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Last active February 18, 2025 16:40
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Installation instructions for 'ab' and 'hey' for both Mac and Windows.
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README.md

Load Testing Tools Installation Guide

This guide provides installation instructions for two load-testing tools: Apache Benchmark (ab) and hey. These tools can be used to generate high HTTP request loads on a server or load balancer.

Apache Benchmark (ab)

Mac (via Homebrew)

  1. Open Terminal and run: 
    brew install httpd
  2. Verify the installation: 
    ab -V

Windows (via Chocolatey)

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
  2. Run: 
    choco install apache-httpd -y
  3. Close and reopen PowerShell, then verify: 
    ab -V

Windows (Manual Installation)

  1. Download Apache HTTP Server from: https://www.apachelounge.com/download/
  2. Extract it to C:\Apache24 (or another location).
  3. Add the bin folder to the System Path:
    • Open System Properties → Environment Variables.
    • Edit the Path variable under System variables.
    • Add: C:\Apache24\bin
  4. Restart the terminal and verify: 
    ab -V

hey (Go-based Load Tester)

Mac (via Homebrew)

  1. Open Terminal and run: 
    brew install hey
  2. Verify the installation: 
    hey -v

Windows (via Chocolatey)

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
  2. Run: 
    choco install hey -y
  3. Verify the installation: 
    hey -v

Windows (Manual Installation)

  1. Download the latest Windows binary from: https://github.com/rakyll/hey/releases
  2. Extract the .exe file to C:\hey\.
  3. Add C:\hey\ to your System Path:
    • Open System Properties → Environment Variables.
    • Edit the Path variable under System variables.
    • Add: C:\hey\
  4. Restart the terminal and verify: 
    hey -v
Raw
LOADTEST.md

Running Load Tests

Once installed, you can run a test against your load balancer or web server:

Using Apache Benchmark (ab):

ab -n 500000 -c 500 http://your-load-balancer-dns-name/

Using hey:

hey -z 5m -q 1000 -c 500 http://your-load-balancer-dns-name/

Replace your-load-balancer-dns-name with the actual DNS or public IP of the target server.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues, feel free to reach out!

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