can compare tools, not just theory.

Quick Map

Test	What it does	When to use it	Netflix-style example
Smoke	Runs a tiny authenticated flow to prove the app and test data are wired correctly.	Before every other test.	Open the Netflix home page, sign in, and confirm browse/search still works.
Load	Runs expected, steady traffic to measure normal performance.	Baseline capacity checks.	Many viewers browse rows of titles and open details during normal evening traffic.
Volume	Uses larger page sizes and larger data reads to expose data-scale issues.	When data size matters more than user count.	A huge content catalog and search-heavy browsing should still feel fast.
Spike	Jumps from low traffic to high traffic very quickly.	To test sudden bursts and recovery.	A new trailer drops and thousands of viewers rush the app at once.
Stress	Pushes the app past expected capacity until errors or latency rise.	To find the breaking point.	A launch-night rush goes beyond capacity and the service starts degrading.
Soak	Holds the app under steady load for a long time.	To catch leaks, drift, and connection issues.	Overnight viewing and browsing keeps running for hours without memory drift.

What Each One Means

Smoke

Smoke tests are short and cheap. They answer one question: does the app still respond correctly after login?

For ProjectTrace, smoke usually hits:

• /health
• /api/stats/summary
• one or two list endpoints

Use it as a preflight check before any longer test.

Load

Load tests simulate expected day-to-day use.

For ProjectTrace, that means:

• dashboard reads
• bugs list reads
• requirements list reads
• test case list reads

This tells you the latency and throughput you can expect during normal operation.

Volume

Volume tests focus on data size, not just user count.

For ProjectTrace, that means:

• larger page sizes
• detail pages that join related entities
• searches and filters over a bigger data set

This is the test that exposes slow queries, missing indexes, and oversized responses.

Spike

Spike tests increase traffic very quickly, then drop it back down.

This helps you see:

• how fast the app degrades
• whether it recovers cleanly
• whether queueing or connection pooling breaks under sudden bursts

Stress

Stress tests keep pushing until the app starts failing.

This tells you:

• where the breaking point is
• which endpoints fail first
• whether latency rises before errors do

Soak

Soak tests run for a long time at a steady rate.

This helps detect:

• memory leaks
• connection leaks
• slow database growth
• gradual latency drift

How To Read The Results

Focus on:

• p95 and p99 latency
• error rate
• throughput
• whether the app stays stable over time

If latency rises but errors stay low, you probably have queueing or inefficient queries. If errors rise suddenly, you probably hit a resource limit or a bad failure path.

ProjectTrace File Map

k6

File	GitHub	What it shows
smoke-test.js	open	1 VU, 1 iteration, and the core smoke checks.
baseline-load-test.js	open	Ramp, hold, and ramp-down stages for baseline load.
volume-test.js	open	Large page sizes and detail reads over the seeded data.
crud-workflow-test.js	open	Fixed iterations for create, update, link, comment, and delete.
search-filter-test.js	open	A steady run against search-heavy list endpoints.
spike-test.js	open	A sudden jump up and back down in traffic.
stress-test.js	open	Traffic beyond the normal limit.
soak-test-template.js	open	Long steady traffic to catch drift and leaks.

JMeter

File	GitHub	What it shows
smoke-test.jmx	open	1 thread, 1 loop, and the core smoke assertions.
baseline-load-test.jmx	open	Ramp-up, steady hold, and baseline timing checks.
volume-test.jmx	open	Larger pages and detail reads that expose scale issues.
crud-workflow-test.jmx	open	Create, update, link, comment, and delete flow.
search-filter-test.jmx	open	Search-heavy reads against filtered lists.
spike-test.jmx	open	Sudden traffic burst and recovery.
stress-test.jmx	open	Higher pressure to see where the app bends.
soak-test-template.jmx	open	Long steady run for drift and leak detection.

Gatling

File	GitHub	What it shows
smoke-test.gatling.js	open	1 user, health, summary, and bugs.
baseline-load-test.gatling.js	open	Constant arrival rate for the baseline window.
volume-test.gatling.js	open	Larger pages and detail reads over seeded data.
crud-workflow-test.gatling.js	open	Real CRUD flow with create, update, link, and delete.
search-filter-test.gatling.js	open	Search-heavy list traffic at a steady rate.
spike-test.gatling.js	open	Fast ramp up, burst, and drop back down.
stress-test.gatling.js	open	Push beyond normal capacity to see where it breaks.
soak-test-template.gatling.js	open	Long steady arrival rate for drift detection.

Rule Of Thumb

• Smoke: prove the app works.
• Load: prove the app can handle normal traffic.
• Volume: prove the app can handle lots of data.
• Spike: prove the app can survive sudden bursts.
• Stress: prove the app fails gracefully.
• Soak: prove the app stays healthy over time.

Manual Checklist

If you want to understand the app before you automate it, use the Manual Performance Checklist. It maps the human walk-through to the exact k6, JMeter, and Gatling files.