Load Testing That Runs on Every Deploy

A custom k6 or Locust test suite built for your codebase, integrated into your CI/CD pipeline, and configured with threshold-based regression detection — so every significant deployment is automatically validated against performance baselines.

Duration: 5 days Team: 1 Senior Load Testing Engineer

You might be experiencing...

Load tests are run manually before big releases but not routinely — regressions slip through between tests
Your existing load tests were written once and are now out of date with the current API surface
Test data setup is so painful that engineers skip load testing entirely
CI/CD has unit and integration tests but no performance gate — anyone can merge a performance regression

A load test suite embedded in CI/CD transforms load testing from a pre-release ceremony into a continuous quality gate. Every significant deployment is automatically validated against performance baselines — without any engineer having to remember to run a test. Regressions are caught at the source, by the developer who introduced them, before they reach users.

The foundation of an effective CI/CD load test suite is scenario design: 12 scenarios that cover your critical user journeys at realistic concurrency levels. A test suite that covers edge cases but misses the checkout flow has an obvious gap; a suite that covers the checkout flow but not the search and browsing flows that precede it gives an incomplete picture. We design scenarios from your actual traffic distribution, not from API documentation.

Test data generation is the most common reason load test suites fail to be maintained: if running a test requires 30 minutes of manual data setup, engineers will skip it under time pressure. We build test data generators that create realistic, isolated test data automatically as part of the test run — so running the suite requires exactly zero manual preparation steps.

Engagement Phases

Days 1–2

Test Design & Scripting

We analyse your API surface, user journey analytics, and production traffic patterns to identify the 12 most critical test scenarios. We script each scenario in k6 or Locust, using modular design for reusability. We build test data generators that create realistic data without manual setup.

Days 3–4

CI/CD Integration

We integrate the test suite into your GitHub Actions or GitLab CI pipeline with configurable execution profiles: a fast 5-minute smoke test on every PR, a full 30-minute regression test on merge to main, and a weekly 4-hour soak test. We configure threshold-based pass/fail gates (P99 < baseline × 1.1, error rate < 0.1%).

Day 5

Documentation & Handoff

We produce comprehensive documentation for the test suite: scenario descriptions, test data setup, how to add new scenarios, how to interpret results, and how to adjust thresholds. We run an enablement session with your team and pair on adding a new scenario to transfer the scripting skills.

Deliverables

12 documented load test scenarios with k6/Locust scripts
CI/CD integration (GitHub Actions / GitLab CI) with three execution profiles
Test data generators for each scenario
Threshold configuration with regression detection logic
Test suite documentation and scenario addition guide

Before & After

MetricBeforeAfter
Test scenariosAd-hoc12 documented
CI/CD integrationNoneAutomated on every deploy
Regression detectionManualThreshold-based automatic

Tools We Use

k6 or Locust GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Test data generators

Frequently Asked Questions

k6 or Locust — which do you recommend?

k6 is our default recommendation for most teams: JavaScript-based scripting, excellent CI/CD integration, low resource consumption, and a strong open-source ecosystem. Locust is better for teams who prefer Python and need more complex user behaviour simulation with its cooperative concurrency model. We recommend based on your team's language familiarity and existing tooling.

How do you handle authentication in load tests?

We implement authentication in the load test setup phase: pre-generating test user credentials, implementing OAuth flows for token acquisition, or using API key injection from CI/CD secrets. We never hardcode credentials in test scripts — all authentication data is injected via environment variables that CI/CD manages.

What happens when a threshold is violated in CI?

The CI job fails, which blocks merge (if configured on PR) or creates a deploy failure notification (if configured on merge). The job output includes the specific threshold that was violated, the measured value, and a link to the full test results. We configure Slack or email notifications for threshold violations so the responsible engineer is notified immediately.

Know Your Scaling Ceiling

Book a free 30-minute capacity scope call with our load testing engineers. We review your architecture, traffic expectations, and upcoming scaling events — and scope the load test that will give you the data you need.

Talk to an Expert