Introducing Ballast: An Adaptive Load Test Framework

Introducing Ballast: An Adaptive Load Test Framework

摘要

As Uber’s architecture has grown to encompass thousands of interdependent microservices, we need to test our mission-critical components at max load in order to preserve reliability. Accurate load testing allows us to validate if a set of services are working at peak usage and optimal efficiency while retaining reliability.

Load testing those services within a short time frame comes with its unique set of challenges. Most of these load tests historically involved writing, running, and supervising tests manually. Moreover, the degree to which tests accurately represent production traffic patterns gradually decreases over time as traffic organically evolves, imposing a long-term maintenance burden. The scope of the load testing effort continuously increases as the number of services grows, incurring a hidden cost to adding new features.