“The Internet: transforming society and shaping the future through chat.”
-Dave Barry
Popular Global Mobile Messenger Apps
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.
Popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2021, based on number of monthly active users
Impact of Slow Chat Applications
- Delayed message delivery
- Messages loss during peak load
- Slow media content loading
- Client connection issues
- Higher media storage cost
Understanding Messaging App Protocols
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 |
Components of a Chat Application
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A Chat Application Has Three Major Components
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Application
UIPoint at which real users interact with the app
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Backend Servers
Responsible for storing and organizing data
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Persistent Connection
Ensures active connections
Chat App Challenges and Solutions
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 |
Common Performance Testing Scenarios
- Messages type like recent and archived
- Multiple image file formats
- Various audio and video file sizes
- Bulk messages for different connection types
- Individual users and groups
Benefits of Chat App Performance Testing
- Lower messages latency
- Maximum messages delivery
- Supports heavy multimedia files
- Set group v/s members limit expectations
- Higher messages throughput
Conclusion
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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