JMeter Performance Testing Framework

Apache JMeter 5.6.3 test suite covering four progressive assignments — from basic load testing to full CI/CD integration. All tests are wired to a single GitHub Actions workflow that runs everything with one click.

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Table of Contents

• Repository Structure
• Prerequisites
• Assignment 1 – First Demo Load Test
• Assignment 2 – Data-Driven Search
• Assignment 3 – Performance Test Types
• Assignment 4 – Petstore API Load Test
• CI/CD – Run All Tests with One Click
• Running Tests Locally
• Viewing Reports

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Repository Structure

├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── run-all-jmeter-tests.yml    ← Single-click CI/CD workflow
│
├── Assignment # 01/
│   ├── Assignment-1-First_DEMO_LoadTest.jmx
│   ├── results.jtl
│   └── report/                         ← Pre-generated HTML report
│
├── Assignment # 02/
│   ├── Assignment-2-The-Data-Driven-Search.jmx
│   ├── data.csv                        ← Search keyword test data
│   ├── results2.jtl
│   └── report2/                        ← Pre-generated HTML report
│
├── Assignment # 03/
│   ├── Assignment-3-LoadText.jmx
│   ├── Assignment-3-SoakTest.jmx
│   ├── Assignment-3-SpikeTest.jmx
│   └── Assignment-3-StressTest.jmx
│
└── Assignment # 04/
    ├── petstore-api-test.jmx
    └── CI-CD-SETUP.md

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Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Purpose
Apache JMeter	5.6.3	Test execution engine
Java (JDK/JRE)	17+	Required by JMeter
jp@gc Plugins	latest	Required by Assignment 3 thread groups

Install jp@gc Plugins (for Assignment 3 only):

1. Open JMeter GUI
2. Go to Options → Plugins Manager
3. Install: jpgc-casutg (Ultimate Thread Group) and jpgc-tst (Stepping Thread Group)

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Assignment 1 – First Demo Load Test

File: Assignment # 01/Assignment-1-First_DEMO_LoadTest.jmx
Target: https://demowebshop.tricentis.com

What It Tests

Simulates a realistic e-commerce user journey on the Tricentis Demo Web Shop under sustained load.

User Flow (Transaction: "Test")

1. Dashboard — GET / — loads the homepage
2. Get Product — GET /141-inch-laptop — views a product page
3. Add to Cart — POST /addproducttocart/details/31/1 — adds the item (qty: 1)
4. Get Cart — GET /cart — validates the cart page

Thread Configuration

Parameter	Value
Virtual Users (Threads)	10
Ramp-up Period	10 seconds
Test Duration	300 seconds (5 minutes)
Loop	Infinite (scheduler-controlled)
On Sample Error	Continue

Config Elements

• HTTP Header Manager — Chrome 146 User-Agent, sec-ch-ua, Sec-Fetch headers
• HTTP Cookie Manager — clears cookies each iteration
• HTTP Cache Manager — clears cache each iteration
• DNS Cache Manager — clears DNS each iteration
• HTTP Authorization Manager — present for auth-ready extension
• Constant Timer — 6.9 s think time on the product page (disabled by default)

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Assignment 2 – Data-Driven Search

File: Assignment # 02/Assignment-2-The-Data-Driven-Search.jmx
Data File: Assignment # 02/data.csv
Target: https://demowebshop.tricentis.com

What It Tests

Parameterised search flows where each virtual user searches with a different keyword read from a CSV file, verifying the keyword appears in the response.

CSV Data (data.csv)

keywords
computer
book
laptop
electronics
gift card

User Flow (Transaction: "Test")

1. Dashboard — GET / — loads homepage
2. Search Item — GET /search?q=${keywords} — searches with the CSV keyword
3. Response Assertion — verifies the keyword string appears in the response body

Thread Configuration

Parameter	Value
Virtual Users (Threads)	5
Ramp-up Period	1 second
Loops per Thread	2
CSV Share Mode	All threads
CSV Recycle	Yes (loops back when EOF reached)
Ignore CSV Header	Yes
On Sample Error	Continue

Key JMeter Elements

• CSV Data Set Config — reads data.csv, maps column to ${keywords} variable
• Response Assertion — Contains check: asserts ${keywords} is present in the response data

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Assignment 3 – Performance Test Types

All four tests target https://test.k6.io and use the jp@gc plugin thread groups.

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3a – Load Test

File: Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-LoadText.jmx

Measures system performance under an expected, sustained load profile.

Parameter	Value
Thread Group	jp@gc Ultimate Thread Group
Threads	30
Ramp-up	120 seconds
Hold Duration	300 seconds
Ramp-down	120 seconds
Loop	Infinite (duration-controlled)

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3b – Soak Test

File: Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-SoakTest.jmx

Runs a low user count for an extended period to detect memory leaks, resource degradation, and slow performance decay over time.

Parameter	Value
Thread Group	Standard Thread Group
Virtual Users	5
Ramp-up	43,200 seconds (12 hours)
Loop	Infinite
Throughput Control	Constant Throughput Timer — 10 req/min

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3c – Spike Test

File: Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-SpikeTest.jmx

Hits the system with a sudden, instant burst of concurrent users (all at once) to test behaviour under sudden traffic surges.

