Chat applications have become an easy and convenient way for people to communicate with each other anytime from anywhere. Check out the best practices of performance testing for messaging applications in this expert series.
A report by Statista reveals that in January 2021, more than 12 billion users were accessing the messenger applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Snapchat in the United States. Based on this trend, we can expect a rise in app users globally on both social and enterprise messaging applications.
WebSocketsFull-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection |
Long PollingHolding a client connection until information becomes available |
XMPPOpen communication protocol for instant messaging and contact list maintenance |
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Persistent connection |
Low empty response rate |
A unique address for all users (IP address, domain name, and username) |
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Unlimited open sessions from a single app |
Instant message delivery |
Decentralized architecture and own cloud storage |
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Low network latency (single connection for multiple users) |
Request without page reloads |
Secure with customized encryption and security standards |
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Examples of testing tools are JMeter, Tsung, Gatling, NeoLoad, and LoadNinja |
Examples of testing tools are JMeter and BlazeMeter |
Examples of testing tools are JMeter and Tsung |
Point at which real users interact with the app
Responsible for storing and organizing data
Ensures active connections
Challenges |
Solutions |
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Multiple device compatibility |
Test the app on multiple browsers and devices supporting tool like LoadView |
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Testing across different network types and network operators |
Leverage cloud-based platforms that provide various connection speeds and network operators |
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Load from different geographical regions |
Choose cloud-based testing platforms available in multiple regions |
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Database bottleneck in real-time messaging |
Perform entity indexing |
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Poor quality multimedia |
Resize media files before saving in the database |
Performance testing is critical before launching any chat application in the market. QASource engineers can help you ensure that your chat application offers faster messages delivery with no messages loss and faster connection establishments for a longer duration.
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