browser-perf

- Is a NodeJS based tool
- For measuring browser performance metrics (like frame rates, expensive layouts, paints, styles, etc.)
- For Web pages, Cordova/Phonegap and other Hybrid applications.
- Metrics are measured while mimicking real user interactions - clicking buttons, typing content, etc.
- Tool collects the metrics from sources like about:tracing, Chrome Devtools timeline, IE UI Responsiveness tab, Xperf, etc.
- Monitor this information regularly by integrating the tool with continuous integration systems.

Documentation

Read more on why browser-perf here.

Please see the wiki pages for more information.
You can find information about supported browsers, getting started, command line usage, reference for the Node API etc.

Usage

$3

Install the tool using npm install -g browser-perf and then run

``
$ browser-perf http://yourwebsite.com --browsers=chrome,firefox --selenium=ondemand.saucelabs.com --username=username --accesskey=accesskey
`

- Replace username and access key with the saucelabs.com username and accesskey
- If you have Selenium set up, you could substitute ondemand.saucelabs.com with localhost:4444/wd/hub
- You can also use BrowserStack credentials and substitute ondemand.saucelabs.com with hub.browserstack.com

See the wiki page for an extensive list of command line options and more usage scenarios.

Here is a video of the command line usage

Node Module

browser-perf is also a node module and has the following API

`javascript

var browserPerf = require('browser-perf');
browserPerf('/URL of the page to be tested/', function(err, res) {
// res - array of objects. Metrics for this URL
if (err) {
console.log('ERROR: ' + err);
} else {
console.log(res);
}
}, {
selenium: 'http://localhost:4444/wd/hub',
browsers: ['chrome', 'firefox']
username: SAUCE_USERNAME // if running tests on the cloud
});

``
See the API wiki page for more details on configuring.
Instructions on using it for Cordova apps is also on the wiki

Scenario

- Websites can become slow
- over time as more CSS and Javascript is added
- due to a single commit that adds expensive CSS (like gradients)
- We use tools in Chrome or Internet Explorer only when the site is too slow.
- Tools like YSlow and Page Speed are great, but will it not be better if the are a part of continuous integration?
- Tools like this(http://npmjs.org/package/browser-perf) and Phantomas can fill the gap to monitor site performance every time a checkin is performed.

License

Licensed under BSD-2 Clause. See License.txt for more details

Contact

Please ping me if you would need help setting this up.