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hitspec includes a built-in stress testing engine. Use the same .http files you write for functional tests to run load tests — no separate tool needed.

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Quick Start

# Rate-based: 100 requests/second for 1 minute
hitspec run api.http --stress --duration 1m --rate 100

# Virtual user mode: 50 concurrent users for 2 minutes
hitspec run api.http --stress --vus 50 --duration 2m --think-time 1s

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Two Modes

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Rate Mode (default)

Sends requests at a fixed rate (requests per second): 
hitspec run api.http --stress -d 1m -r 100

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Virtual User Mode

Simulates concurrent users, each sending requests sequentially with optional think time: 
hitspec run api.http --stress --vus 50 --think-time 500ms --duration 2m

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Ramp-Up

Gradually increase load instead of starting at full capacity: 
hitspec run api.http --stress -d 5m -r 200 --ramp-up 30s
This takes 30 seconds to ramp from 0 to 200 req/s, then sustains 200 req/s for the remaining 4m30s.

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Thresholds

Set pass/fail criteria based on performance metrics: 
hitspec run api.http --stress -d 1m -r 100 \
  --threshold "p95<200ms,errors<0.1%"
If any threshold is exceeded, hitspec exits with code 1. Available threshold metrics:
  • p50 — 50th percentile latency
  • p95 — 95th percentile latency
  • p99 — 99th percentile latency
  • errors — Error rate percentage

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Stress Profiles

Define reusable profiles in hitspec.yaml: 
stress:
  profiles:
    smoke:
      duration: "10s"
      rate: 5
    load:
      duration: "5m"
      rate: 100
      thresholds:
        p95: "200ms"
        errors: "1%"
    spike:
      duration: "2m"
      vus: 200
      maxVUs: 500
      rampUp: "30s"
      thinkTime: "500ms"
Use a profile: 
hitspec run api.http --stress --profile load --env staging
CLI flags override profile values.

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Multiple Files

Stress test across multiple files: 
hitspec run users.http orders.http --stress -d 1m -r 50
Or an entire directory: 
hitspec run ./tests/ --stress -d 1m -r 50

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Output

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Real-time Progress

By default, hitspec shows a live progress bar with current RPS, latency, and error count. Disable with --no-progress.

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JSON Output

hitspec run api.http --stress -d 1m -r 100 --stress-json

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Metrics Export

Export to Prometheus, DataDog, or JSON for dashboards: 
hitspec run api.http --stress -d 5m -r 100 \
  --metrics prometheus --metrics-port 9090
See Metrics Export for details.

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CI/CD Integration

hitspec run api.http --stress -d 1m -r 100 \
  --threshold "p95<200ms,errors<1%" \
  --env staging \
  --stress-json > stress-results.json
The exit code indicates whether thresholds passed:
  • 0 — all thresholds met
  • 1 — one or more thresholds exceeded