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Is doing apache benchmark illegal?
I have been trying to test how different websites perform and I use the apache benchmark "ab" command. I have been doing it on my sites, but out of curiosity I did it on some other websites too, and I can see the sites getting slow or unresponsive.
Does doing this constitute as (D)DOS?
Comments
Most TOSs have specific wording about causing a disruption of service. If you send a "test" that overloads their servers then yes, this is a disruption of service.
Yes, considering you're flooding the server with requests
And it goes without saying but I will say it anyways: You are denying a service, thus it is a Denial of Service (DOS).
Depends, is it your server or shared hosting?
Also DDOS = Distributed Denial Of Service, and since you don't have multiple locations doing the attack, or at least shouldn't it can't qualify for this.
DOS, is closer to what you are doing.
And who's TOS am I breaching? Do I make the website owner breach their host's TOS or do I breach my own host's?
...
Doesn't matter
If you own the server, you can test it DDOS it all you like. It is your server. However if it is shared hosting that is a different story as you are affecting multiple customers and not just yourself.
He tested it on other people's websites.
Then that is DOS'ing someones site by all regards.
It being "your server" doesn't make it "your network". [D]DOS'ing your own server is still usually not okay because it can affect others "near it" on the network.
Ok, I shouldn't be testing other's sites then.
But how about the following situation.
I do it on my own VPS to test my own site. Once the VPS gets overloaded it just times out or becomes unresponsive and the test only lasts a minute.
I can do the same with blitz.io as well.
Am I unnecessarily taking the risk of getting suspended? If so, then how do you guys stress test your sites?
Yes, a host will definitely suspend you for flooding their network with large amounts of automated traffic if the amount of traffic is large enough to impact other clients.
Blitz.io is a great tool but don't run it all of the time and make sure you set realistic limits.
I think it depends: number of requests and number of connections.
On say a 256MB or maybe even 512MB VPS running Apache, the Apache Bench might not even get too far with too many connections before the VPS dies on load first.
I was running this test on my own node at one stage (provided I stopped the test once it reached a degraded performance level).
As long as you control the test and not run it on huge loads, it might be fine.
The rule is: as long as it doesn't cause any problems for others and that it's not illegal. I don't call Apache Benchmark a DoS tool.
We got complaints that the stock apache web server on the VPS flats out at 1000 requests when (insert shared hosting service here) was doing 3 times better.
It goes without saying that you cannot serve the same number of clients with a 1 gb VPS or 16 GB dedicated even if the dedicated hosts many other people, to a point.
Coming back to testing, it is layer 7 equivalent of DDoSing your VPS to test your provider.
Even on DDoS protected hosts this is not taken lightly. I wouldnt like it even if it would be at the limit I advertise the protection will hold.
Layer 7 attacks stress much more than just the network, before going belly up the VPS will experience extreme pain taking down the storage and CPU making all customers there suffer and might even corrupt data or cause kernel panic if really unlucky.
TL;DR
Dont do it, not even if you hate the host and dont need the VPS anymore.
The servers have their god called Murphy and you cant escape his wrath. Other people name him Karma, but it's the same bitch.
I siege or ab my website. But only for 1 minute or less, not prolonged period of time
Just open a ticket letting your host know you're doing it so they know it's not some random thing happening.
Dumb question but what if you're hosting a popular site that generates large amount of traffic?