C web framework benchmarks: performance comparison
The fastest C HTTP server in HttpArena is mongoose (an HTTP engine), with a composite of 5940 on HTTP/1.1 — 3 of 34 against every language in its league. Measured over Alpha Round, every entry on the same machine.
Compare any two C entries profile by profile →
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, and scales the sum by the entry's completeness factor. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mongoose | Engine | 5940 | 3 of 34 | 1 of 3 |
| nginx | Infrastructure | 4710 | 1 of 5 | 1 of 4 |
| h2o | Infrastructure | 3936 | 2 of 5 | 2 of 4 |
| libreactorng | Engine | 3828 | 10 of 34 | 2 of 3 |
| libioma | Engine | 3819 | 11 of 34 | 3 of 3 |
| Vinyl Cache | Infrastructure | 831 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 4 |
| varnish | Infrastructure | 185 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 4 |
HTTP/2
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| h2o | Infrastructure | 1441 | 1 of 4 | 1 of 3 |
| nginx | Infrastructure | 1212 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 3 |
| varnish | Infrastructure | 196 | 3 of 4 | 3 of 3 |
HTTP/3
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nginx | Infrastructure | 2000 | 1 of 2 | — |
WebSocket
| Framework | Type | Composite | Rank overall | Rank among C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mongoose | Engine | 2759 | 2 of 16 | 1 of 2 |
| ringzero-ws | Engine | 1988 | 4 of 16 | 2 of 2 |
Questions
What is the fastest C HTTP server?
mongoose, an HTTP engine, leads the C entries in HttpArena with a composite score of 5940 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, mongoose ranks 3 of 34 in its own league.
What is the fastest C HTTP/2 server?
h2o, with a composite of 1441 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 2000 on HTTP/3 and 1 of 2 against all languages in its league.
What is the fastest C WebSocket server?
mongoose, with a composite of 2759 on WebSocket and 2 of 16 against all languages in its league.
How many C web frameworks are benchmarked?
8 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, mongoose, places 3 of 34 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 8 entries.
Every C entry
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