Introduction to Loadcurl
Loadcurl is an HTTP load testing platform. You sign in at app.loadcurl.com, verify your email, compose a request (or paste a curl / Postman snippet), set duration, ramp-up, and target traffic, then start a run. The free plan needs no credit card. Each test stays inside the free-plan limit. Load above that limit is available after you verify a domain and your plan allows it. Open Plan for the current numbers. Cloud workers hit that endpoint while the run page polls live status. When the run finishes you get a report — latency percentiles, throughput vs target RPS, HTTP outcomes — and you can download it as a PDF.
No CLI, workers, or extra infrastructure is required for the dashboard. You can also connect an MCP client with a key from MCP keys — see MCP keys.
Why load test your API?
Your API might handle a handful of requests in development. Load testing answers questions like:
- What happens when traffic reaches a target requests-per-second rate?
- Does p95 / p99 latency stay acceptable under that load?
- How many requests succeed, time out, or return 4xx / 5xx?
- Which run was worse than the last one?
Loadcurl is built so a single engineer can answer those questions from the dashboard, then invite teammates after upgrading to a company workspace.
What you'll do in this tutorial
- Create a free account (a personal workspace is created for you — no credit card)
- Verify your email
- Run your first test from New test inside the free-plan limit
- Read the report and download a PDF
- Verify a domain when you need load above that cap
- Use Dashboard, Tests, Plan, Usage, Account, and Support
- Upgrade to a company workspace when you need a team
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| A Loadcurl account | Sign up with email or Google — no credit card required |
| A verified email | Required before any test can run. Resend the link from Account (valid for 24 hours). |
| An API endpoint to test | Use a system you own or have permission to test. Staging is safer than production. Inside the free-plan limit, the hostname does not have to be verified. |
| Basic HTTP knowledge | Methods, headers, query params, and JSON bodies |
Each workspace starts on Free. Every free-plan test is capped by the plan’s max_rps and max_test_duration, and creating a test enforces them. You can stay inside that limit without verifying a domain. Load above it requires a verified domain and a plan that allows it. A free-plan organization can have one active test at a time. Pending, provisioned, and running all count as active. Paid plans are unchanged. Open Plan in the dashboard for live numbers — they can change by market (US or India).
Core concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Personal workspace | Created automatically when you register. You are the only member. Tests, quota, and billing stay here until you join or create a company. |
| Company workspace | A team workspace. Upgrade from Account, or invite someone — both convert personal to company. One-way; you cannot switch back. |
| Verified domain | A hostname you prove you control (DNS TXT or HTTP file). Required when the test goes above the free-plan limit. A verified host also covers its subdomains. |
| Target traffic (RPS) | How many requests per second the test should send at peak. Capped by your plan. On Free, that is the free-plan limit. |
| Ramp-up | Seconds to climb from 0 to target traffic. 0 starts at full load immediately. |
| Duration | How long the test runs, in seconds. Capped by your plan. On Free, that is the free-plan limit. |
| Active test | On the free plan, a test that is pending, provisioned, or running. Only one may be open. After it completes or fails, the next can start. |
| Request quota | Monthly allotment on the current plan: allotted, available, held, and used. Starting a test holds duration × RPS until the run settles. |
| Plan vs Usage | Plan is billing and checkout. Usage is the quota bar, holds, and ledger. |
| Report | Latency (p50–p99), throughput vs target, HTTP status mix, and success / failure rates for a completed run. |
| MCP key | A credential Owner or Admin creates so an MCP client can run, poll, stop, and report on tests for this workspace. The secret is shown once. |
You belong to one active organization at a time. Roles in a company are Owner, Admin, and Member.
First-run path
Register → verify email → New test (free-plan limit) → Start → live run → report
Dashboard is an overview (quota, alerts, live and recent runs). You compose a request on New test, not on Home.
Next step
Ready to run your first test? Continue to Getting Started.