ATAC vs Hurl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ATAC | Hurl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,729 | ★ 19,214 |
| First released | 2024 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Postman, Insomnia | Postman, Insomnia |
What are ATAC and Hurl?
ATAC
ATAC is an open-source terminal user interface API client that lets developers test HTTP APIs without leaving the console. Collections are stored as plain files so they can be version controlled and self-managed.
- Terminal UI client
- Postman import support
- Git-friendly collections
- Offline operation
Hurl
Hurl is an open-source command-line tool that runs HTTP requests defined in a simple plain text format. It is used for API testing and can be integrated into self-hosted CI pipelines.
- Plain text request files
- Built-in assertions
- CI friendly
- Chained requests
ATAC vs Hurl: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for ATAC versus Apache-2.0 for Hurl. ATAC is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Hurl. Hurl is the more established project (first released 2020), while ATAC arrived in 2024. Hurl has the considerably larger community, at 19,214 GitHub stars versus 3,729.
Why pick each one
Choose ATAC if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose Hurl if…
- Plain text request files
- CI-friendly and fast
- Built-in assertions
Watch out for
- No graphical interface
- Curl-style learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is ATAC or Hurl better?
Neither is universally better. Hurl has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ATAC and Hurl free and open-source?
Yes. ATAC is licensed under MIT and Hurl under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ATAC and Hurl with Docker?
ATAC: check the project docs for container support. Hurl: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ATAC or Hurl?
ATAC has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Hurl. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.