Breakpoint testing is a load testing method used to identify and understand the limits of a system by gradually increasing the load until failure occurs. This approach helps teams prepare for potential system failures by highlighting weak spots and guiding remediation steps. It is essential for situations where system load is expected to grow, resource consumption is high, or significant changes have been made to the code or infrastructure. Conducting breakpoint tests in elastic cloud environments without disabling elasticity is discouraged, as the environment may self-adjust, skewing results. The test involves a slow ramp-up of load, which can be achieved using tools like Grafana k6, and it typically concludes when system limits are reached, allowing teams to decide whether to accept these limits or to tune the system and retest. This iterative process can help extend the system's capacity over time, ensuring it can handle higher loads effectively.