Integrating Locust Reports with Jenkins: A DevOps Best Practice

In the realm of DevOps, performance testing and continuous integration play a pivotal role in ensuring the high quality and stability of your applications. One popular tool for load testing is Locust, a user-friendly, open-source framework that allows you to write user behavior in Python code and simulate thousands of concurrent users.

However, merely running load tests is not sufficient. We also need an efficient means of collecting and visualizing the results. In this blog post, we'll explore the integration of Locust reports with Jenkins, providing a streamlined approach to incorporating performance testing into your CI/CD pipeline.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the integration process, ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

• Locust installed on the system
• Jenkins server up and running
• Python installed on the Jenkins server

Setting Up Locust

Assuming you have already written your Locust test scripts, let’s start by installing the Locust Jenkins plugin. This plugin will allow Jenkins to parse and display Locust test results.

pip install locust

Creating a Jenkins Job

Now, let's configure Jenkins to execute the Locust test. To do this, create a new freestyle project on the Jenkins dashboard:

1. Click on New Item.
2. Enter a name for the project and select Freestyle project.
3. Under Source Code Management, specify the location of your source code (e.g., Git repository).
4. In the Build section, add an Execute shell build step and enter the command to run your Locust tests (e.g., locust -f locustfile.py).

By adding the Execute shell build step, Jenkins will execute the specified Locust command when the job runs.

Integrating Locust Reports

To integrate Locust reports with Jenkins, we’ll utilize the Publish Performance Test Result Report post-build action. This step facilitates the visualization of Locust test results within the Jenkins interface.

1. Scroll down to the Post-build Actions section of the Jenkins job configuration.
2. Click on Add post-build action and select Publish Performance Test Result Report.
3. In the Source data files field, specify the location of the Locust stats file (e.g., stats/locust_stats.csv).

With this configuration, Jenkins will parse the Locust stats file and present the performance test results in a tabular format within the Jenkins job view.

Adding Visualization with HTML Publisher

To enhance the visualization of Locust reports, we can leverage the HTML Publisher plugin for Jenkins.

1. Under Post-build Actions, click on Add post-build action and select Publish HTML Reports.
2. In the HTML directory to archive field, enter the directory containing the Locust HTML report (e.g., reports/).
3. Save the Jenkins job configuration.

By adding the HTML Publisher post-build action, Jenkins will display a link to the Locust HTML report in the Jenkins job view.

Running the Jenkins Job

Once the Jenkins job is configured, simply trigger a build to execute the Locust tests and visualize the performance test results.

Upon completion, navigate to the Jenkins job build page to view the Locust test results and access the HTML report.

The Bottom Line

Integrating Locust reports with Jenkins enriches your CI/CD pipeline with valuable performance insights. It empowers teams to not only run performance tests but also effectively visualize and analyze the results as part of the continuous integration process.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can seamlessly incorporate performance testing into your Jenkins pipelines, enabling teams to identify and address performance issues early in the development lifecycle.

For further exploration, consider delving into advanced configurations such as parameterizing the test execution and integrating with notification mechanisms to alert stakeholders based on test results.

Start harnessing the power of integrating Locust reports with Jenkins to fortify the performance and reliability of your applications within your DevOps endeavors.

Remember, in the world of DevOps, continuous performance testing is key to achieving optimal application performance and end-user satisfaction.

Locust - Official Locust website Jenkins - Official Jenkins website