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chaosd

github.com

Free plan LinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 7.9 #11 of 25 in Chaos Engineering Platforms

What it is

Chaosd is free Apache-2.0 software for injecting and recovering faults on physical machines. It can create process, network, CPU or memory pressure, disk, and host faults. Use it as a command-line tool or run it as a background service controlled through HTTP requests. Chaosd is deployed separately from Chaos Mesh; PhysicalMachineChaos experiments require service mode on each targeted physical or virtual machine. The documented environment requires glibc 2.17 or later, and the binary download described is a Linux amd64 tarball. Network experiments using tc or iptables require sudo or root privileges. Deployment prerequisites include tc, ipset, and iptables; source builds additionally list stress-ng and byteman. Experiments can be searched and recovered by UID. TLS certificates are shown for service security, and running without generated certificates is not recommended.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Chaosd is a Chaos Engineering tool for injecting and recovering faults in physical machine environments.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Deployment
Chaosd is downloaded and deployed separately from Chaos Mesh.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Security
The PhysicalMachineChaos guide shows Chaosd configured with TLS certificates and says running the service without generated certificates is not recommended for cluster security.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
License
The GitHub repository identifies its license as Apache-2.0.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Download
The documented binary download is a Linux amd64 tarball, with stable versioned and latest unstable downloads described.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Fault types
It supports process, network, CPU or memory pressure, disk, and host faults.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Integration
Chaos Mesh PhysicalMachineChaos experiments require Chaosd deployed in service mode on the physical or virtual machines targeted for fault injection.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Prerequisites
The repository lists tc, ipset, and iptables as deployment prerequisites, and lists stress-ng and byteman as additional requirements when building from source.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Privileges
Network experiments using tc or iptables require Chaosd commands to run with sudo or root privileges.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Recovery
Chaosd supports searching for experiments and recovering experiments by their UIDs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Supported environment
The documented operating environment requires glibc version 2.17 or later.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org
Work modes
Chaosd can run as a command-line tool or as a background service controlled through HTTP requests.Read 7 Oct 2026 · chaos-mesh.org

Plans and prices

Chaosd Free Apache-2.0 licensed; Linux binary download; requires glibc v2.17 or later Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com

Every chaosd plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Injects process, network, disk, CPU, memory, and host faults
  • Runs as CLI or HTTP-controlled service
  • Supports experiment recovery by UID
  • Provides network fault injection and blast-radius controls
  • Apache-2.0 licensed and free

Limits

  • Linux amd64 binary is the documented download
  • Requires glibc 2.17 or later
  • Network tests need sudo or root
  • No Kubernetes, cloud injection, or scheduling support

Who it suits

Chaosd suits Linux operators running self-hosted physical or virtual-machine fault experiments. It is aimed at users who can provide the listed system prerequisites and privileges.

Verdict

Chaosd covers several physical-machine failure modes and offers both command-line and service operation. Its Linux prerequisites, elevated network privileges, and separate deployment from Chaos Mesh shape setup requirements.

Where Specifiction places it

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