When it comes to performance testing, whether you’re a seasoned expert or a complete novice, having the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference. Enter TruClient, a powerful solution designed to streamline the testing process for web and mobile applications. But what exactly makes TruClient such a valuable tool?
In essence, TruClient protocols allow you to test web and mobile applications quickly, easily and efficiently.
Most performance test scripting tools work on a protocol level; however, TruClient records your actions in real-time.
This significantly speeds up the script creation process and allows you to capture true end-to-end application performance, including protocol level and front-end performance, e.g. how long screens or pages load.
TruClient Makes Testing Easier for Seasoned Testers and Novices Alike
TruClient is available in LoadRunner Cloud, LoadRunner Professional and LoadRunner Enterprise. It is powerful, flexible and provides benefits to all performance testers, regardless of their experience.
For the Experienced Performance Tester:
TruClient captures the user experience more than other performance testing approaches. It does this by measuring the elusive end-to-end response time, which includes latency, browser rendering time, client-side processing, and image loads.
Unlike traditional Web HTTP/HTML protocols that primarily measure server-side processing time, TruClient offers a comprehensive view of the user’s interaction with the application.
This approach ensures that full application performance is evaluated, providing deeper insights into potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement.
For the Less Experienced Performance Tester:
One of TruClient’s standout features is its ease of use—there is no need for extensive coding knowledge.
The tool’s graphical interface allows for fast and efficient performance testing without the steep learning curve typically associated with performance testing tools.
This means you can quickly get up to speed and start testing your applications, saving valuable time and resources.
Exploring TruClient: Beyond the Basics
While TruClient’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive performance metrics make it an invaluable tool, there is much more to discover.
Here are some key features that make TruClient a must-have in your performance testing toolkit.
Fast Scripting and Easy Conversion
One of TruClient’s standout features is its ability to script quickly and efficiently.
While powerful, TruClient scripts can be heavy on CPU and memory usage, leading to higher test execution costs. However, you can resolve this issue by creating scripts quickly with TruClient and then converting them to HTTP protocols with a simple click in VuGen (Virtual User Generator).
This capability significantly reduces scripting and script maintenance time—converting TruClient scripts to HTTP allows you to balance performance and cost-effectiveness.
For instance, you can run most of your scripts using the cheaper HTTP protocol and reserve TruClient for critical scenarios.
Typically, a 90:10 ratio allows you to achieve the best of both worlds: cost efficiency and comprehensive performance testing.
For more details on converting TruClient to HTTP, check out the official documentation.
Monitoring Device Performance
TruClient is particularly useful when monitoring application performance on a device.
TruClient captures metrics such as client-side processing and browser rendering to ensure you understand how your application performs in real-world scenarios.
This means you get a complete view of end-to-end performance rather than just focusing on server response times.
Diverse TruClient Protocols
TruClient supports various protocols, making it versatile enough to handle different testing needs. The main types of TruClient protocols include:
- Web: For testing web applications.
- Native Mobile: For testing applications on mobile devices.
- Mobile Web: For testing web applications accessed via mobile browsers.
Each protocol is tailored to provide the most accurate performance metrics for its respective platform.
For more information on the different types of TruClient protocols, visit the official documentation.
Understanding LoadRunner Cloud Licenses Types (Important for the next bit)
As mentioned above, TruClient is available in LoadRunner Cloud, LoadRunner Professional and LoadRunner Enterprise.
In the next section, I’m going to show you a pricing example based on LoadRunner Cloud, but before I do this it’s important to explain the different LoadRunner Cloud licenses. Understanding these options can help you optimise costs based on your testing needs.
- Vusers: This license allows you to test daily up to the number of Virtual Users you have purchased. Vusers are ideal for active performance testing teams or for running extensive soak tests. Unlike some cloud tools, LoadRunner Cloud imposes no limits on the number or duration of tests.
- Virtual User Hours (VUH): This option lets you buy Vusers by the hour. It’s perfect for less busy performance testing teams or for accessing protocols you use infrequently.
- Combining Vusers and VUH: Combining Vusers and VUH provides flexibility. You can manage normal test loads with Vusers and scale up for peak or seasonal tests with VUH— this approach offers the best of both worlds at a competitive price.
Note that similar licencing models are available for LoadRunner Professional and LoadRunner Enterprise, but with Virtual User Flex Days (VUFDs) instead of VUHs.
Example Pricing for TruClient and Web Protocols
Now that you know how LoadRunner Cloud licenses work, we can put together a typical pricing model to illustrate the costs and benefits of combining different license and protocol types.
Let’s consider an example company that runs the following performance tests:
- Standard tests: 200 users twice per week for four hours.
- Peak tests: 500 once per month for one hour.
We’ll look at how they can drive prices down by over 86% by getting creative with license types. Note that this is entirely within the rules and requires minimal additional effort—clicking a button to convert TruClient scripts to HTTP scripts.
Licensing Approach 1: TruClient Vusers Only:
- 500 Vusers: £91,600
The most basic way to tackle this problem is to just go ahead and buy 500 TruClient Vusers. That covers you to run as many tests as you want, every day up to 500 users. As I said though, it is expensive!
We can bring that price down a lot by utilising Virtual User Hours.
Licensing Approach 2: TruClient Vusers + VUH:
- 200 Vusers: £36,650
- 300 VUH per month: £3,880
- Total: £40,530
As you can see, by blending TruClient Vusers and VUHs, we can already bring the price down by over 55% to £51,070!
We can save even more when we convert the TruClient scripts to HTTP.
Licensing Approach 3: Web Protocol Vusers + VUH, TruClient VUH:
- 200 Web Vusers: £11,290
- 250 Web VUH per month: £690
- 50 TruClient VUH per month: £780
- Total: £12,760
By using Web Protocol (HTTP scripts) for 90% of the tests and TruClient for 10%, we can achieve a cost-effective solution and save a further £27,700 compared to using only TruClient.
You still get the benefits of TruClient; scripting speed and full end-to-end performance, but you its much cheaper because you’re running most of the performance tests on a protocol level.
That’s a total saving of £78,740 through efficient license usage!
TruClient: Quick, Easy & Powerful Performance Testing
As we’ve seen, TruClient is an essential tool for performance testing, offering robust features that cater to both experienced and novice testers. Whether you need to test web or mobile applications, TruClient provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies testing and reduces the learning curve.
Real-time recording and comprehensive performance metrics make it invaluable for capturing end-to-end application performance.
For experienced testers, TruClient delivers a detailed view of user interactions, enabling deeper insights into potential bottlenecks and performance issues.
For beginners, the lack of extensive coding requirements means you can quickly get started and achieve meaningful results.
Moreover, the ability to convert TruClient scripts to HTTP protocols with a click in VuGen adds a layer of flexibility and cost-efficiency. By strategically combining LoadRunner Cloud licenses—Vusers and Virtual User Hours (VUH)—you can manage everyday testing and peak loads effectively, ensuring you get the best performance at a competitive price.
In summary, TruClient’s powerful scripting, diverse protocol support, and cost-effective licensing options make it a must-have in your performance testing toolkit.
Embrace TruClient to ensure your applications deliver the best possible user experience, optimise costs, and streamline your testing efforts.
Get in touch today to learn more about TruClient and how easy performance testing can be!
