Pitching IaC to Stakeholders

As a Cloud Architect, I have several times explained to our stakeholders regarding Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how it makes our cloud project a no-brainer, especially for applications running on the cloud.

In every discussion, I keep explaining how all our development work can be super fast without any mistakes, reusable, and save us tons of time and money in the future.

The first question I always get is, what is wrong with the current manual ways, and it has served us well so far? Will the cost increase our short-term budget?

I take a deep breath and re-iterate that having a blueprint always saves time, increases accuracy, and saves costs in the long run. IaC simplifies future changes, and environments can be replicated without any major rework. 

The gap between Business and IT often arises not due to the incapability of IaC but the challenge of translating its intricacies into a language both realms can comprehend. An Architect has to be persistent and repetitive. 

With Cloud first implementations, surely there will be a time when Businesses in large organizations will take efficiency and automation seriously.

How to develop a quick load test for your micro service application

Ensuring the performance and scalability of the applications is crucial. Load testing is a key practice to identify bottlenecks and optimize your Spring Boot microservices. This article explains the process of developing a quick load test on Spring Boot microservice using Apache JMeter.

Load Test Setup:

Follow the below steps to set up a quick load test:

Step 1: Install JMeter Plugins (Optional)

If you haven't installed the JMeter Plugins Manager, do so by following the instructions on the official website: https://jmeter-plugins.org/wiki/PluginsManager/

Once installed, open JMeter, go to "Options," and select "Plugins Manager" to install the necessary plugins for your load test.

Step 2: Create a New JMeter Test Plan

Open JMeter and create a new Test Plan:

Right-click on the Test Plan node.

Choose "Add" > "Threads (Users)" > "Thread Group."

Set the number of threads (virtual users) and loop count according to your testing requirements.

Step 3: Add HTTP Request

Right-click on the Thread Group.

Choose "Add" > "Sampler" > "HTTP Request."

Configure the HTTP Request sampler with your microservice's endpoint details.

Step 4: Add Listeners for Monitoring

To analyze the test results, add listeners:

Right-click on the Thread Group.

Choose "Add" > "Listener."

Add listeners such as "View Results Tree," "Summary Report," and "Response Times Over Time."

Step 5: Configure Timers (Optional)

To simulate realistic user behavior, add timers:

Right-click on the Thread Group.

Choose "Add" > "Timer."

Configure timers like "Constant Timer" or "Gaussian Random Timer" to introduce delays between requests.

Step 6: Run the Load Test

Save your test plan and run the load test:

Click on the "Run" menu and choose "Start" or use the green "Play" button.

Monitor the results in real-time using the listeners you added. Pay attention to response times, throughput, and error rates.

Step 7: Analyze and Optimize

After the test completes, analyze the results to identify performance bottlenecks. Optimize your microservice accordingly and iterate the load testing process.

Conclusion:

Load testing with JMeter is a powerful way to ensure the performance and scalability of any Spring Boot microservices. By following these steps, you can quickly set up a load test, identify potential issues, and fine-tune your microservices for optimal performance in a production environment. Remember to regularly conduct load tests to catch performance issues early in the development lifecycle.