Skip to content

What is Gatling?

Gatling is an open-source, JVM-based testing tool used for load and performance testing of high-traffic systems. It is built on the Scala language and focuses on performing robust performance tests, particularly on HTTP-based applications, REST APIs, and microservice architectures.

The most notable difference of Gatling is its ability to simulate a high number of concurrent users with significantly lower system resources. It achieves this by using an asynchronous and non-blocking architecture, rather than the traditional thread-per-user approach. This makes it possible to generate a much higher user load on the same hardware.

When is Gatling Preferred?

  • In performance analysis of high-traffic web applications
  • In stress and endurance testing of APIs
  • In service-based performance measurements in microservice architectures
  • To run automated performance tests in CI/CD pipelines

Key Advantages

  • Scenarios can be defined with code (Infrastructure as Code approach)
  • Realistic user behavior simulation
  • Detailed and visual HTML reports
  • Suitable for CI/CD integrations