Open-Source Observability · nakabonne

ali

ali is a terminal-based HTTP load testing tool written in Go that generates configurable request loads and visualizes results in real-time through an embedded TUI. It combines the load-generation capabilities of vegeta with interactive charting similar to jplot, allowing operators to monitor latency, percentiles, and throughput during tests without leaving the terminal.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/nakabonne/ali

3.9k

GitHub stars

153

Forks

Primary language

MIT

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	nakabonne/ali
Owner	nakabonne
Primary language	Go
License	MIT — OSI-approved
Stars	3.9k
Forks	153
Open issues	25
Latest release	v0.8.0 (2026-01-19)
Last updated	2026-01-19
Source	https://github.com/nakabonne/ali

What ali is

ali issues HTTP requests at a specified rate (default 50 req/s, configurable from 0 to unlimited) over a defined duration, collecting latency and response metrics which are plotted live via termdash-based terminal dashboards. It supports HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2, connection pooling (default 10k idle connections), TLS configuration, custom headers, request bodies, and result export; analysis windows can be configured (default 30s query range) with adjustable redraw intervals.

Quickstart

Get the ali source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/nakabonne/ali.git2cd ali3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Pre-deployment performance validation

Run ali against staging environments to validate latency SLAs, percentile distributions, and throughput limits before production rollout without requiring external monitoring infrastructure.

Real-time capacity and bottleneck identification

Observe live latency trends and percentile changes during load ramps to pinpoint where application or infrastructure begins degrading under sustained traffic.

Regression testing and CI/CD integration

Execute repeatable load tests with fixed parameters and export results for baseline comparison across releases or configuration changes.

Implementation considerations

Validate target endpoint connectivity and DNS resolution before launching large-scale tests; ali supports custom resolvers via --resolvers flag.
Tune worker count (--workers, --max-workers) and connection limits (--connections) based on OS file descriptor limits and target capacity to avoid false negatives.
Set appropriate request timeout (--timeout, default 30s) and max body capture (--max-body) to prevent memory bloat during long tests or large response payloads.
Use --export-to to persist results for trend analysis and comparison; understand export format before building downstream processing pipelines.
Test ali against non-production targets first to verify request patterns (method, headers, body) match your actual workload and do not trigger security blocks.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Distributed, multi-region load generation required — ali runs on a single machine and does not support coordinated multi-node load generation; use vegeta, JMeter, or dedicated load platforms for geographically distributed attacks.
Complex request choreography and state management needed — ali focuses on uniform HTTP load; scenarios requiring session state, scripted workflows, or dynamic payload generation are better served by JMeter, k6, or Locust.
Long-term metrics retention and compliance reporting — ali is a CLI tool without persistent storage, alerting, or role-based access; for SLA tracking, audit trails, and multi-user dashboards, integrate with enterprise APM solutions.
Protocol diversity beyond HTTP/HTTPS — ali is HTTP/HTTPS only; systems requiring WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, or custom protocol load testing need specialized tools.

License & commercial use

ali is licensed under the MIT License, a permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and redistribution with no restrictions beyond preserving the license notice and copyright attribution.

MIT License explicitly permits commercial use in products and services. No license restrictions or payment obligations apply to using ali in commercial environments. However, verify your organization's legal policy on open-source components and ensure proper attribution in any derivative works or bundled distributions.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Low
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

ali accepts TLS certificates and private keys as file paths (--cert, --key, --cacert) and supports custom DNS resolvers. Ensure keys are protected with appropriate file permissions and stored securely. The --insecure flag disables TLS verification—use only for testing non-production targets. No security audit data provided; treat as a test tool, not for production infrastructure scanning. Network traffic (HTTP requests) should be logged and monitored to avoid unintended disruption to monitored systems.

Alternatives to consider

vegeta

Established CLI load tester with similar attack/report model and library API; lacks real-time TUI visualization but more portable and scriptable for CI/CD.

k6

Modern JavaScript-based load testing with rich charting, cloud scaling, and APM integrations; heavier footprint and learning curve, but superior for complex scenarios and remote execution.

JMeter

Enterprise-grade GUI and CLI load testing with extensive protocol support, scripting, and distributed load generation; much steeper learning curve and resource overhead for simple HTTP tests.

Software development agency

Build on ali with DEV.co software developers

ali is ideal for quick performance validation and capacity planning. Our team can help integrate it into your CI/CD, set up automated benchmarking, or recommend the right load testing strategy for your infrastructure.

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ali FAQ

Can ali run distributed load from multiple machines?

No. ali is single-machine only. For multi-node distributed load, use vegeta with orchestration, k6 Cloud, or enterprise platforms like Locust or JMeter controller/agent setup.

Does ali support WebSocket or gRPC load testing?

No. ali is HTTP/HTTPS only. For other protocols, use specialized tools (e.g., ghz for gRPC, Artillery for WebSocket, or protocol-specific frameworks).

How do I persist and analyze ali results over time?

Use --export-to to save results to files, then parse and import into time-series databases (InfluxDB, Prometheus) or analysis tools via scripting. ali itself has no backend storage or long-term analytics.

Is ali suitable for production workload simulation?

ali is designed for testing non-production targets. Use it in staging or isolated test environments to avoid disrupting live traffic. Coordinate with ops/sre teams before running large-scale attacks.

Work with a software development agency

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If ali is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

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