Load Testing Patterns

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

Load Testing Patterns define HOW to stress your system: ramp up gradually (load test), spike suddenly (spike test), sustain for hours (soak test), push until it breaks (stress test). Each pattern reveals different problems. A system that handles 1000 users for 10 seconds might crash at 1000 users for 10 hours.

Real Talk

Load testing patterns include: load test (gradual ramp to expected traffic), stress test (beyond capacity to find breaking point), spike test (sudden traffic surge), soak/endurance test (sustained load for memory leaks), and breakpoint test (incremental increase until failure). Each pattern targets different performance concerns.

When You'll Hear This

"The soak test revealed a memory leak that only appears after 4 hours of sustained traffic." / "We run spike tests to ensure Black Friday traffic doesn't crash the checkout."