alibabacloud-pts-ops
Alibaba Cloud PTS Stress Testing Scenario Management
This skill enables you to create and manage stress testing scenarios using Alibaba Cloud PTS (Performance Testing Service). It supports both PTS native HTTP/HTTPS stress testing and JMeter-based stress testing.
Scenario Description
PTS (Performance Testing Service) is Alibaba Cloud's fully managed performance testing platform that helps you validate the performance, capacity, and stability of your applications. This skill covers:
- PTS Native Stress Testing - Create HTTP/HTTPS stress testing scenarios with configurable APIs, serial links, and load models
- JMeter Stress Testing - Upload and run JMeter scripts with distributed load generation
Architecture
User → Aliyun CLI → PTS Service → Target Application
↓
Stress Testing Report
Pre-check
Pre-check: Aliyun CLI >= 3.3.1 required Run
aliyun versionto verify >= 3.3.1. If not installed or version too low, see references/cli-installation-guide.md for installation instructions. Then [MUST] runaliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install trueto enable automatic plugin installation.
# Verify CLI version
aliyun version
# Enable auto plugin installation
aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true
Timeout Settings
All CLI commands should include timeout parameters to avoid hanging:
# Recommended timeout settings for PTS operations
--read-timeout 60 --connect-timeout 10
- read-timeout: 60 seconds (stress testing operations may take longer)
- connect-timeout: 10 seconds
Environment Variables
No additional environment variables required beyond CLI authentication.
Parameter Confirmation
IMPORTANT: Parameter Confirmation — Before executing any command or API call, ALL user-customizable parameters (e.g., RegionId, scene names, target URLs, concurrency, duration, JMX files, etc.) MUST be confirmed with the user. Do NOT assume or use default values without explicit user approval.
User-Customizable Parameters
| Parameter Name | Required | Description | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| RegionId | No | Region for PTS service | cn-hangzhou |
| Scene Name | Yes | Name of the stress testing scenario | - |
| Target URL | Yes | URL to stress test | - |
| HTTP Method | Yes | GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc. | GET |
| Concurrency | Yes | Number of concurrent users | - |
| Duration | Yes | Test duration in seconds | - |
| JMX File | Yes (JMeter) | Path to JMeter script file | - |
| Mode | No | CONCURRENCY or TPS | CONCURRENCY |
Authentication
This skill relies on the Aliyun CLI's default credential chain. Ensure your CLI is already authenticated before use.
Verify current authentication:
aliyun configure get
If CLI is not yet configured, see references/cli-installation-guide.md for setup instructions.
RAM Policy
Users must have appropriate PTS permissions. See references/ram-policies.md for detailed policies.
Idempotency
PTS APIs do not support ClientToken-based idempotency. Scene names are not unique — multiple
PTS or JMeter scenarios may share the same SceneName. Never treat “same name” as one resource;
always use SceneId (returned by the API) as the stable identifier.
To prevent duplicate resources or unintended side-effects when retrying after timeouts or errors, always use the check-then-act pattern before every write operation:
| Operation | Check Before Acting | If Already Exists / Running |
|---|---|---|
Create PTS scene (save-pts-scene) |
Do not dedupe by name. After success, record SceneId. |
If the prior call outcome is unknown, use list-pts-scene with the user to disambiguate before retrying; do not blindly retry save (each retry may create another scene). |
Create JMeter scene (save-open-jmeter-scene) |
Same as PTS — names may duplicate; use SceneId only. |
Same pattern with list-open-jmeter-scenes + user disambiguation before retry. |
Start PTS test (start-pts-scene) |
get-pts-scene-running-status — check status |
If RUNNING or SYNCING, skip; do NOT start again |
Start JMeter test (start-testing-jmeter-scene) |
get-open-jmeter-scene — check status |
If already running, skip; do NOT start again |
Delete PTS scene (delete-pts-scene) |
Confirm target SceneId still exists (e.g. list-pts-scene / get-pts-scene) |
If that SceneId is gone, treat as success (already deleted) |
Delete JMeter scene (remove-open-jmeter-scene) |
Confirm target SceneId still exists |
If that SceneId is gone, treat as success (already deleted) |
Core Workflow
IMPORTANT: Parameter Confirmation — Before executing any command or API call, ALL user-customizable parameters (e.g., RegionId, scene names, target URLs, concurrency, duration, etc.) MUST be confirmed with the user. Do NOT assume or use default values without explicit user approval.
Workflow 1: Create and Run PTS Native Stress Testing
Task 1.1: Create PTS Scenario
Note: Use
save-pts-sceneinstead ofcreate-pts-scene. The--sceneparameter accepts a JSON object directly (not wrapped in aScenefield).
