Test system behavior under extreme load conditions to identify breaking points, capacity limits, and failure modes. Use for stress test, capacity testing, breaking point analysis, spike test, and system limits validation.

Stress Testing Table of Contents [Overview]( overview) [When to Use]( when to use) [Quick Start]( quick start) [Reference Guides]( reference guides) [Best Practices]( best practices) Overview Stress testing pushes systems beyond normal operating capacity to identify breaking points, failure modes, and recovery behavior. It validates system stability under extreme conditions and helps determine maximum capacity before degradation or failure. When to Use Finding system capacity limits Identifying breaking points Testing auto scaling behavior Validating error handling under load Testing recovery after failures Planning capacity requirements Verifying graceful degradation Testing spike traffic handling Quick Start Minimal working example: Reference Guides Detailed implementations in the references/ directory: Guide Contents [k6 Stress Testing](references/k6 stress testing.md) k6 Stress Testing [Spike Testing](references/spike testing.md) Spike Testing [Soak/Endurance Testing](references/soakendurance testing.md) Soak/Endurance Testing [JMeter Stress Test](references/jmeter stress test.md) JMeter Stress Test [Auto Scaling Validation](references/auto scaling validation.md) Auto Scaling Validation [Breaking Point Analysis](references/breaking point analysis.md) Breaking Point Analysis Best Practices ✅ DO Test in production like environment Monitor all system resources Gradually increase load to find limits Test recovery after stress Document breaking points Test auto scaling behavior Plan for graceful degradation Monitor for memory leaks ❌ DON'T Test in production without safeguards Skip recovery testing Ignore warning signs (CPU, memory) Test only success scenarios Assume linear scalability Forget database capacity Skip monitoring third party dependencies Test without proper cleanup

stress-testing