Methods / L4 / UDP-TINY
L4 · NetworkVolumetricUDPHigh-PPSSpoofable

UDP-TINY stress test

Pushes 1-byte randomized UDP packets to drive the absolute maximum packet-per-second rate, validating the hardest limits of your packet-processing path.

Run UDP-TINY test → All methods
600k pps
peak packet rate

How it works

This method uses the smallest practical payload, a single randomized byte, so each packet sits at the minimum size and the most packets possible fit into the available bandwidth. The result is the highest achievable PPS, which stresses interrupt handling, the kernel forwarding path, and mitigation-table lookups harder than any larger-payload UDP flood. Use it to find the ceiling of what your forwarding plane can absorb per packet.

Parameters

Packet rate600k ppsPrimary tunable, packets per second per thread
Payload bytes1 byteMinimal randomized payload to maximize PPS
Threads1-16Parallel senders to scale aggregate PPS
Duration10-600 sTest window length

Run it from the CLI

retro-cli
$ retro run udp-tiny --target 203.0.113.45 --port 443 --duration 120

UDP-TINY FAQ

Is UDP-TINY testing legal?+
Only against infrastructure you own or are authorized to test. RETRO//STRESS requires authorized targets.
What does UDP-TINY stress?+
Pushes 1-byte randomized UDP packets to drive the absolute maximum packet-per-second rate, validating the hardest limits of your packet-processing path.
Can I combine it with other methods?+
Yes, add it as a step in a packet chain to sequence it with other protocols.