What's new in Apache JMeter 5.3?
Tags: testing, performance, jmeter
Published: 2020-05-22 00:20:14

This post originally appeared on my blog [QAInsights](https://qainsights.com/whats-new-in-apache-jmeter-5-3/).

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<p>Today Apache has released its next iteration of JMeter version 5.3 with new features, bug fixes, and enhancements. It's been almost five months since its last release 5.2.1. You can check out earlier post about what's new in <a href="https://qainsights.com/apache-jmeter-5-2-1/">Apache JMeter 5.2.1</a>. In this blog post, we are going to see what's new in JMeter 5.3.</p>
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<h2>How to download Apache JMeter 5.3?</h2>
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<p>Head to <a href="https://jmeter.apache.org/download_jmeter.cgi">https://jmeter.apache.org/download_jmeter.cgi</a> to download the latest version of JMeter and verify its integrity.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-28.png" alt="Download Apache JMeter 5.3" class="wp-image-7303"/><figcaption>Download Apache JMeter 5.3</figcaption></figure>
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<p>Extract the contents and navigate to <code>bin</code> folder and launch <code>jmeter.bat</code> in Windows or <code>jmeter.sh</code> in Mac or Linux.</p>
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<h2>What's new in Apache JMeter 5.3?</h2>
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<h3>Start up time</h3>
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<p>I am seeing a significant improvement in the startup time in Windows 10 Pro. Splash screen vanishing quicker which brings the JMeter IDE instantly.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-29-1024x560.png" alt="What's new in Apache JMeter 5.3?" class="wp-image-7305"/><figcaption>What's new in Apache JMeter 5.3?</figcaption></figure>
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<h3>New Themes</h3>
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<p>More themes have been added in JMeter 5.3 including various look and feel of <strong>Darklaf </strong>theme. My favorite is <strong>Darklaf - IntelliJ </strong>during day; <strong>Darklaf - Darcula </strong>during night.</p>
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<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">No need to restart JMeter</span> after changing the theme and you can also see the radio button of the list of themes which will denote the current selected theme in the menu.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-30.png" alt="New Themes" class="wp-image-7306"/><figcaption>New Themes</figcaption></figure>
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<p>Similarly for Log Level selection.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-32.png" alt="Log Level" class="wp-image-7310"/><figcaption>Log Level</figcaption></figure></div>
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<h3>Visual representation of Disabled elements</h3>
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<p>In JMeter 5.3 if you disable any element now it will disable all its descendants. In below example <code>memorySample2</code> and its child elements are disabled too.</p>
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<p>Also, you could see the tracing of the selected element to understand its indentation.</p>
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<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-31.png" alt="Disable Elements and Tracing" class="wp-image-7308"/><figcaption>Disable Elements and Tracing</figcaption></figure></div>
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<p>Zoom in/out shortcut now is <strong>CTRL + ALT + wheel</strong>. JMeter 5.3 now scales better and looks consistent across all the elements.</p>
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<h3>Now you can Undo/Redo</h3>
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<p>We all make mistakes, now you can undo/redo field level changes. Here is the quick GIF.</p>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" style="border: medium none;" src="https://share.qainsights.com/v1uDqqGx?embed=true" width="675" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
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<p>Most of elements has undergone UI revamp. Its looks tidy.</p>
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<p>Generate Schematic View is still in alpha.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-33-1024x616.png" alt="Generate Schematic View" class="wp-image-7312"/><figcaption>Generate Schematic View</figcaption></figure>
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<h3>New JMeter Template</h3>
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<p>There is a new template has been added called <strong>Functional Testing Test Pla</strong>n which has a Thread Group and View Results Tree.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://qainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/image-34.png" alt="Functional testing Test Plan Template" class="wp-image-7313"/><figcaption>Functional testing Test Plan Template</figcaption></figure>
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<p>Groovy library has been updated to 3.0.3 which means your older Groovy script might break in JMeter 5.3.</p>
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<p>Apart from above features, there have been bug fixes, UX revamp across elements, non-functional changes and many more in JMeter 5.3.</p>
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<p>When are you going to upgrade your project artifacts to JMeter 5.3? Please share me your plan.</p>
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