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A load test can deliver high request throughput while repeatedly sending requests over one persistent HTTP connection. That result measures the configured workload; it does not, by itself, show how a system handles many simultaneous connections or frequent connection setup.
To interpret the result, check the generator’s reuse and connection-count settings, then compare runs that differ only in the connection behavior you want to test. Requests per second alone cannot tell you how many sockets were open.
What keep-alive does—and what it does not mean
In HTTP/1.1, a client can send successive requests over a persistent connection unless the client or server signals that the connection should close. Reuse depends on correct message framing: the response must have a self-defined length, and the client must consume the complete response body before sending another request over that connection. See RFC 9112.
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Why throughput and connection count tell different stories
Requests per second measures completed request activity over time. The number of open TCP connections is a separate property. A generator that reuses a small connection pool can exercise request handling without reproducing the connection setup and churn of a workload that opens more connections. Its throughput can be valid for that persistent-connection pattern, but it does not establish performance for a different pattern.
More connections are not automatically better. Multiple connections can reduce head-of-line blocking, while also consuming server resources and contributing to network congestion. RFC 9112 advises clients to limit simultaneous open connections to a given server. Choose a connection pattern to match the workload you intend to represent, not simply to maximize the connection count.
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Where to check connection behavior
Grafana k6
k6 documents noConnectionReuse as a boolean that disables keep-alive connections; its documented default is false. To test with reuse disabled, set it explicitly in the options:
export const options = { noConnectionReuse: true };k6 also has noVUConnectionReuse, which controls whether TCP connections are reused between iterations of a virtual user (VU). Its documented default is also false. These options address different reuse behavior, so check which one fits the workflow being tested instead of treating them as interchangeable. See the k6 options reference.
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wrk’s -c or --connections option sets the total number of HTTP connections to keep open; its threads each handle a share of that total. Inspect both the connection count and thread count when interpreting a run. The project README’s example uses 12 threads and 400 connections; that is an example configuration, not a general recommendation. See the wrk README.
wrk also warns that a generator may need enough ephemeral ports and that the server’s listen backlog should exceed the tested concurrent connection count to handle the initial connection burst. These are possible constraints to check, not evidence that either caused a particular test result.
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Other generators and runtimes
Settings vary by tool and version. Record the exact generator and version, and consult documentation for that version before drawing conclusions. Do not infer socket count from throughput, or assume a runtime’s connection-pooling defaults apply to a different tool.
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- Record the run’s identity. Note the load tool and version, protocol version, script or scenario, number of virtual users or workers, configured connection count, and whether connections are reused between requests or iterations.
- Inspect the generator settings and output. In k6, check the relevant reuse options. In wrk, record
-cand the thread count. Use connection-level output or monitoring where available; requests per second alone does not reveal open socket count. - Run a controlled comparison. Configure the reuse behavior explicitly for each scenario. Keep duration, request mix, payloads, target, concurrency model, and generator resources comparable, and state exactly which settings changed. This isolates the connection-pattern difference; it does not guarantee either pattern matches production.
- Compare more than throughput. Review latency distributions, errors, connection establishment and reconnect behavior, and signs of generator or target saturation. A faster request rate is not enough to identify which resource or connection pattern determined the outcome.
- Check connection limits and closures. For wrk, consider ephemeral-port availability and the server listen backlog during connection bursts. Also account for server-side idle timeouts and connection closures described by RFC 9112.
- Report each result narrowly. Describe the first run as measuring its configured persistent-connection pattern and the comparison run as measuring its different pattern. Neither run alone establishes every production performance characteristic.
What a sound comparison should report
- Connection reuse policy and the number of open connections.
- Virtual users, threads, workers, or the other concurrency model in use.
- Request rate alongside latency distribution and error rate.
- Connection setup, reconnects, and relevant generator or target resource limits.
These details make the scope of each result clear. The useful question is not whether one run is universally more realistic, but whether its settings resemble the production workload the test is meant to approximate.
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- Displays cable length, wire map, and distance to open or short
- Manage results and print reports from LinkWare PC
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