TOOL SIGNAL / ACTIVE

wrk2

Gil Tene / community

Micro-benchmark CLI Open Source Self-hosted

NOT YET REVIEWED · CATALOG DATA

MAINTAINED BY · Gil Tene

Official site ↗ Source repo ↗
Pricing model
Free; Apache License 2.0.
First released
Not verified
Last verified
Answer

wrk2 is a variant of the HTTP benchmarking tool wrk, modified to produce constant throughput load and provide accurate latency measurements to avoid coordinated omission.

What it is

wrk2 is a variant of the HTTP benchmarking tool wrk, modified to produce constant throughput load and provide accurate latency measurements to avoid coordinated omission.

Features

  • Constant throughput load generation
  • Accurate latency measurement to high 9s (e.g., 99.9999%'ile) using HdrHistograms
  • Addresses coordinated omission issues found in traditional load generators
  • Maintains compatibility with wrk's Lua API
  • Supports multi-threaded load generation

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 C, Lua

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

wrk2 is typically driven as a CLI micro-benchmark with C, Lua. It favors single-host or simple distributed runs rather than enterprise controller grids.

Fact sheet

Specs

Scripting
CLua
Protocols
HTTPHTTPS
Operating systems
macOSLinux
Tags
clatencyhttp
Repo health
★ 4627 · last push 2024-03-03

Pricing

Free and open source

Sources

SHOW SOURCES

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

Frequently asked

ANSWER-SHAPED
Who is wrk2 for?

wrk2 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: Gil Tene / community. Deployment model: self-hosted. Free; Apache License 2.0. Confirm details against the official site and a short proof-of-concept in your environment.

How does wrk2 differ from Vegeta?

Compared with Vegeta, scripting centers on C, Lua rather than Go. wrk2 lists protocols HTTP, HTTPS; Vegeta lists HTTP, HTTPS. Status is active versus active. Use the Test Rig to compare full specs side by side before a proof-of-concept. Confirm details against the official site and a short proof-of-concept in your environment.

What scripting language and concurrency model does wrk2 use?

wrk2 uses C, Lua for scripting or scenario definition. Runtime model: CLI-driven request generation with a lightweight concurrency model suited to single-host benchmarks. OS support: 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 wrk2?

wrk2 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; Apache License 2.0.

What are known limitations of wrk2?

wrk2 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.