Using Phantom to run a fixed-load HTTPS test
Yandex Load Testing can be used for testing a fixed-load service over HTTPS using the Phantom load generator.
To perform load testing:
- Prepare your cloud.
- Prepare a test target.
- Prepare the infrastructure.
- Create an agent.
- Prepare a file with test data.
- Run a test.
If you no longer need the resources you created, delete them.
Prepare your cloud
Sign up for Yandex Cloud and create a billing account:
- Go to the management console
and log in to Yandex Cloud or create an account if you do not have one yet. - On the Yandex Cloud Billing
page, make sure you have a billing account linked and it has theACTIVE
orTRIAL_ACTIVE
status. If you do not have a billing account, create one.
If you have an active billing account, you can go to the cloud page
Learn more about clouds and folders.
Required paid resources
If the agent is hosted on Yandex Cloud, a fee is charged for computing resources (see Yandex Compute Cloud pricing).
At the Preview stage, Load Testing can be used free of charge.
Prepare a test target
In this example, we'll test a service with the 172.17.0.10
internal IP address in the same subnet as the agent.
Make sure the service is accessed over HTTPS using the default port: 443
.
You can also use Load Testing for loading testing of a service that is public or located in a subnet and security group other than those of the agent.
For a public service, allow incoming HTTPS traffic to port 443
.
For a service whose subnet and security group differ from the agent's ones, create a rule for incoming HTTPS traffic to port 443
in the security group where the test target is located.
Prepare the infrastructure
Create a service account
- Create a service account named
sa-loadtest
in the folder to host the agent that will generate the load. - Assign the following roles to the service account:
loadtesting.generatorClient
: Allows running the agent, performing tests on the agent, and uploading the results to storage.compute.admin
: Allows managing VMs in Compute Cloud.vpc.user
: Allows connecting to Virtual Private Cloud network resources and using them.
Configure a network
Create and configure a NAT gateway in the subnet where your test target is and the agent will be hosted. This ensures the agent has access to Load Testing.
Configure security groups
-
Set up the test agent's security group:
- Create an agent security group named
agent-sg
. - Add rules:
-
Rule for outgoing HTTPS traffic to the Load Testing public API:
- Port range:
443
- Protocol:
TCP
- Destination name:
CIDR
- CIDR blocks:
0.0.0.0/0
This will allow connecting the agent to Load Testing to manage tests from the interface and get test results.
- Port range:
-
Rule for incoming SSH traffic:
- Port range:
22
- Protocol:
TCP
- Destination name:
CIDR
- CIDR blocks:
0.0.0.0/0
This will allow you to connect to the agent over SSH and manage tests from the console or collect debugging information.
- Port range:
-
Rule for outgoing traffic when generating load to the test target:
- Port range:
0-65535
- Protocol:
Any
- Destination name:
Security group
SelectFrom list
. Specify the security group where the test target is located.
Create this rule for each test target with a unique security group.
- Port range:
-
- Create an agent security group named
-
Set up the test target's security group:
-
Create the test target's security group named
load-target-sg
. -
Add a rule for incoming traffic when generating load to the test target:
- Port range:
0-65535
. - Protocol:
Any
. - Select
From list
. Specify the security group where the test target is located.
This rule allows agents to generate load to this target or enable additional monitoring tools.
- Port range:
-
Create a test agent
-
If you do not have an SSH key pair yet, create one.
-
Create an agent.
Management console-
In the management console
, select the folder where you want to create your agent. -
In the list of services, select Load Testing.
-
In the Agents tab, click Create agent.
-
Give your agent a name, e.g.,
agent-008
. -
Specify the same availability zone where the test target is located.
-
Under Agent:
- Select the appropriate agent type. For more information, see Agent performance.
- Specify the subnet where the test target is located. Make sure you created and set up a NAT gateway in the subnet.
- If security groups are available to you, select a security group preset for the agent.
-
Under Access, specify the information required to access the agent:
-
Select the
sa-loadtest
service account. -
Enter the username in the Login field.
