An experimental HTTP load testing application written in Rust, focused on ease of use and low OS dependencies.
Herd is an experimental HTTP load testing application written in Rust that allows developers to simulate thousands of concurrent requests to HTTP endpoints. It focuses on being easy to use and minimizing OS-level dependencies, making it a lightweight tool for performance and stress testing web services. The application uses Unix process forking and multithreading to achieve high concurrency, though it requires careful resource management due to its hardware-intensive nature.
Developers and engineers needing to perform HTTP load testing on web services, particularly those looking for a Rust-based, low-dependency alternative to traditional load testing tools. It suits those comfortable with compiling from source and managing resource-intensive processes.
Developers choose Herd for its simplicity, minimal dependencies, and Rust-based performance, offering a straightforward way to conduct high-concurrency load tests without the overhead of JVM or other heavy runtimes. Its configuration-driven approach provides flexibility, though it requires caution due to its resource-intensive nature.
An experimental HTTP load testing application written in Rust.
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Uses Unix process forking and multithreading to spawn thousands of concurrent HTTP requests, enabling realistic load testing for web services.
Built in Rust to avoid heavy runtimes like the JVM, reducing OS-level dependencies and focusing on efficiency, as noted in the README.
Supports defining multiple hosts and test scenarios via YAML configuration files, allowing customizable load testing setups.
As an experimental project, it provides insights into Rust-based networking and concurrency, useful for learning or side projects.
Built on a pre-1.0 version of Rust, not unit tested, unlikely to compile on modern Rust without modifications, and the author does not intend continuous maintenance.
Forks itself per 1000 virtual users, which can crash machines due to memory or CPU exhaustion, as warned in the README, making it unsafe for production.
Requires compiling from source with dependencies like gcc and libssl, and may need source code alterations as Rust changes, adding to initial setup complexity.