Free Tools for Mobile App Performance Testing with Appium


Hardly any modern-day organization would think of functioning without a mobile application. Over 60% of businesses have an app or are in the process of developing one. However, building an app isn’t enough. You must test it across various performance parameters to ensure that it fulfills performance expectations and provides the desired experience to users.
Appium is a mobile app testing automation tool that makes app testing easy. Let’s take a look at how performance testing with Appium works, and what are some free tools that one can also use -
Benefits of Mobile App Performance Testing
Mobile app performance testing has many benefits. From enhancing the overall performance of an app, to making it more robust, and improving user experience. Mobile app performance testing allows to -
Detect functionality or concurrence issues
Determine how much load is supported
Gauge the actions to be performed to eliminate risks
Determine the application capacity and how much it can be increased
What is Appium?
Appium is a free and open-source tool that lets you automate native and hybrid mobile/web applications. It enables you to use the same API to write tests against multiple platforms, like iOS, Android, and Windows.
Automation with Appium works similarly to Selenium. Both Appium and Selenium are cross-platform test automation frameworks. The only difference is that Selenium supports major desktop browsers and operating systems, whereas Appium is more focused on mobile platforms.
Here are some reasons to use Appium for mobile testing automation.
Free and open-source
Enables testing of native and hybrid applications for desktop and mobile
Offers support for numerous programming languages, including Python, Java, Ruby, and more
Allows cross-platform testing on real devices, simulators, and emulators
Free Tools for App Testing with Appium
There are various free and open-source libraries and programs that you can use for performance testing with Appium. Here’s a look at some of the best programs -
1. Tcpdump
tcpdump is a network analyzer program and protocol analysis tool based on the libpcap interface. It runs under a command-line interface and allows you to display packets like TCP/IP over a computer system. tcpdump is a free software tool distributed under the BSD license.
This program is available under most Unix/Linux-based operating systems. It lets you save captured packets in pcap format for future analysis.
This packet analyzer helps you track and analyze the network traffic. Thus, it comes as a handy tool when resolving and troubleshooting network issues.
A tcpdump is used in specific applications such as to intercept and display another computer’s or user’s communication. It is also helpful in viewing account credentials of users acting as routers through which unencrypted data like telnet or HTTP passes.
2. Wireshark
Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer tool used for network analysis and troubleshooting and software and communications protocols development. It allows you to capture data on the local network and save it for offline analysis.
Wireshark can gather network traffic from the following connections: Bluetooth, Wireless, Ethernet, Token Ring, and Frame Relay.
Wireshark, too, runs on the libpcap format, and hence, it can exchange network traces with tcpdump, CA NetMaster, and other applications using the same format.
Enable distributed and crowdsourced testing with secure low-latency access to your remote devices.
Some salient features of Wireshark are:
Capture data from a live network connection
Read live data from multiple network types
Browse captured data using a GUI or terminal
Edit or capture converted files using command-line switches
Refine data display using a display filter
Create plug-ins for dissecting new protocols
Detect VoIP calls in the captured traffic
Capture raw USB traffic
Filter wireless connection
Assign settings, filters, and timers to filter the output
Wireshark allows mobile applications to learn about the network traffic layers used by applications if the application goes direct without honoring proxy settings. The http traffic can be observed to find and fix configuration issues by working at the network traffic level instead of the proxy.
3. Android Profiler
The Android Profiler by Google is a replacement for Android Monitor tools in Android Studio 3.0 and higher. It provides real-time insights into how an app uses memory, CPU, battery, and network. It is compatible with Android 5.0 and higher (API level 21).
Profiling is an essential aspect of testing a mobile app’s performance. An app is said to have poor performance if it consumes a lot of power, responds slowly, or crashes/freezes. App profiling helps you determine if your app is consuming excessive device resources.
App profiling helps you track the following components of an app’s performance:
CPU usage
Memory consumption
Battery usage
Network usage
4. Stetho
Stetho is a free and open-source debug library for Android apps. It enables you to use chrome debugging tools to troubleshoot network traffic, making the debugging process rich and interactive for developers. You can also use the dumpapp tool to add a powerful command-line to app internals.
Stetho offers a seamless setup and integration process. Critical features of Stetho are:
Chrome DevTools
Network Inspection
Database Inspection
View Hierarchy
Dumpapp
Javascript Console
Custom dumpapp plug-ins
5. mitmproxy
mitmproxy is an open-source and interactive HTTPS proxy that enables seamless HTTP and HTTPS communication.
Other tools available with mitmproxy are mitmweb and mitmdump. mitmweb is a web-based interface for mitmproxy, whereas mitmdump is mitmproxy’s command-line version. Think of it as tcpdump for HTTP.
Key features of mitmproxy are:
Intercept HTTPS and HTTP requests
Save HTTP conversations for later analysis
Replay client-side HTTP conversations of previous HTTP responses
Forward traffic to browsers with reverse proxy mode
Transparent proxy mode for Linux and macOS
SSL/TLS certifications
Make changes to HTTP traffic using Python
From Small Lab to Enterprise Scale
While Appium can be effectively implemented at a small lab level for initial testing and development purposes, one of its key advantages is its ability to scale. When paired with a platform like HeadSpin, Appium tests can be scaled up to handle thousands of tests across numerous device platforms simultaneously. This scalability is essential for organizations that need to ensure consistent performance across a diverse range of devices, operating systems, and network conditions - something that becomes increasingly critical as your app's user base grows.
Conclusion
Various tools for mobile app testing are available, with Appium being one of the most popular. Mobile app performance testing with Appium lets you automate testing across mobile platforms.
Originally Published:- https://www.headspin.io/blog/free-tools-for-mobile-app-performance-testing-with-appium
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Written by

Sam Atinkson
Sam Atinkson
Sam Atkinson is a results-driven SEO Executive with 3 Years of experience in optimizing digital visibility and driving organic growth. Skilled in developing and executing strategic SEO initiatives, Sam excels in keyword research, technical audits, and competitor analysis to elevate online presence and improve search engine rankings. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering measurable results, Sam collaborates cross-functionally to align SEO efforts with business objectives and enhance website performance. Committed to staying ahead of industry trends.