Parameter	Value
Thread Group	Standard Thread Group
Virtual Users	40
Ramp-up	5 seconds
Loops	1
Synchronizing Timer	Releases all 40 threads simultaneously

The Synchronizing Timer (groupSize=40) holds all threads at a barrier until all 40 are ready, then releases them at exactly the same instant — creating a true spike.

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3d – Stress Test

File: Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-StressTest.jmx

Gradually steps up load beyond normal capacity to find the breaking point of the system.

Parameter	Value
Thread Group	jp@gc Stepping Thread Group
Max Threads	50
Start Users Count	10 (initial batch)
Add Users Every	60 seconds
Users Added Per Step	10
Hold Time at Peak	180 seconds
Ramp-up per step	1 second
Stop Users	10 every 30 seconds

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Assignment 4 – Petstore API Load Test

File: Assignment # 04/petstore-api-test.jmx
Target: https://petstore.swagger.io/v2

What It Tests

REST API load test against the Swagger Petstore, exercising a create-then-read pattern with HTTP response assertions.

API Flow

1. POST /v2/pet — Creates a new pet with JSON body:

   {
     "id": 123,
     "category": { "id": 1, "name": "Dogs" },
     "name": "JMeter Test Dog",
     "photoUrls": ["https://example.com/photo.jpg"],
     "tags": [{ "id": 1, "name": "test" }],
     "status": "available"
   }

   → Assertion: HTTP 200

2. GET /v2/pet/123 — Retrieves the pet by ID
   → Assertion: HTTP 200

Thread Configuration

Parameter	Value
Virtual Users	50
Ramp-up	120 seconds
Loops per Thread	20
On Sample Error	Continue
Content-Type Header	application/json
Variable ${petId}	123

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CI/CD – Run All Tests with One Click

Workflow file: .github/workflows/run-all-jmeter-tests.yml

Architecture

workflow_dispatch (one click)
        │
        ├── Job: assignment-1-load-test          (parallel)
        ├── Job: assignment-2-data-driven         (parallel)
        ├── Job: assignment-3-performance-tests   (parallel, matrix × 4)
        │       ├── LoadTest
        │       ├── SoakTest
        │       ├── SpikeTest
        │       └── StressTest
        ├── Job: assignment-4-petstore-api        (parallel)
        │
        └── Job: summary  ← waits for all, prints pass/fail table

Triggers

Trigger	When
workflow_dispatch	Manual — "Run workflow" button
push	Any push to main or master
pull_request	PR targeting main or master

What Each Job Does

1. Checks out the repository
2. Installs Java 17 (Temurin)
3. Downloads and installs JMeter 5.6.3
4. (Assignment 3 only) Downloads jp@gc PluginsManager + installs jpgc-casutg
5. Runs JMeter in non-GUI mode (jmeter -n)
6. Generates JTL results + HTML dashboard report
7. Uploads artifacts (30-day retention)

Artifacts Produced

Artifact Name	Contents
assignment-1-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-2-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-3-LoadTest-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-3-SoakTest-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-3-SpikeTest-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-3-StressTest-results	results.jtl + HTML report
assignment-4-results	results.jtl + HTML report

How to Trigger

Option A — Manual (One Click)

1. Go to your repo on GitHub
2. Click Actions tab
3. Select Run All JMeter Assignments in the left sidebar
4. Click Run workflow → Run workflow

Option B — On Push

Any push to main/master automatically triggers all assignments.

First-time setup on a forked repo: GitHub disables Actions on forks by default.
Go to Actions tab → click "I understand my workflows, go ahead and enable them"

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Running Tests Locally

# Assignment 1
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 01/Assignment-1-First_DEMO_LoadTest.jmx" \
  -l results-a1.jtl \
  -e -o report-a1/

# Assignment 2
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 02/Assignment-2-The-Data-Driven-Search.jmx" \
  -l results-a2.jtl \
  -e -o report-a2/

# Assignment 3 – Load Test
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-LoadText.jmx" \
  -l results-a3-load.jtl \
  -e -o report-a3-load/

# Assignment 3 – Soak Test
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-SoakTest.jmx" \
  -l results-a3-soak.jtl \
  -e -o report-a3-soak/

# Assignment 3 – Spike Test
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-SpikeTest.jmx" \
  -l results-a3-spike.jtl \
  -e -o report-a3-spike/

# Assignment 3 – Stress Test
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 03/Assignment-3-StressTest.jmx" \
  -l results-a3-stress.jtl \
  -e -o report-a3-stress/

# Assignment 4
jmeter -n \
  -t "Assignment # 04/petstore-api-test.jmx" \
  -l results-a4.jtl \
  -e -o report-a4/

Ensure JMETER_HOME/bin is on your PATH and jp@gc plugins are installed before running Assignment 3.

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Viewing Reports

Pre-generated Reports (checked into repo)

Assignment	Report Path
Assignment 1	Assignment # 01/report/index.html
Assignment 2	Assignment # 02/report2/index.html

Open index.html in any browser — no server needed.

CI-generated Reports

Download from GitHub Actions → your run → Artifacts section. Extract the zip and open index.html.

JTL Results

Raw .jtl files can be loaded into:

• JMeter GUI → Add → Listener → View Results Tree (load existing results)
• JMeter Dashboard Generator: jmeter -g results.jtl -o report/

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Author

iqraimtiaz-tech · iqra.imtiaz@azm.dev