Idempotency:
SceneNamemay duplicate across scenarios. Do not skip creation or pick a scene based on name alone. Aftersave-pts-scenesucceeds, record the returnedSceneIdfor all later steps. If the command fails or times out with unknown outcome, uselist-pts-scenetogether with the user to identify the intendedSceneIdbefore retrying — avoid blind retries that create extra scenes.
aliyun pts save-pts-scene \
--scene '{
"SceneName": "<SCENE_NAME>",
"RelationList": [
{
"RelationName": "serial-link-1",
"ApiList": [
{
"ApiName": "api-1",
"Url": "<TARGET_URL>",
"Method": "<HTTP_METHOD>",
"TimeoutInSecond": 10,
"RedirectCountLimit": 10,
"HeaderList": [
{
"HeaderName": "User-Agent",
"HeaderValue": "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36"
}
],
"CheckPointList": [
{
"CheckPoint": "",
"CheckType": "STATUS_CODE",
"Operator": "eq",
"ExpectValue": "200"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"LoadConfig": {
"TestMode": "concurrency_mode",
"MaxRunningTime": <DURATION_MINUTES>,
"AutoStep": false,
"Configuration": {
"AllConcurrencyBegin": <CONCURRENCY>,
"AllConcurrencyLimit": <CONCURRENCY>
}
},
"AdvanceSetting": {
"LogRate": 1,
"ConnectionTimeoutInSecond": 5
}
}' \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Parameter Notes:
MaxRunningTime: Duration in minutes (not seconds), range [1-1440]TestMode: Useconcurrency_modefor concurrent user testing ortps_modefor RPS testingTimeoutInSecond: Request timeout in seconds (recommended: 10)RedirectCountLimit: Maximum redirects allowed (use10for normal,0to disable)HeaderList: HTTP headers, User-Agent is recommended for better compatibilityCheckPointList: Assertions for response validation (STATUS_CODE, BODY_JSON, etc.)AdvanceSetting.LogRate: Log sampling rate (1-100)AdvanceSetting.ConnectionTimeoutInSecond: Connection timeout (recommended: 5)
For complete JSON structure with all fields (POST requests, file parameters, global variables, etc.), see references/pts-scene-json-reference.md
Task 1.2: Start Stress Testing
[MUST] Pre-flight Safety Checks — Starting a stress test sends significant traffic to the target system. ALL of the following checks MUST pass before executing
start-pts-scene:
- Idempotency guard — Run
get-pts-scene-running-status --scene-id <SCENE_ID>. If the status isRUNNINGorSYNCING, the test is already in progress — skip the start command and proceed to monitoring. Do NOT start a duplicate test.- Retrieve and verify scene configuration — Run
get-pts-scene --scene-id <SCENE_ID>and confirm the response contains a validSceneName, at least oneRelationListentry with a non-emptyUrl, and a validLoadConfig(non-zeroMaxRunningTimeand concurrency). If any field is missing or empty, abort and notify the user.- Display test summary and require explicit user confirmation — Present the following to the user and wait for explicit approval (e.g., "yes" / "确认"):
Do NOT proceed without the user's explicit "go-ahead" confirmation.
- Target URL(s)
- Concurrency level
- Test duration
- Test mode (concurrency / TPS)
# Idempotency guard: Skip if test is already running
aliyun pts get-pts-scene-running-status \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# ↑ If status is RUNNING or SYNCING, skip start-pts-scene and go to monitoring.
# Pre-flight check: Verify scene configuration is complete
aliyun pts get-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# Start stress testing (only after all checks pass and user confirms)
aliyun pts start-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 1.3: Monitor Testing Status
aliyun pts get-pts-scene-running-status \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 1.4: Get Testing Report
aliyun pts get-pts-report-details \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Workflow 2: Create and Run JMeter Stress Testing
Task 2.1: Create JMeter Scenario
Idempotency:
SceneNamemay duplicate across JMeter scenarios. Do not dedupe by name. Aftersave-open-jmeter-scenesucceeds, record the returnedSceneId. On uncertain failure, uselist-open-jmeter-sceneswith the user to disambiguate before retrying.
aliyun pts save-open-jmeter-scene \
--open-jmeter-scene '{
"SceneName": "<SCENE_NAME>",
"TestFile": "<JMX_FILENAME>",
"Duration": <DURATION>,
"Concurrency": <CONCURRENCY>,
"Mode": "CONCURRENCY"
}' \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 2.2: Start JMeter Testing
[MUST] Pre-flight Safety Checks — Starting a JMeter stress test sends significant traffic to the target system. ALL of the following checks MUST pass before executing
start-testing-jmeter-scene:
- Idempotency guard — Run
get-open-jmeter-scene --scene-id <SCENE_ID>and check the scene status. If the test is already running, skip the start command and proceed to monitoring. Do NOT start a duplicate test.- Verify scene configuration — From the same response, confirm it contains a valid
SceneName, a non-emptyTestFile, and non-zeroDurationandConcurrency. If any field is missing or empty, abort and notify the user.- Display test summary and require explicit user confirmation — Present the following to the user and wait for explicit approval (e.g., "yes" / "确认"):
Do NOT proceed without the user's explicit "go-ahead" confirmation.
