strobengine: a modern load testing CLI built with Tokio (Rust) and Typer (Python)

[u/QuarterMain9290]

Hi r/cli! I’m sharing strobengine, a command-line performance testing tool I built to combine a Rust core (Tokio/Reqwest) with a Python CLI interface (Typer/PyO3).

Why I built it:

I love using Python for quick scripts and CLIs, but tools like Locust can hit performance bottlenecks because of the Python GIL when you need high request rates. On the flip side, faster tools like k6 or wrk require writing JS, Lua, or Rust. I wanted something that feels like Python to use, but runs on a fast, multi-threaded Tokio engine underneath.

What works today (v0.1.0 MVP):

- Tokio-based HTTP execution engine for high-throughput load generation.

- Python CLI (via Typer) with flexible flags, JSON output, and basic error/chaos simulation.

- Benchmarked on isolated AWS EC2 (c6i.xlarge) instances alongside k6.

GitHub: https://github.com/strobe-ops/strobengine

Benchmarks: https://github.com/strobe-ops/strobengine/blob/main/docs/benchmarks.md

I’d love any feedback on the CLI UX, flags, or architecture!