Role Of Performance Testing For Web-RTC Applications

WebRTC application testing is complex.

One can effectively see the need for straightforward testing approach and an apt automation strategy. This might include everything from 1:1 video chats to optimize product under test or arranging large group video calls or live broadcasts to thousands of people or more for checking on real-time latency.

Unlike other web technologies, WebRTC has three distinctive features that need access to performance testing services. These include:

• Web-RTC Being A Resource Hog

This results in challenges when allocating resources for large-scale tests.

• Highly Interactive

Scaling tests with a single human tester are almost impossible because a situation involving several persons requires multiple people.

• The Use Of Metrics

Using typical online analytics to judge success or failure is worthless. The metrics specific to WebRTC need to be obtained and examined.

The use of WebRTC has dramatically increased along with the demand for remote communication and collaboration. It has evolved from being a niche technology to becoming essential to many businesses and individuals worldwide.

What Is Web-RTC?

Real-time communication nowadays encompasses more than simply audio and video transmission. It makes it challenging to gather and process all metrics to be delivered to all users in a session because it includes cross-platform chat messages, recordings, file sharing, and screen sharing across various network settings.

It is simple to implement real-time communication between various platforms thanks to WebRTC (web real-time communication), which has established itself as a unified solution that offers protocols and APIs for peer-to-peer connections without requiring various custom interfaces, plugins, and external integrations. Only a URL is needed for WebRTC; its protocols and APIs take care of managing P2P connections, sending data, and capturing media.

How Web-RTC Applications Are Helping Different Business Verticals?

• Business Communications

Telephony has advanced significantly during the past few years, from circuit-switched systems to VoIP, from fixed lines to mobile networks. As IoT and browser communications are expected to fuel future telecom growth, WebRTC is now the main engine of telecom innovation.

Even a small delay of a few seconds is clearly apparent when participating in a video conference. Users don't have to deal with a codec that can't support high-level data streams with WebRTC, nor do they have to download large plugins and programs. Your conference calls—audio or video—can go off without a hitch.

One of WebRTC's key features is file sharing. File hosting, sharing, and recording are all expanding right now. Making and hosting videos on your website aids in brand promotion and customer connection development.

• E-commerce

Instead of waiting for the website to load, reading through it to learn more, and then looking for a phone number to call, what if you could click on an ad and get in touch with the business right away? WebRTC transforms how consumers engage with advertisements and businesses.

• Healthcare

Startups and healthcare providers are hopping on the WebRTC train. WebRTC video streaming makes your feed safer and less likely to cut out if you need to see a professional anywhere in the world. All people now have access to medical innovation thanks to WebRTC. Their location or mobility will no longer hinder a patient's capacity to access healthcare.

• IoT

Social media apps like Facebook Messenger, Discord, and Houseparty were among the first to use WebRTC. As doorbells broadcast video to your phone and remote building security and access employ voice and video, it is now included in the category of smart home gadgets.

Why Performance Testing Is Essential For Web-RTC Applications?

WebRTC has become the foundation of applications that provide communication services without the need for extra plugins as a result of the development of the digital world and the widespread adoption of various sectors on the web. All current browsers support WebRTC, which can also integrate your applications and embedded devices.

A few years ago, programmers utilized C/C++ to create video communication software. The drawbacks of this were longer development times and higher costs. However, the process of video conferencing for team collaborations has significantly improved thanks to WebRTC.

This industry-wide technology enables real-time video conversations on the web and mobile applications. This technology makes it simple for teams to communicate remotely by streamlining integration, cutting costs, and guaranteeing browser compatibility while upholding corporate security standards.

Depending on the needs of the project, the following two helpful methods can be used to evaluate the performance of WebRTC-based apps:

• Real Sessions

The performance tests are run using genuine live user sessions, as their name suggests. This is helpful when evaluating an application's user experience with fewer users.

• Synthetic Sessions

Synthetic Sessions use pre-made media feeds and synthetic traffic that may be inserted into user sessions. It is primarily utilized using load testing software that provides WebRTC testing services.

KPIs For Measuring WebRTC Performance

Since everyone customizes real-time communication applications using WebRTC's vast collection of libraries, there is an increased requirement for performance analysis of individual components.

Some crucial variables that must be measured are listed below:

• Buffering rate

• Success connections

• Average load time for the session's first stream.

• Time to respond to the media server

• Loss of packets leading to pixelated media

• Consecutive Session

• Peers' Connection Time

• Lag time for receiving the media stream

• Bit rate on average

• Jitter

Here are some recommendations for conducting the WebRTC test:

• During the test, take into account steady and unstable networks, media feeds with various formats, and various session sizes.

• To experience the test as a genuine user, enroll in it.

• To establish a quicker connection between peers, WebRTC server components should be well-tuned.

• Monitoring the functionality of media and signaling servers is also necessary.

Tools Used For Performance Testing Of WebRTC Applications

The market is filled with many tools that assist in testing WebRTC-based applications. However, the following factors should be taken into account when choosing a WebRTC load-testing tool, consider the following points:

• Custom media feeds of different resolutions.

• Test the configuration with various hardware, locations, and networks.

• Recording of a live test session

• Simulating several user sessions

• In-built APM support

Here are some of the helpful features of two well-known WebRTC testing tools, Loadero and TestRTC:

Loadero

Run tests on actual browsers with Loadero's support for Selenium with Java and JS, media files built-in to simulate a microphone and webcam, options to choose network conditioning, browser versions, computing clients, and media feeds, and access to client machine statistics, browser logs, selenium logs, and WebRTC stats and data dumps.

TestRTC

This allows a range of media codecs; network connection speed and characteristics; configurable KPIs; and the capacity to conduct extensive tests. Moreover, it offers metrics data for other devices, including bit rate, packet loss, and CPU consumption.

Wrapping Up!

Performance testing for your WebRTC Applications should be done with both live sessions, which provide real user-based experience, and predicted synthetic data. Sticking to these could give better insights for session quality specific to networks and devices. Moreover, it enables developers to get useful results from WebRTC-based applications and leverage more benefits.

However, fetching such level of accuracy requires effective collaboration with a performance testing service provider who could enhance the entire SDLC and STLC. Especially, considering the ever-increasing need for more refined and richer communication, missing on any performance related details could be a threat to product success.