# Jepsen

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/jepsen/

10 people recommended Jepsen in Hacker News comments and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 12 months, in 7 threads. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Kyle Kingsbury's Jepsen tests distributed databases and finds real bugs, with clear, straightforward reports people say are worth reading. One critic objected to its public commentary on their development methodology.

Summary written by Claude from 13 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 11 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Finds real bugs in software (3 comments in the sample): "Jepsen is a fantastic tool - and one every database engineering team should have in their arsenal" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318851)) "it’s made a couple of my applications much better in ways I wouldn’t have managed without it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48212714)) "it is a great chance to improve their software" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47410534))
- Clear, informative public reports (3 comments in the sample): "I really enjoy them and learn something from each." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50320380)) "he has a great list of answers in that post" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46803666)) "such commentary is valuable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50320376))
- Straightforward, trusted author (3 comments in the sample): "That author tends to be refreshingly straightforward in a field where many vendors love to cheat" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50228015)) "Aphyr does great work, Jepsen always kicks it out of the park" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318258)) "It's great that jepsen doing the work they do!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47410495))

## What people recommend instead

- [Antithesis](https://hackerapproved.com/p/antithesis/): 16 recommend, 4 mixed, 3 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://jepsen.io/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Jepsen", https://hackerapproved.com/p/jepsen/ (10 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.