Alert
Do not use the
root
username or other names reserved by the operating system. To perform operations that require superuser permissions, use thesudo
command. -
In the SSH key field, paste the contents of the public key file.
-
-
Click Create.
-
Wait for the VM instance to create. Make sure the agent status changes to
Ready for test
.Note
The agent creation process may stop at the
Initializing connection
status unless the following conditions are met:- The agent has access to
loadtesting.api.cloud.yandex.net:443
and is assigned a public IP address. - A NAT gateway is set up in the target subnet.
- The service account assigned to the agent has the required roles.
- The agent has access to
-
-
Assign a public IP to the agent to enable access over SSH:
Management console- In the management console
, select the folder where the agent is located. - Select Compute Cloud.
- Select the VM named
agent-008
. - Under Network interface, in the top-right corner, click
and select Add public IP address. - In the window that opens:
- In the Public address field, select obtaining a Auto address.
- Click Add.
- In the management console
Prepare a file with test data
-
Generate payloads in URI format:
[Host: 172.17.0.10] [Connection: Close] / index /test?param1=1¶m2=2 get_test
Please note that the
Connection: Close
header means each connection is terminated after making a request. This mode is heavier on the application and load generator. If you do not need to close connections, setKeep-Alive
.There are also two requests tagged
index
andget_test
. The load generator will repeat them within a given load profile. -
Save the payloads to a file named
data.uri
.
Run a test
-
In the management console
, select Load Testing. -
In the left-hand panel, select
Tests. Click Create test. -
In the Agents parameter, select
agent-008
. -
Under Attached files, select
From computer
, click Attach file, and select thedata.uri
file. -
Under Test settings, select a configuration method:
Form
orConfig
. -
Depending on the selected method, specify the test parameters:
FormConfiguration file-
In the Load generator field, select
PHANTOM
. -
In the Target address field, specify the address of the service to test:
172.17.0.10
. -
In the Target port field, set
443
(default HTTPS port). Allow using a secure connection. -
In the Testing threads field, specify
5000
.This means that the load generator can simultaneously process 5000 operations: either create 5000 connections or wait for 5000 responses from the service at the same time.
Tip
For most tests, 1000–10000 threads are enough.
Using a larger number of threads requires more resources of the VM the agent is running on. Compute Cloud also has a limit of 50000 of concurrent connections to a VM.
-
In the Load type menu, select
RPS
. -
Add a Load profile:
- Profile: Select
const
. - Responses per second: Set
2000
. - Duration: Specify
10m
.
This instructs the load generator to maintain a load of 2000 requests per second for 10 minutes.
- Profile: Select
-
In the Request type field, select
URI
. -
In the Autostop menu, click
Autostop and enter the following description:-
Autostop type:
INSTANCES
. -
Limit:
90%
. -
Window duration:
60s
.This means a test will be stopped if 90% of testing threads are used for 60 seconds, which indicates a testing issue.
-
-
Under Test information, specify the name, description, and number of the test version. This will make the report easier to read.
-
In the configuration input field, specify the testing thread settings in
yaml
format:phantom: enabled: true package: yandextank.plugins.Phantom address: 172.17.0.10:443 # test target address ammo_type: uri load_profile: load_type: rps schedule: const(2000,5m) # load schedule: 2000 requests per second for 5 minutes ssl: true instances: 5000 # number of threads ammofile: ammo_file core: {} autostop: # autostop enabled: true package: yandextank.plugins.Autostop autostop: - instances(90%,60s) # stop the test if 90% of testing threads are used for 60 seconds, meaning there are testing issues uploader: enabled: true package: yandextank.plugins.DataUploader job_name: '[example][phantom][const]' job_dsc: 'example' ver: '0.5.5' api_address: loadtesting.api.cloud.yandex.net:443
Tip
View a sample configuration file. You can also find sample configuration files in existing tests.
-
-
Click Create.
Afterwards, the configuration will be verified, and the agent will start loading the service being tested.
To see the testing progress, select the created test and go to the Test results tab.
How to delete the resources you created
To stop paying for the resources created, just delete the agent.