Install slowhttptest with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• slowhttptest

Project history

The official GitHub wiki says the project moved from Google Code. The wiki timeline records the first version on 2011-08-24, version 1.1 for Apache Range header testing on 2011-08-27, version 1.3 with Slow Read support on 2011-12-28, version 1.4 with `poll()` support on 2012-01-28, and version 1.6 on 2013-11-25.

The GitHub release list preserves that migration history: v1.6 is named as from the Google Code period, v1.7 as the first post-Google Code release, and later releases include v1.8 in 2019, v1.8.2 in 2020, and v1.9.0 in 2022.

Adoption history

SlowHTTPTest became a standard small-package security tool because it wraps slowloris, Slow HTTP POST, Slow Read, and Apache Range-style tests into one CLI. The input facts list it in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, Nix, and pacman-family systems.

Homebrew's formula API reported 277 installs-on-request over 365 days for the batch's lookup window, matching a specialist tool that is installed when a user needs to test a web server rather than kept as a daily shell utility.

How it is used

The official README describes testing web servers for DoS vulnerabilities or determining how many concurrent connections they can handle. It says the tool works on many Linux platforms, OS X, and Cygwin, and points to the wiki for installation and usage details.

The wiki explains that the tool sends partial HTTP requests or reads responses slowly to exercise server resource handling. Its usage should be limited to systems the user is authorized to test.

Why package nerds care

SlowHTTPTest is package-nerd significant because it keeps a historically important class of HTTP DoS tests available as a reproducible CLI package instead of scattered proof-of-concept scripts.

It also shows how security tooling often survives package-manager adoption after project hosting moves: Google Code history, GitHub releases, distro packages, and Homebrew all preserve the same operational utility.

Timeline

• 2011: First version of slowhttptest released.
• 2011: Version 1.3 added Slow Read DoS support.
• 2012: Version 1.4 added `poll()` support and a man page.
• 2013: Version 1.6 released during the Google Code era.
• 2016: GitHub releases list v1.7 as the first post-Google Code release.
• 2022: GitHub release v1.9.0 published.

Related projects

• The official wiki discusses slowloris, Slow HTTP POST, Slow Read, and Apache Range Header attack testing as related attack classes.
• The tool is often packaged alongside other web and network security testing utilities in operating-system and developer package managers.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/shekyan/slowhttptest/releases
• https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/slowhttptest.json
• https://github.com/shekyan/slowhttptest
• https://github.com/shekyan/slowhttptest/wiki
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shekyan/slowhttptest/master/README.md
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wiki/shekyan/slowhttptest/Home.md
• source_facts.repo