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Jaana Dogan avatar

hey

Command-line HTTP load generator for quick web server benchmarks

  • Developer tools
  • Servers and infrastructure
View on GitHub

What it is

A small command-line program that fires a set number of HTTP requests at a URL with configurable concurrency, duration, and per-worker rate limits, then prints latency and status statistics. It supports custom methods, headers, request bodies, basic auth, proxies, HTTP/2, and CSV output of per-request metrics. Developers and operators reach for it when they want a quick read on how a web application or API holds up under load, as a drop-in replacement for ApacheBench.

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Facts

Stars
20,714 GitHub stars.
20,714

Forks
1,322
Commits
302
Contributors
43
Language
Go
License
Apache-2.0
Last commit
Jan 10, 2026
On GitHub since
September 2016
First release
September 2018
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux, CLI
Self-hostable
No
Author
Jaana Dogan
Tags
  • web-server
  • networking
  • testing

Last synced from GitHub on Oct 20, 2026

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What people are saying

Updated Oct 21, 2026
  • Bluesky“What's the latest in terms of easy-to-use HTTP load generators? I used to use Hey ( but it's dormant and lacks some things I'd need (like randomized…”Oct 27, 2024 · 6 likes · 6 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsHTTP load generator, ApacheBench (ab) replacementOct 24, 2019 · 2 points · 2 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsHey, HTTP load generator, ApacheBench (ab) replacement in GoMay 12, 2022 · 3 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsHey, HTTP load generator, ApacheBench (ab) replacement in GoMay 5, 2017 · 3 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“HTTP load generator, ApacheBench (ab) replacement. #golang #hey #loadgenerator”Feb 21, 2024 · 1 like · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)