Static Network Simulation

Static Network Simulation is a testing method that evaluates how an application performs under specific, unchanging network conditions. Unlike more dynamic testing that introduces a variety of real-world fluctuations, static simulation freezes a network's characteristics—such as bandwidth, latency, and packet loss — at a constant, predefined level. This provides a stable and repeatable testing environment, allowing a quality assurance team to precisely measure an application's behavior and performance without the variability of a real network.

Example: A mobile banking app developer releases a new update to the login feature and wants to ensure its performance hasn't regressed. The quality assurance team performs static network simulation to test the new code. They configure their testing environment to mimic a stable but slow 3G connection with a fixed 100ms latency. The team then runs a login test case, measuring the exact time it takes to authenticate and load the user's dashboard. By repeating this test with the same fixed network conditions, they can determine if the new code has improved or worsened the login's performance.