Install wrk with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• wrk

Project history

The `wg/wrk` repository was created on 20 March 2012, and FreeBSD ports metadata shows wrk entering the FreeBSD ports tree on 1 August 2012. That early packaging matters: wrk quickly became a Unix-packaged benchmarking binary rather than only a GitHub project to build manually.

The 4.x line continued the same minimal command-line design. Git tag metadata places wrk 4.1.0 in January 2018 and 4.2.0 in February 2021. The README still emphasizes the core model: threads, connections, duration, optional latency reporting, custom headers, and optional LuaJIT scripting for request generation, response processing, and custom reporting.

Adoption history

wrk's adoption is visible in both package-manager coverage and GitHub popularity. The repository has accumulated tens of thousands of stars and thousands of forks, and the tool is packaged across common Unix-like ecosystems. FreeBSD has carried it under `benchmarks/wrk` since 2012.

Its niche adoption came from being able to generate large amounts of HTTP load from one machine, which made it attractive for web-server comparisons, local regression checks, and performance blog posts. The README's own example shows a 30-second run with 12 threads and 400 connections, a command shape that became a common shorthand for quick HTTP load tests.

How it is used

The canonical invocation is `wrk -t12 -c400 -d30s URL`, where `-t` sets threads, `-c` sets open HTTP connections, and `-d` sets duration. Users add `--latency` for latency distributions, `-H` for headers, and `-s` for LuaJIT scripts when a static GET request is not enough.

wrk is best used for controlled benchmark comparisons rather than full production traffic modeling. The README warns that the client machine needs enough ephemeral ports and that per-request scripting or response callbacks reduce the amount of load the tool can generate.

Why package nerds care

wrk is one of the package-manager canonical HTTP benchmark binaries: short name, single executable, stable README usage, and enough performance to stress real services from a laptop or build host. That combination made it a frequent dependency of performance-minded developers even when it is not a library dependency of applications.

It is also historically important as a C/LuaJIT benchmark tool in a field crowded with language-specific clients. Package nerds care because it offers a compact, reproducible baseline for HTTP throughput and latency testing across machines and operating systems.

Timeline

• 2012-03-20: The `wg/wrk` GitHub repository is created.
• 2012-08-01: FreeBSD ports adds `benchmarks/wrk`.
• 2018-01-21: Git tag metadata places wrk 4.1.0 in early 2018.
• 2021-02-07: Git tag metadata places wrk 4.2.0 in early 2021.
• 2020s: wrk remains widely packaged and commonly cited for HTTP benchmarking.

Related projects

• LuaJIT is used for wrk's scripting extension point.
• ApacheBench, siege, vegeta, hey, and k6 are common comparison points in HTTP benchmarking and load testing.
• go-wrk and other similarly named tools are separate implementations or derivatives inspired by wrk's niche.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/wg/wrk
• https://api.github.com/repos/wg/wrk/git/ref/tags/4.1.0
• https://api.github.com/repos/wg/wrk/git/ref/tags/4.2.0
• https://github.com/wg/wrk
• https://www.freshports.org/benchmarks/wrk/