Back to glossary

A/B Testing (Cloud)

A method of comparing two versions of an application by routing different groups of users to each version to measure performance or user behavior.

Categorycloud

Overview

While similar to Canary deployments, A/B testing is primarily focused on business metrics or user experience rather than technical stability. In the cloud, this is achieved by using traffic management tools to route users based on specific criteria (e.g., location, device type, or random assignment).

Key Goals

  • Feature Validation: Determining which version of a feature leads to better user engagement or conversion.
  • Performance Comparison: Measuring the impact of different configurations or algorithms on application performance.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Using actual user data to guide product development.

Tools

  • Service Meshes (Istio, Linkerd)
  • Feature Flagging platforms (LaunchDarkly, Split.io)
  • Cloud-native Load Balancers

Related Terms

Canary Deployment