TOOL SIGNAL / ACTIVE

Vegeta

tsenart

Micro-benchmark CLI Open Source Self-hosted ♥ pick

MAINTAINED BY · Tomás Senart (tsenart)

Pricing model
Free; MIT License.
First released
2014
Latest release
v12.13.0
Last verified
Answer

Vegeta is a versatile HTTP load testing tool and library designed for drilling HTTP services with a constant request rate. It is usable as both a command-line interface (CLI) tool and a Go library.

About

Vegeta is a versatile HTTP load testing tool and library designed for drilling HTTP services with a constant request rate. It is usable as both a command-line interface (CLI) tool and a Go library.

Best for

  • Quick HTTP or protocol micro-benchmarks from a single machine
  • Teams that prefer open-source licensing and self-hosting options
  • Groups comfortable scripting in Go

Not the best fit when

  • Full multi-protocol enterprise journeys and rich business-flow reporting
  • Teams unwilling to operate generators, results storage, and scaling

Architecture and concurrency

Vegeta is typically driven as a CLI micro-benchmark with Go. It favors single-host or simple distributed runs rather than enterprise controller grids.

Compare and alternatives

Features

  • Usable as a command-line tool and a Go library
  • CLI designed with UNIX composability in mind
  • Avoids Coordinated Omission
  • Extensive reporting functionality
  • Supports distributed load testing
  • Easy to install via static binaries and package managers
  • Supports Prometheus metrics export
  • Configurable request rates, timeouts, workers, and DNS resolvers

Latest release

v12.13.0 · 2025-10-31

Release notes are available on the GitHub Releases page; the latest version is v12.13.0.

Pricing

Vegeta is free and open-source, licensed under the MIT License. It includes a donate option via Bitcoin.

Specs

Sources

SHOW SOURCES

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

Frequently asked

ANSWER-SHAPED
Who is Vegeta for?

Vegeta is best for developers who need fast HTTP or protocol micro-benchmarks from a terminal. It is open source, so teams can self-host and extend it. Vendor: tsenart. Deployment model: self-hosted. Free; MIT License. Confirm details against the official site and a short proof-of-concept in your environment.

How does Vegeta differ from ali?

Compared with ali, both sit in micro-benchmark cli, so shortlist on protocols, team skills, and pricing rather than category alone. Vegeta lists protocols HTTP, HTTPS; ali lists HTTP, HTTPS. 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 Vegeta use?

Vegeta uses Go for scripting or scenario definition. Runtime model: CLI-driven request generation with a lightweight concurrency model suited to single-host benchmarks. OS support: Windows, macOS, Linux. Protocols: HTTP, HTTPS. 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 Vegeta?

Vegeta 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; MIT License.

What are known limitations of Vegeta?

Vegeta limitations to weigh: CLI micro-benchmarks excel at raw HTTP throughput but usually lack enterprise scenario orchestration, rich reporting, and multi-protocol suites; 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.