Jepsen
Hacker ApprovedTesting service in Developer tools
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.
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.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 12 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Finds real bugs in software
“He was extremely professional, and he found a few real issues which we resolved extremely urgently.”
Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4” “Jepsen is a fantastic tool - and one every database engineering team should have in their arsenal”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4” “it's made a couple of my applications much better in ways I wouldn't have managed without it”
Comment from 20 May 2026 in “Testing distributed systems with AI agents” - Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Jepsen: MariaDB Galera Cluster 12.1.2”
Clear, informative public reports
“These Jepsen reports are always so clearly explained.”
Comment from 1 Nov 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4” “I really enjoy them and learn something from each.”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4” “he has a great list of answers in that post”
Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Package Management Is a Wicked Problem” - Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4”
Straightforward, trusted author
“That author tends to be refreshingly straightforward in a field where many vendors love to cheat”
Comment from 25 Oct 2026 in “We should be more ambitious with the software we build” “Aphyr does great work, Jepsen always kicks it out of the park”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4” “It's great that jepsen doing the work they do!”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Jepsen: MariaDB Galera Cluster 12.1.2”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antithesis | 22 | 3 | 88% | 8 | — | Approved |
| JepsenThis page | 12 | 1 | 92% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“He was extremely professional, and he found a few real issues which we resolved extremely urgently.”
“These Jepsen reports are always so clearly explained.”
“I really enjoy them and learn something from each.”
“such commentary is valuable”
“provide color commentary on my software development methodology in a public report”
“Jepsen is a fantastic tool - and one every database engineering team should have in their arsenal”
“Aphyr does great work, Jepsen always kicks it out of the park”
“That author tends to be refreshingly straightforward in a field where many vendors love to cheat”
“Best examples are SQLite and Jepsen test suites for dbms engines.”
“it's made a couple of my applications much better in ways I wouldn't have managed without it”
“it is a great chance to improve their software”
“It's great that jepsen doing the work they do!”
“he has a great list of answers in that post”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.