C web framework benchmarks
The fastest C HTTP server in HttpArena is nginx (a reverse proxy or static-file server), with a composite of 678 on HTTP/1.1 — 1 of 4 against every language in its league. Measured over Alpha Round, every entry on the same machine.
Every C entry in the benchmark, compared on the composite score of each family. The composite sums a normalized score over the profiles of that family, where the leader of each profile scores 100. Rank overall is the entry's place in its own league across all languages; rank among C narrows the same field to this language. Both link through to the board view they were taken in. How the score works.
HTTP/1.1
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nginx | Infrastructure | 678 | 1 of 4 | 1 of 3 |
| h2o | Infrastructure | 550 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 3 |
| libreactorng | Engine | 191 | 13 of 34 | 1 of 3 |
| ringzero | Engine | 153 | 18 of 34 | 2 of 3 |
| Varnish | Infrastructure | 28 | 4 of 4 | 3 of 3 |
| Vinyl Cache | Engine | 11 | 32 of 34 | 3 of 3 |
HTTP/2
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| h2o | Infrastructure | 143 | 1 of 4 | 1 of 3 |
| nginx | Infrastructure | 122 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 3 |
| Varnish | Infrastructure | 12 | 4 of 4 | 3 of 3 |
HTTP/3
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nginx | Infrastructure | 200 | 1 of 2 | — |
WebSocket
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ringzero-ws | Engine | 197 | 2 of 9 | — |
Questions
What is the fastest C HTTP server?
nginx, a reverse proxy or static-file server, leads the C entries in HttpArena with a composite score of 678 on HTTP/1.1, measured over Alpha Round. The composite sums a normalized score across the profiles of a family, where the leader of each profile scores 100. Against every language, nginx ranks 1 of 4 in its own league.
What is the fastest C HTTP/2 server?
h2o, with a composite of 143 on HTTP/2 and 1 of 4 against all languages in its league.
What is the fastest C HTTP/3 server?
nginx, with a composite of 200 on HTTP/3 and 1 of 2 against all languages in its league.
What is the fastest C WebSocket server?
ringzero-ws, with a composite of 197 on WebSocket and 2 of 9 against all languages in its league.
How many C web frameworks are benchmarked?
7 C entries are measured, covering HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSocket. Every one runs on the same machine, in the same round (Alpha Round), against the same profiles.
Is C fast for web servers?
The quickest C entry, nginx, places 1 of 4 on HTTP/1.1 across every language in its league, so that placing is the honest answer for C at its best rather than for C in general. The tables below show the spread across all 7 entries.
Every C entry
Alpha Round · All languages · Open the leaderboard