Getting Started

This guide walks you from installation to your first meaningful load test.

Install Crankfire

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

brew tap torosent/crankfire
brew install crankfire

Go Install

go install github.com/torosent/crankfire/cmd/crankfire@latest

Build From Source

git clone https://github.com/torosent/crankfire.git
cd crankfire
go build -o build/crankfire ./cmd/crankfire

Docker

You can run Crankfire directly from the GitHub Container Registry without installing anything:

docker run ghcr.io/torosent/crankfire --target https://example.com --total 100

Verify the Installation

crankfire --help

You should see the list of supported flags and a short description.

Your First Load Test

Minimal Example

Hit a public echo service with 100 requests:

crankfire --target https://httpbin.org/get --total 100

Key points:

Concurrency and Duration

Run a 30‑second test with 20 workers:

crankfire \
  --target https://httpbin.org/get \
  --concurrency 20 \
  --duration 30s

Add the Dashboard

For a richer view, enable the terminal dashboard:

crankfire \
  --target https://httpbin.org/get \
  --concurrency 20 \
  --rate 100 \
  --duration 30s \
  --dashboard

Use q or Ctrl+C to exit the dashboard.

Using a Config File

Instead of long command lines, define a test in JSON or YAML.

loadtest.yaml:

target: https://api.example.com/users
method: GET
concurrency: 25
rate: 50
duration: 2m
timeout: 10s
retries: 2
headers:
  Authorization: Bearer your-token
  Accept: application/json

Run it with:

crankfire --config loadtest.yaml

You can still override values with flags:

crankfire --config loadtest.yaml --concurrency 50 --duration 5m

Generating Reports

Crankfire can generate standalone HTML reports with interactive charts.

crankfire --target https://httpbin.org/get \
  --concurrency 10 \
  --total 1000 \
  --html-output report.html

Open report.html in your browser to view the results.

Import from HAR File

You can record a browser session and replay it as a load test:

  1. Open browser DevTools (F12) → Network tab
  2. Perform the actions you want to test
  3. Right-click → “Save all as HAR”
  4. Run the load test:
crankfire --har recording.har --har-filter "host:api.example.com" --total 100

See HAR Import for filtering options and best practices.

Next Steps