computer science

Web server benchmarking

Web server benchmarking is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Web server benchmarking rather than just read about it. In short: Web server benchmarking is the process of estimating a web server performance in order to find if the server can serve sufficiently high workload. Key parameters The performance is usually measured in terms of: Number of requests that can be served per second (depending on the type of request, etc.); Latency response time in milliseconds for each new connection or request; Throughput in bytes per second (depending o…

Key takeaways

Web server benchmarking belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Web server benchmarking to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Web server benchmarking from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Web server benchmarking is the process of estimating a web server performance in order to find if the server can serve sufficiently high workload.

Key parameters The performance is usually measured in terms of:

Number of requests that can be served per second (depending on the type of request, etc.); Latency response time in milliseconds for each new connection or request; Throughput in bytes per second (depending on file size, cached or not cached content, available network bandwidth, etc.). The measurements must be performed under a varying load of clients and requests per client.

Tools for benchmarking Load testing (stress/performance testing) a web server can be performed using automation/analysis tools such as:

Apache JMeter, an open-source Java load testing tool ApacheBench (or ab), a command line program bundled with Apache HTTP Server Siege, an open-source web-server load testing and benchmarking tool Wrk, an open-source C load testing tool Locust, an open-source Python load testing tool

Web application benchmarks Web application benchmarks measure the performance of application servers and database servers used to host web applications. TPC-W was a common benchmark emulating an online bookstore with synthetic workload generation.

References

External links Microsoft's patterns & practices Performance Testing Guidance for Web Applications Stress tools to test your Web server at Microsoft's knowledge base Open Source Performance Testing tools SPECweb2009 Release 1.20 Benchmark Design Document HTTP(S) benchmark tools, testing/debugging h2load - HTTP/2 benchmarking tool - HOW-TO

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Web server benchmarking

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Web server benchmarking claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Web server benchmarking before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Web server benchmarking ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Web server benchmarking

In research: Web server benchmarking appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Web server benchmarking in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Web server benchmarking is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Benchmarks (computing), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Web server benchmarking outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Web server benchmarking in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Web server benchmarking means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Web server benchmarking out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Web server benchmarking in simple terms?

Web server benchmarking is the process of estimating a web server performance in order to find if the server can serve sufficiently high workload. Key parameters The performance is usually measured in terms of: Number of requests that can be served per second (depending on the type of request, etc…

Why does Web server benchmarking matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Web server benchmarking?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Web server benchmarking.