Break it till you make it - Pushing systems to their limits with load and performance testing.

Every system has a breaking point. The trick is finding it before your users do. In this talk,

Roman Ferstl explores how load and performance testing can be used not just as a

checkbox activity, but as a detective’s toolkit for uncovering hidden bottlenecks, weak

links, and unexpected system behaviors. Along the way, he explains key load-testing

principles, how the tools work, and points to popular open-source and commercial

options.

To bring these ideas to life, Roman will run a live demo in a cloud-native environment:

flooding a Kubernetes cluster with load, watching pods scale up in real time, and

observing what really happens when theory meets traffic. You’ll leave with both practical

techniques and a front-row seat to systems pushed to their limits—and beyond.

Value for the audience:
Attendees will learn how to approach load testing of Kubernetes-based applications in a
practical and structured way. The presentation shows how tools like k6 or NeoLoad can
be used to generate realistic load and how Dynatrace helps observe system behavior,
detect errors, and identify root causes. Participants gain a clear mental model of how
load testing and observability work together and leave with actionable ideas they can
apply in their own projects.

Problems addressed:
How to see what breaks under increased load


How to get started with load testing in modern cloud-native systems

Talk language: English
Level: Advanced
Target group: Performance Engineers, Test Automation Engineers, QA Engineers, Load- and Performance Testers, Site Reliability Engineers

Company:
triscon IT-Services GmbH

Roman Ferstl