%% date:: [[2022-11-02]] Parent:: [[Load Testing]], [[Executing load tests]] %% # [[Load generation - cloud vs on-prem]] the location of the load generator(s), where the traffic is coming *from*, can also have an impact on your test results. The question is: where are your end users located? #### On-premises On-premises load testing can be ideal when testing early on in the development a website, or when there are machines that can be repurposed as load generators. However, testing entirely from within a corporate network may also yield false positives, in that response times reported are significantly lower than if the same application servers were accessed from across the country. If your website is an internal one, meant for employee consumption, on-premise load generators may be the only type of load generator you have. #### Cloud If your website is external, however, you may find that the results you get from on-premise load testing does not adequately approximate results that real users are likely to see. For most public websites, using cloud-based load generators is an essential part of the testing strategy. Below are some things for you to consider: - Using cloud providers gives you access to test in different states and geographical countries, creating a mix of load generators proportional to your users' locations. - Cloud load generators are easier to provision than on-premise ones. - Machines on the cloud are often cheaper in the long run, as they are ephemeral and easily torn down when not in use. - If your application uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN), the speed with which your CDN can serve resources to users may change dramatically depending on where the users are located. Load testing on the cloud can help you include the effects of network latency in your tests and yield results that are more realistic.