TOOL SIGNAL / ACTIVE

Tsung

Tsung community

Protocol/API Load Open Source Self-hosted

MAINTAINED BY · Tsung development was started by Nicolas Niclausse. ProcessOne is associated with the project, and various companies and individuals have historically provided professional support and services.

Pricing model
Free; GPL-2.0 license.
First released
2001
Latest release
1.8.0
Last verified
Answer

Tsung is an open-source, multi-protocol distributed load testing and benchmarking framework designed to simulate huge numbers of concurrent users for stress testing IP-based client/server applications. Originally developed in Erlang, it is highly scalable and supports a wide range of protocols, including HTTP, WebDAV, SOAP, PostgreSQL, MySQL, LDAP, MQTT, AMQP, and XMPP/Jabber.

About

Tsung is an open-source, multi-protocol distributed load testing and benchmarking framework designed to simulate huge numbers of concurrent users for stress testing IP-based client/server applications. Originally developed in Erlang, it is highly scalable and supports a wide range of protocols, including HTTP, WebDAV, SOAP, PostgreSQL, MySQL, LDAP, MQTT, AMQP, and XMPP/Jabber.

Best for

  • API and protocol throughput or latency campaigns
  • Teams that prefer open-source licensing and self-hosting options
  • Groups comfortable scripting in Erlang, XML

Not the best fit when

  • Teams unwilling to operate generators, results storage, and scaling

Architecture and concurrency

Tsung is commonly operated as self-hosted software with scenario authoring in Erlang, XML. Concurrency and distribution depend on how you size workers or injectors.

Compare and alternatives

Features

  • High-performance distributed architecture allowing load generation across a cluster of machines
  • Support for multiple protocols: HTTP, WebDAV, SOAP, PostgreSQL, MySQL, LDAP, MQTT, AMQP, and XMPP/Jabber
  • XML-based configuration system for defining complex user scenarios
  • OS-level monitoring (CPU, memory, network) via SNMP, Munin, or Erlang agents
  • TCP, UDP, WebSocket, and TLS/SSL support with IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility

Latest release

1.8.0 · 2023-03-02

The 1.8.0 release includes various fixes and enhancements to the framework.

Pricing

Tsung is open-source software released under the GPLv2 license and is free to use with no licensing fees or subscription costs.

Specs

Sources

SHOW SOURCES

LAST VERIFIED · 2026-08-11 · GROUNDED VIA EXA · CURATED BY NAVEENKUMAR NAMACHIVAYAM

Frequently asked

ANSWER-SHAPED
Who is Tsung for?

Tsung is best for engineers focused on API and protocol-level throughput and latency. It is open source, so teams can self-host and extend it. Vendor: Tsung community. Deployment model: self-hosted. Free; GPL-2.0 license. Confirm details against the official site and a short proof-of-concept in your environment.

How does Tsung differ from Artillery?

Compared with Artillery, scripting centers on Erlang, XML rather than JavaScript, TypeScript. Tsung lists protocols HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, LDAP, XMPP; Artillery lists HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, Socket.IO, MQTT. Status is active versus active. Use the Test Rig to compare full specs side by side before a proof-of-concept.

What scripting language and concurrency model does Tsung use?

Tsung uses Erlang, XML for scripting or scenario definition. Runtime model: protocol-oriented virtual users configured through the product workflow. OS support: Linux, macOS. Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, LDAP, XMPP. Match these to how your team already authors tests and which systems you must drive under load.

What is the cloud or enterprise path for Tsung?

Tsung is primarily self-hosted; teams typically run generators on their own machines, CI runners, or private cloud. Plan for generator capacity, network access to targets, and result storage yourself. As open source, commercial support or hosted siblings may exist separately. Check the official site. Pricing note: Free; GPL-2.0 license.

What are known limitations of Tsung?

Tsung limitations to weigh: self-hosted tools require you to provision, scale, and observe load generators yourself. Status: active. Always validate against your target protocols and scale with a proof-of-concept. Confirm details against the official site and a short proof-of-concept in your environment.