Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Benchmark VS Hey Load Generator

Compare Apache Benchmark VS Hey Load Generator and see what are their differences

Apache Benchmark logo Apache Benchmark

ab is a tool for benchmarking your web server.

Hey Load Generator logo Hey Load Generator

HTTP load generator, ApacheBench (ab) replacement, formerly known as rakyll/boom
  • Apache Benchmark Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-05-31
  • Hey Load Generator Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-14

Apache Benchmark features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Apache Benchmark is straightforward to use with a simple command-line interface, allowing users to quickly conduct basic load testing on web servers without a steep learning curve.
  • Speed
    Because it is a command-line tool, Apache Benchmark executes quickly and can generate a significant amount of traffic with minimal system resource usage.
  • Wide Availability
    As part of the Apache HTTP Server project, it is widely available on most Unix-based systems and easy to install on others, making it accessible for most developers.
  • Open Source
    Apache Benchmark is open-source software, providing full access to the source code for customization and ensuring there are no costs associated with its usage.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Benchmark

  • Limited Features
    Apache Benchmark is quite limited in its capabilities, providing only basic performance metrics and lacking features such as detailed reporting, analysis, and support for different types of HTTP requests.
  • No GUI
    It doesn’t come with a graphical user interface, which could be a barrier for users who prefer visual representations and more interactive usage.
  • Single URL Testing
    The tool is only capable of testing one URL at a time, which can be a limitation when assessing the performance of more complex, multi-page applications.
  • Limited to HTTP
    Apache Benchmark only supports HTTP and HTTPS protocols, which can be restrictive for testing applications using other protocols.
  • Limited Scalability
    Due to its basic nature, it might not handle very large-scale load testing efficiently and may require additional tools or setups to simulate more extensive server loads.

Hey Load Generator features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Hey is a simple, CLI-based load generator, making it easy to install and use without the need for complex setup or configuration. It's straightforward for developers to run basic load tests with minimal effort.
  • Lightweight
    Hey is a lightweight offering compared to more comprehensive tools, focusing on simplicity and performance with low overhead, which makes it suitable for quick tests.
  • Suitable for Small Tests
    For small to medium-scale load tests, Hey can perform efficiently, helping teams test scenarios without needing advanced capabilities.
  • Written in Go
    Being written in Go, Hey benefits from the language's concurrency support and performance efficiency, leading to fast and reliable test execution.

Possible disadvantages of Hey Load Generator

  • Limited Features
    Hey offers basic load testing capabilities, lacking the advanced features and functionalities of other tools, making it less suitable for comprehensive testing scenarios.
  • Single Endpoint Focus
    Hey is typically used for testing single HTTP endpoints, which limits its ability to simulate complex user interactions across multiple endpoints.
  • Scalability Constraints
    While effective for smaller tests, Hey may struggle with scaling to handle large or complex loads compared to more robust load testing tools.
  • Lack of GUI
    Hey operates solely as a command-line tool, offering no graphical user interface, which may be challenging for users who are not comfortable with a CLI.

Apache Benchmark videos

Apache Benchmarking using AB in linux

Hey Load Generator videos

No Hey Load Generator videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Benchmark and Hey Load Generator)
Monitoring Tools
71 71%
29% 29
Load Generator
0 0%
100% 100
Website Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
30 30%
70% 70

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Hey Load Generator seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 28 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache Benchmark mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Apache Benchmark yet. Tracking of Apache Benchmark recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Hey Load Generator mentions (28)

  • Amazon DevOps Guru for the Serverless applications - Part 12 Anomaly detection on Lambda consuming from DynamoDB Streams
    We can reproduce the failure with curl or hey tool, so that we have many failed UpdateProduct Lambda functions. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Amazon DevOps Guru for the Serverless applications - Part 11 Anomaly detection on SNS (kind of)
    Then I sent several hundreds create product requests via the hey tool like :. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Amazon DevOps Guru for the Serverless applications - Part 10 Anomaly detection on Aurora Serverless v2
    As in the previous article we use hey tool to perform the load test like this. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • AWS SnapStart - Part 19 Measuring cold starts and deployment time with Java 17 using different Lambda memory settings
    The results of the experiment below were based on reproducing approximately 100 cold starts for the duration of our experiment which ran for approximately 1 hour. For it (and all experiments from my previous articles) I used the load test tool hey, but you can use whatever tool you want, like Serverless-artillery or Postman. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Data API for Amazon Aurora Serverless v2 with AWS SDK for Java - Part 5 Basic cold and warm starts measurements
    The results of the experiment to retrieve the existing product from the database by its id see GetProductByIdViaAuroraServerlessV2DataApiHandler with Lambda function with 1024 MB memory setting were based on reproducing more than 100 cold and approximately 10.000 warm starts with experiment which ran for approximately 1 hour. For it (and experiments from my previous article) I used the load test tool hey, but... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Benchmark and Hey Load Generator, you can also consider the following products

OctoPerf - OctoPerf is a SaaS load testing solution, based on JMeter.

locust - An open source load testing tool written in Python.

WebLOAD - WebLOAD - The most flexible and cost effective software for enterprise load, stress and performance testing, integrated with DevOps processes. Click for details

Mapoji - Discuss anything with locals right on map.

StresStimulus - Load testing tool for websites and mobile that works with hard-to-test applications.

Appvance - The Appvance Unified Test Platform is the Fastest Way to Test.