How do I inject latency with toxy?

Use the built-in latency poison by calling `toxy.poison(toxy.poisons.latency({ jitter: 500 }))` in your code. This adds a configurable delay to HTTP transactions, simulating network jitter.

Is toxy still maintained in 2023?

No, the project is marked as not actively maintained in the README, meaning updates and bug fixes are unlikely. You should verify compatibility with your Node.js version before use.

Can toxy be used with Express middleware?

Yes, toxy is pluggable as standard middleware in Connect/Express applications. This allows integration into existing Express stacks for resiliency testing without separate proxy servers.

How does toxy compare to Chaos Monkey?

toxy is more focused on HTTP-level failure injection with programmatic control, ideal for microservices testing. Chaos Monkey targets broader infrastructure resilience in cloud environments, making toxy a lighter, developer-centric alternative.

How to write a custom poison in toxy?

Create a middleware function that intercepts HTTP traffic, then register it using `toxy.addPoison()`. The README provides examples, such as a custom latency poison, which you can extend for specific failure scenarios.

Does toxy support HTTPS traffic?

Yes, toxy is built on rocky and http-proxy, which support HTTPS. This allows it to handle encrypted HTTP traffic for failure simulation, though configuration might require additional TLS setup.

What are the performance implications of using toxy?

As a proxy, toxy adds overhead to HTTP transactions, which can affect performance benchmarks. However, it's designed for testing environments where this overhead is acceptable to simulate real-world failures.

Open-Awesome

toxy

MITJavaScript

A hackable HTTP proxy for resiliency testing, simulating network failures and unexpected conditions in Node.js.

GitHub

2.7k stars80 forks0 contributors

What is toxy?

toxy is a hackable HTTP proxy built for Node.js that enables developers to simulate server failures, network latency, bandwidth restrictions, and other adverse conditions. It helps test the resiliency and fault tolerance of systems, particularly in microservices and disruption-tolerant networks, by intercepting and altering HTTP traffic between clients and servers.

Target Audience

Developers and QA engineers working on distributed systems, microservices, or APIs who need to validate fault tolerance, conduct chaos engineering experiments, or perform resiliency testing under simulated network failures.

Value Proposition

toxy offers a programmable, middleware-friendly approach to failure injection with a rich set of built-in poisons and rules, allowing precise control over HTTP traffic manipulation. Its dual programmatic and HTTP API support makes it versatile for both automated testing and manual experimentation.

Overview

Hackable HTTP proxy for resiliency testing and simulated network conditions

Use Cases

Best For

Testing how microservices handle latency spikes or packet loss
Simulating API rate limiting and quota exhaustion scenarios
Validating client-side error handling and retry logic
Conducting chaos engineering experiments in staging environments
Benchmarking system performance under bandwidth constraints
Injecting custom HTTP errors to verify graceful degradation

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring long-term maintenance and compatibility with the latest Node.js versions
Testing network failures at layers below HTTP (L7), such as TCP packet loss or DNS issues
Teams needing a graphical interface for configuring and monitoring failure simulations

Pros & Cons

Pros

Rich Built-in Poisons

Includes latency injection, bandwidth limitation, error responses, and rate limiting with configurable parameters, as detailed in the poisons section of the README.

Flexible Rule-Based Filtering

Allows conditional poisoning based on HTTP methods, headers, body content, and probability, enabling precise test scenarios for different traffic patterns.

Dual API Support

Offers both a fluent Node.js programmatic API and a separate HTTP admin API, allowing for dynamic configuration and control without code changes.

Extensible Architecture

Supports custom poisons and rules, and is pluggable as middleware in Connect/Express, making it hackable for advanced or niche testing needs.

Cons

Inactive Maintenance

The README explicitly states it is not actively maintained and may not work with latest Node.js runtimes, posing significant risks for compatibility and security updates.

Complex Setup Overhead

Requires configuring hierarchical scopes, poisons, and rules, which can be overwhelming for quick tests compared to simpler, one-command tools.

HTTP-Centric Limitations

Primarily operates at the application layer (L7), so it cannot simulate lower-level network conditions like raw TCP disruptions without HTTP context.

Frequently Asked Questions

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toxy

MITJavaScript

A hackable HTTP proxy for resiliency testing, simulating network failures and unexpected conditions in Node.js.

GitHub

2.7k stars80 forks0 contributors

What is toxy?

Target Audience

Value Proposition

Overview

Hackable HTTP proxy for resiliency testing and simulated network conditions

Use Cases

Best For

Testing how microservices handle latency spikes or packet loss
Simulating API rate limiting and quota exhaustion scenarios
Validating client-side error handling and retry logic
Conducting chaos engineering experiments in staging environments
Benchmarking system performance under bandwidth constraints
Injecting custom HTTP errors to verify graceful degradation

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring long-term maintenance and compatibility with the latest Node.js versions
Testing network failures at layers below HTTP (L7), such as TCP packet loss or DNS issues
Teams needing a graphical interface for configuring and monitoring failure simulations

Pros & Cons

Pros

Rich Built-in Poisons

Includes latency injection, bandwidth limitation, error responses, and rate limiting with configurable parameters, as detailed in the poisons section of the README.

Flexible Rule-Based Filtering

Allows conditional poisoning based on HTTP methods, headers, body content, and probability, enabling precise test scenarios for different traffic patterns.

Dual API Support

Offers both a fluent Node.js programmatic API and a separate HTTP admin API, allowing for dynamic configuration and control without code changes.

Extensible Architecture

Supports custom poisons and rules, and is pluggable as middleware in Connect/Express, making it hackable for advanced or niche testing needs.

Cons

Inactive Maintenance

The README explicitly states it is not actively maintained and may not work with latest Node.js runtimes, posing significant risks for compatibility and security updates.

Complex Setup Overhead

Requires configuring hierarchical scopes, poisons, and rules, which can be overwhelming for quick tests compared to simpler, one-command tools.

HTTP-Centric Limitations

Primarily operates at the application layer (L7), so it cannot simulate lower-level network conditions like raw TCP disruptions without HTTP context.