Question 1

How do I install httperf on Ubuntu or other Linux distros?

Accepted Answer

You need to build from source: install automake and libtool, then run autoconf, libtoolize, autoreconf, automake, ./configure, make, and sudo make install as detailed in the README. It's not available via standard package managers like apt.

Question 2

What's the difference between httperf and wrk for load testing?

Accepted Answer

httperf is CPU-intensive and focuses on precise HTTP/1.1 and SSL overload generation with detailed metrics, while wrk is more lightweight, uses Lua scripting, and often has better performance on modern systems with less setup.

Question 3

How to interpret the connection time and reply rate stats from httperf?

Accepted Answer

Connection time includes min, avg, max, median, and stddev of lifetimes, plus connect time; reply rate shows samples over time. Run tests for at least 150 seconds to get meaningful standard deviations, as advised in the README.

Question 4

Can httperf test HTTPS servers properly?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it supports SSL, but the encryption is weak due to a deterministic seed, so it's only for performance testing, not security. Ensure OpenSSL is installed and configured with CPPFLAGS and LDFLAGS.

Question 5

How do I set timeout values to avoid resource exhaustion in httperf?

Accepted Answer

Use the --timeout option (e.g., --timeout 1) to limit how long the server has to respond; this prevents running out of file descriptors. Adjust based on server performance, with 1 second being common for high rates.

Question 6

Is httperf still maintained or updated for new systems?

Accepted Answer

The mailing list is on hp.com and the last tested OSes are outdated (e.g., Solaris 8, FreeBSD 6.0), suggesting low activity; check the GitHub repository for recent commits, but it may not support modern platforms well.

HTTPerf

What is HTTPerf?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions