sysbench

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hostedWindows

What sysbench is

sysbench is a free, scriptable, multithreaded benchmark tool based on LuaJIT, commonly used for database benchmarking. Its bundled tests cover OLTP-like database workloads, filesystem I/O, CPU, memory, threads, and POSIX mutexes, and it can create complex workloads without a database server. Results include rates and latency measures such as percentiles and histograms. Users can write custom benchmarks in Lua by implementing predefined hooks; the executable can also run scripts as a general-purpose Lua interpreter. Command-line options set run-time or event limits, worker thread count, and average event rate. Build instructions describe MySQL support by default and PostgreSQL as an optional configuration. sysbench runs on Linux and macOS; Windows users are directed to Windows Subsystem for Linux because native Windows builds were dropped as of version 1.0. Linux package instructions cover x86_64, i386, and aarch64, and macOS packages are available through Homebrew. The project is licensed under GPL-2.0 and offers GitHub Issues for questions and bug reports.

Who it suits

sysbench suits users comfortable running command-line benchmarks and configuring scripts. It can serve database benchmarking needs or custom system workload tests on Linux and macOS.

What it does well

Bundled workloads cover databases, filesystems, and system resources.
Reports rates, latency percentiles, and histograms.
Lua hooks allow custom benchmark creation.
Free and licensed under GPL-2.0.

What to know first

Native Windows builds are unsupported.
Windows use requires Windows Subsystem for Linux.
PostgreSQL support is an optional build configuration.

Limits

Windows users need Windows Subsystem for Linux because native Windows builds are unsupported. PostgreSQL support requires an optional build configuration.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
sysbench	Open-source benchmark tool · GPL-2.0 license	Free

As github.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the sysbench GitHub project page.
On Linux, follow the package instructions for your distribution and architecture.
On macOS, install the package through Homebrew.
On Windows, use Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Choose bundled tests or implement custom benchmark hooks in Lua.

Verdict

sysbench offers a broad set of built-in workloads alongside Lua-based customization and detailed rate and latency reporting. Windows users need to use Windows Subsystem for Linux rather than a native build.

Questions

Is sysbench free?

Yes. It has a free plan and is licensed under GPL-2.0.

Which workloads can it benchmark?

Bundled benchmarks cover OLTP-like database workloads, filesystem I/O, CPU, memory, threads, and POSIX mutexes. It can also create workloads that do not involve a database server.

Can I create custom benchmarks?

Yes. Users can implement predefined hooks in Lua scripts to create benchmarks.

Which operating systems can run sysbench?

It is available for Linux and macOS. Windows users are directed to Windows Subsystem for Linux because native Windows builds were dropped.

Which databases are supported?

Build instructions describe MySQL support by default and PostgreSQL as an optional build configuration.

Where can I get help?

The project provides GitHub Issues for questions and bug reports.

Facts from sysbench's own pages

Bundled benchmarks: Bundled benchmarks cover OLTP-like database workloads, filesystem I/O, CPU, memory, threads, and POSIX mutexes. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
CLI or automation: Yes · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
Concurrency: The README says sysbench has low overhead with thousands of concurrent threads and can generate and track hundreds of millions of events per second. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Custom benchmarks: Users can create benchmarks by implementing predefined hooks in Lua scripts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Custom test profiles: Yes · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
Custom workloads: Users can create benchmarks by implementing predefined hooks in Lua scripts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Database support: Build instructions describe MySQL support by default and PostgreSQL support as an optional build configuration. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
Intended users: The README describes sysbench for database benchmarking and for building custom system workloads, so it is aimed at users who can run command-line benchmarks and configure scripts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
License: The repository lists the project under the GPL-2.0 license. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Linux availability: Linux packages are offered through package repositories for x86_64, i386, and aarch64, with installation instructions for Debian/Ubuntu, RHEL/CentOS, Fedora, and Arch Linux. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Linux packages: The README describes Linux binary packages for x86_64, i386, and aarch64, with installation instructions for Debian/Ubuntu, RHEL/CentOS, Fedora, and Arch Linux. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Lua interpreter: sysbench can also run as a general-purpose Lua interpreter for scripts using its executable in place of lua. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
macOS: The README says current macOS packages are available through Homebrew. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
macOS availability: The README directs macOS users to install the package through Homebrew. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Operating systems: Linux,macOS,Windows via Windows Subsystem for Linux · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
Other workloads: It can create complex workloads that do not involve a database server. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: sysbench is a scriptable, multithreaded benchmark tool based on LuaJIT, most often used for database benchmarks. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Release status: The releases page lists version 1.0.20 as the latest release. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Release versioning: The README says sysbench aims to follow Semantic Versioning as much as possible. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Security: GitHub reports that the project has no detected security policy and no published security advisories. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Statistics: It reports rate and latency statistics, including latency percentiles and histograms. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The repository provides GitHub Issues for project questions and bug reports. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Use and limits: The command-line options allow limits on run time or total events, and set worker thread count and average event rate. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026

Where sysbench stands on Freedom251

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