Harnessing the Power of Backend Listener in JMeter
In the world of performance testing, JMeter stands tall as a versatile and robust tool. One of its standout features is the JMeter’s Backend Listener, a powerful tool that allows you to collect, monitor, and analyze test results seamlessly. In this article, we will delve into Backend Listeners, their significance, and how they can supercharge your performance testing efforts.
Unveiling Backend Listener
Backend listener is a class of listeners in Apache JMeter that lets you broadcast performance test metrics and results in real-time to external systems or databases while your tests are running. The performance of your application can then be tracked, visualized, and subjected to additional analysis using these external platforms. For integrating JMeter with different monitoring and reporting tools, backend listener is especially helpful. It supports data collection, archiving, and analysis before, during, and after test execution.
Supported Backend Technologies
JMeter is well known for working with a variety of backend systems. JMeter can seamlessly interact with numerous platforms, including InfluxDB, Graphite, Elasticsearch, and others, providing flexibility and adaptability to match your unique performance testing needs.
Below are steps to integrate Jmeter with Grafana and Influxdb:
1. Setup InfluxDB.
2. Setup Backend Listener in JMeter.
3. Setup Grafana.
4. Run Test in JMeter and Monitor the Result.
1. Setup InfluxDB: There are two ways to set up the influxDB. You can either install the influx DB in your local system or you can use InfluxDB cloud. For installation of InfluxDB in your local system you can refer to this Document. Below are the steps to configure the influxDB in Influx Cloud:
a. Signup in InfluxDB Cloud with basic details.
b. Login and setup the InfluxDB cloud with organization name and other details.
c. Create the Bucket in InfluxDB cloud.
d. Create the API Token with all access.
2. Setup Backend Listener in JMeter:
a. Add Backend Listener to Thread Group: Begin by adding a Backend Listener to your JMeter Thread Group. This can be done by right-clicking on your Thread Group, selecting "Add," and then choosing "Listener" > "Backend Listener”
b. Configure the backend listener
c. Select Backend Listener Implementation: Inside the Backend Listener configuration, you'll need to choose the appropriate Backend Listener implementation. Depending on your setup, this could be InfluxDB, Graphite, or another supported backend system. Select the desired implementation from the options.
d. Define Backend Listener Metrics: In the "Metrics" section of the Backend Listener, you can specify which metrics you want to send to the external system. Common metrics include response times, throughput, error rates, and more. Configure these metrics based on your specific performance testing goals.
e. Enter InfluxDB Details: If you're using InfluxDB, enter the necessary InfluxDB details in the Backend Listener configuration. This typically includes the InfluxDB server address and port.
f. Specify Bucket Details in URL: In the same configuration, you'll specify the bucket details in the URL field. Buckets in InfluxDB are used to organize and store data. Make sure to provide the correct bucket information to direct your performance test data to the right location.
g. Provide Token Details: You will need to enter the token details in InfluxDB. Tokens are used for authentication and authorization. Ensure that you have the correct token associated with the bucket you're using.
3. Setup Grafana: To set up grafana we have two ways, One we can set up Grafana in a local system or we can use the grafana cloud for that. Here we are using the Grafana cloud.
a. Sign Up to the Grafana Cloud.
b. Setup the InfluxDB Datasource and fill all the required details like url,Organization name,Token and bucket name.
c. Now Click on Dashboard->New Dashboard-> Import Dashboard
d. Enter the Dashboard ID (19857) or URL of Dashboard.
e. Click on Load.
f. After loading the below dashboard is visible. You can customize the dashboard according to your requirement.
4. Run Test in JMeter and Monitor the Result: Monitor the external system (e.g., Graphite, InfluxDB, Prometheus) for the incoming metrics. You can use tools like Grafana or custom dashboards to visualize and analyze the metrics in real-time.
a. Run your test from the JMeter Image ALT Text: JMeter Test Execution with Backend Listener
b. After running the Test you should start to see the result in the Dashboard. The data in the Grafana dashboard will be visible below. Image ALT Text -: JMeter Result analysis using InfluxDB and Grafana Dashboard