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Chaos Mesh

chaos-mesh.org

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Spec score 8.6 #4 of 25 in Chaos Engineering Platforms

What it is

Chaos Mesh is a free, open-source platform for running fault simulations in development, testing, and production environments. It runs on Kubernetes and manages experiments through Kubernetes CustomResourceDefinitions and the Kubernetes API. Fault simulations cover areas including Pods, networks, DNS, HTTP, I/O, time, stress, kernels, block devices, JVMs, physical machines, and AWS, Azure, and GCP. Schedule, Workflow, and StatusCheck resources support recurring experiments, serial or parallel workflows, and application health checks. Selectors and namespace controls help scope experiments to chosen targets. Chaos Dashboard offers a web interface and HTTP API for creating, managing, and observing experiments, with role-based access control enabled by default. Chaos Mesh is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and can be installed from its Helm repository using Helm 3. Compatibility varies by release: version 2.8 supports Kubernetes 1.30 through 1.35, while version 2.7 supports 1.26 through 1.28. Its privileged Chaos Daemon runs as a Kubernetes DaemonSet by default, though that permission can be disabled. Community support is available through CNCF Slack and GitHub Discussions.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Chaos Mesh simulates faults in development, testing, and production environments to help identify potential system problems.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Security
Chaos Mesh manages permissions through Kubernetes RBAC, and namespace annotations can restrict where experiments are enabled.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Support
The project directs users to GitHub Issues, GitHub Discussions, and its Slack channel for assistance and community interaction.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
License
Chaos Mesh is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.Read 1 Oct 2026 · github.com
Authentication
When deployed on Google Cloud Platform, Chaos Dashboard can use Google OAuth authentication.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
CI integration
The chaos-mesh-action GitHub Action integrates Chaos Mesh with GitHub Actions CI workflows.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Dashboard
Chaos Dashboard provides a web interface to define, manage, and monitor experiments.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Dashboard data
Chaos Dashboard uses SQLite by default; without persistent volumes, its data is lost after a reboot, and MySQL or PostgreSQL can be configured instead.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Experiment controls
Selectors and namespace controls let users scope experiments to chosen targets and limit their blast radius.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Experiment orchestration
Schedule, Workflow, and StatusCheck resources support recurring experiments, serial or parallel workflows, and application health checks.Read 1 Oct 2026 · github.com
Fault coverage
It supports Pod, network, DNS, HTTP, I/O, time, stress, kernel, block device, JVM, physical-machine, AWS, Azure, and GCP faults.Read 1 Oct 2026 · github.com
Fault types
It supports simulations for Pod, network, DNS, HTTP, CPU and memory, file I/O, clock, kernel, AWS, GCP, and JVM faults.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Grafana integration
The Chaos Mesh Grafana data-source plugin requires Chaos Mesh 2.1 or later and Grafana 10.0 or later, and was tested on Grafana 10.0.3.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Installation
The production installation guide describes installing Chaos Mesh with Helm and lists Docker, Containerd, K3s, MicroK8s, and CRI-O environments.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Kubernetes integration
Chaos Mesh uses Kubernetes CustomResourceDefinitions and manages experiments through the Kubernetes API.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Origin
Chaos Mesh originated from the core testing platform of TiDB and inherited TiDB testing experience.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Privileged component
Chaos Daemon runs as a Kubernetes DaemonSet with privileged permission by default, although this can be disabled.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Remote clusters
RemoteCluster can install Chaos Mesh components in remote Kubernetes clusters and synchronize experiment status, but the feature is described as being in an early stage.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Security controls
Role-based access control is enabled by default to restrict dashboard operations.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Security fixes
Security issues are fixed as soon as possible and back-ported to the last two releases.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Supported Kubernetes
Chaos Mesh 2.8 is supported with Kubernetes versions 1.30 through 1.35, while 2.7 is supported with versions 1.26 through 1.28.Read 1 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Usage restriction
For Pod Kill experiments, the documentation recommends configuring a ReplicaSet or similar mechanism to ensure the Pod can restart automatically.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Workflows
Workflows can orchestrate experiments serially or in parallel and check experiment status and results.Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org

Plans and prices

Chaos Mesh Free Open-source, cloud-native Chaos Engineering platform · runs on Kubernetes Read 2 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org

Every Chaos Mesh plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free under Apache License 2.0
  • Covers cloud, network, Pod, and application fault types
  • Supports recurring, serial, and parallel experiments
  • Role-based dashboard access is enabled by default
  • Selectors and namespace controls help scope experiments

Limits

  • Chaos Daemon is privileged by default
  • Remote-cluster support is described as early-stage
  • Dashboard data is lost on reboot without persistent volumes
  • Kubernetes compatibility differs by release

Who it suits

Chaos Mesh suits teams running Kubernetes that need to stage and orchestrate fault experiments across applications or infrastructure. Its experiment controls and health checks are relevant to teams that need to limit experiment scope.

Verdict

Chaos Mesh offers a broad set of Kubernetes-based fault experiments and controls for scheduling, scope, and application checks. Teams should account for its privileged Daemon default, version-specific Kubernetes compatibility, and dashboard persistence requirements.

Where Specifiction places it

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