- Scene name and JMX file
- Concurrency level
- Test duration
# Idempotency guard + pre-flight check: Verify scene config and check if already running
aliyun pts get-open-jmeter-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# ↑ If already running, skip start command. If config is incomplete, abort.
# Start JMeter testing (only after all checks pass and user confirms)
aliyun pts start-testing-jmeter-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 2.3: Get JMeter Report
aliyun pts get-jmeter-report-details \
--report-id <REPORT_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Workflow 3: Manage Scenarios
Task 3.1: List All PTS Scenarios
aliyun pts list-pts-scene \
--page-number 1 \
--page-size 10 \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 3.2: List All JMeter Scenarios
aliyun pts list-open-jmeter-scenes \
--page-number 1 \
--page-size 10 \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 3.3: Get Scenario Details
# PTS scenario
aliyun pts get-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# JMeter scenario
aliyun pts get-open-jmeter-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 3.4: Debug Scenario (PTS only)
aliyun pts start-debug-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Task 3.5: Stop Running Test
# Stop PTS test
aliyun pts stop-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# Stop JMeter test
aliyun pts stop-testing-jmeter-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Success Verification Method
IMPORTANT:
start-pts-scenemay returnSuccess: trueeven when the stress test fails to actually launch (e.g., due to target site protection or missing configuration). Always verify actual execution status.
After each operation, verify success using the verification commands in references/verification-method.md.
Verify scenario creation:
# Use list-pts-scene instead of get-pts-scene (more reliable)
aliyun pts list-pts-scene \
--page-number 1 \
--page-size 10 \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Verify stress test is actually running:
# Check running status first
aliyun pts get-pts-scene-running-status \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# Then verify with running data (requires plan-id from start-pts-scene)
aliyun pts get-pts-scene-running-data \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--plan-id <PLAN_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
Key indicators of successful execution:
Status: Should be "RUNNING" or "SYNCING" (not "STOPPED" immediately)AliveAgents: Should be > 0Concurrency: Should match configured valueTotalRequestCount: Should be increasing
Cleanup
Delete scenarios when no longer needed.
[MUST] Pre-delete Safety Checks — Before deleting any scenario, ALL of the following checks MUST pass:
- Idempotency guard — Using the target
SceneId(not name), verify it still exists (e.g.list-pts-scene/list-open-jmeter-scenesorget-*). If thatSceneIdis absent, treat deletion as already done and skip the delete command.- Check if the scenario is currently running — Run
get-pts-scene-running-status --scene-id <SCENE_ID>(PTS) or check JMeter scene status. If the scenario status isRUNNINGorSYNCING, you MUST stop it first usingstop-pts-scene/stop-testing-jmeter-sceneand wait for it to fully stop before deleting. Do NOT delete a running scenario.- Require explicit user confirmation — Display the scene name and ID to the user and ask for explicit deletion confirmation (e.g., "yes" / "确认删除"). Do NOT proceed without the user's explicit approval.
# Pre-delete check: Verify scenario is not running
aliyun pts get-pts-scene-running-status \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# Delete PTS scenario (only after confirming it is not running and user approves)
aliyun pts delete-pts-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
# Delete JMeter scenario (only after confirming it is not running and user approves)
aliyun pts remove-open-jmeter-scene \
--scene-id <SCENE_ID> \
--user-agent AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills
API and Command Tables
See references/related-apis.md for complete API and CLI command reference.
Best Practices
- Use complete scene configuration - Always include
TimeoutInSecond,HeaderList(with User-Agent),CheckPointList, andAdvanceSettingfor reliable test execution - Always confirm parameters - Verify target URLs, concurrency settings, and duration with the user before execution
- Start with low concurrency - Begin with low concurrency and gradually increase to identify performance thresholds
- Verify actual execution - Don't trust
Success: truefromstart-pts-scene; always checkget-pts-scene-running-datawith--plan-id - Use debug mode first - For PTS scenarios, use
start-debug-pts-sceneto validate configuration before full tests - Monitor during tests - Regularly check running status during stress tests
- Review reports thoroughly - Analyze response times, error rates, and throughput in reports
- Clean up after testing - Delete test scenarios to avoid unnecessary costs
- Use appropriate test duration - Longer tests provide more accurate results but consume more resources
- Include warmup period - Allow time for systems to warm up before measuring peak performance
Reference Links
| Reference | Description |
|---|---|
| cli-installation-guide.md | Aliyun CLI installation and configuration |
| related-apis.md | Complete API and CLI command reference |
| ram-policies.md | RAM permission policies |
| verification-method.md | Verification steps for each operation |
| pts-scene-json-reference.md | Complete PTS scene JSON structure reference |
| acceptance-criteria.md | Acceptance criteria for skill validation |