What open source performance test tools can be used with the Robot Framework

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1

Hello.

I am looking to use an open source performance test tool along with my Robot Framework test cases. Has anyone used one successfully? I know rfswarm exists. However, it does not have all the criteria I am looking for.

Here is the criteria I am looking for.

  • is a free open source tool
  • runs existing test cases developed in a Robot Framework
  • can run with multiple agents, users, test cases
  • can provide variable inputs to the test case
    • most likely preferably through the reading of a file
    • many variables can be input
    • many values of those variables can be input

In this way, each run of the test case can be made against a different user. We don’t want to simulate the same test case over and over again for one user.

I can change the test cases to read an index file (default of 0), then read a variable file based off the index, process the test cases, then increment the index by 1 and write it back out. However, I would prefer not to do this. I would prefer to leave the test cases as is, which are set up for our function testing.

Thank you very much.

Mark

2

@damies13 might be a good one for you :slight_smile: apologies if not :slight_smile:

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3

Hi Mark,

Other than rfswarm the only other load test tool that I have seen anyone use with Robot Framework is jmmeter, the problem with that is in jmeter you create an OS Process request sampler and give it the robot command line to run, it won’t get any results back to jmeter, you have to manually create them and doesn’t do any of the things you asked for unless you manually code them into your robot files.

That’s why I created rfswarm, I wanted a better solution for performance testing with Robot Framework.

I believe all your criteria can be achieved with rfswarm, but it’s a matter of how, some will need modification to your existing Robot Framework test cases, but that will be the case regardless of which performance test tool you choose.

  • is a free open source tool

rfswarm is GNU General Public License

  • runs existing test cases developed in a Robot Framework

rfswarm will do this, you may need to modify the existing test cases/keywords to get the best results

  • can run with multiple agents, users, test cases

rfswarm lets you run as many agents as you want, some Robot Framework libraries may require you to only run 1 robot per agent machine (e.g. SAP GUI), this is not an rfswarm limitation but a library limitation so would be the same if you used any other performance test tool, but rfswarm should handle this better due to the way rfswarm distributes the robots among the agents

  • can provide variable inputs to the test case

Additional settings for test group in the robot options you can pass any Robot Framework command line options, in this case you could pass --variable or --variablefile

  • most likely preferably through the reading of a file

Reading Data Files

  • many variables can be input

See above

  • many values of those variables can be input

See above

If you have specific questions on how to achieve something with rfswarm just ask, i’m around and happy to help.

If you do find a performance test tool that works with Robot Framework better than rfswarm, please mention it here, If’ its really good I’ll stop working on rfswarm and start contributing improvements to that tool instead. I couldn’t find anything that’s why I created rfswarm.

Dave.

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