Vortex

Docker-based network traffic generation, security validation, and performance testing tool with a web UI. Designed for NGFW PoCs, SD-WAN demos, and network testing. Two containers — client and server — deploy in minutes.

Quick Start

Separate VMs (Recommended)

Server VM:

docker run -d --name vortex-server \
  -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  -p 5201:5201 -p 5201:5201/udp \
  -p 5202:5202 -p 5202:5202/udp \
  -p 5203:5203 -p 5203:5203/udp \
  -p 9999:9999 -p 53:53/udp \
  -p 21:21 -p 21100-21110:21100-21110 \
  -p 2222:2222 \
  -p 8082:8082 -p 8443:8443 \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ajaymare/vortex-server:latest

Client VM:

docker run -d --name vortex-client \
  --cap-add NET_ADMIN --cap-add NET_RAW \
  -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 \
  -e SERVER_HOST=<server-vm-ip> \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ajaymare/vortex-client:latest

Access:

• Client dashboard: https://<client-ip>:8443 or http://<client-ip>:8080
• Server dashboard: https://<server-ip>:8443 or http://<server-ip>:8082

Using Docker Compose

Separate VMs:

# Server VM
docker compose -f docker-compose.server.yml up -d

# Client VM
SERVER_HOST=<server-ip> docker compose -f docker-compose.client.yml up -d

Same host (local testing):

docker compose up -d

• Client: https://localhost:8443 or http://localhost:8080
• Server: https://localhost:18443 or http://localhost:8082

Protocols

Protocol	Tool	Description
HTTPS	ab / requests / Playwright	High-CPS mode (default), standard requests, or browser mode with HTTP/2 support
HTTP (Plain)	ab / requests / Playwright	High-CPS mode (default) on port 9999, standard requests, or browser mode
UDP	Python sockets	Raw UDP datagram generator with PPS control, DSCP, and ramping
iperf3	iperf3 CLI	TCP/UDP bandwidth testing with parallel streams and reverse mode
hping3	hping3 CLI	ICMP, TCP SYN/ACK/FIN, UDP, Traceroute with flood mode
DNS	dig	DNS queries to configurable domains via built-in DNS server
FTP	ftplib	Continuous file download/upload with progress logging
SSH	paramiko	Repeated command execution over SSH
External HTTPS	requests / Playwright	Multi-URL round-robin to external sites

Key Features

High-CPS Engine

• Connections-per-second testing using Apache Bench (ab) for HTTP and HTTPS
• New TCP connection per request (no keepalive) — measures real connection setup rate
• Ramping: Gradually increase CPS from start value to target in configurable steps
• Per-chunk stats every 5 seconds: CPS, avg latency, P99 latency, request count, errors
• Configurable concurrency (parallel workers)

UDP Traffic Generator

• Raw Python UDP sockets with precise PPS (packets-per-second) rate control
• Per-second logging: PPS, Mbps, total packets, errors
• DSCP marking, configurable packet size
• Ramping support: step-based PPS increase over time

Security Testing (NGFW Validation)

• 30+ attack simulations across 6 categories:
  • Web Attacks: SQLi, XSS, Command Injection, Path Traversal, Log4Shell, XXE, SSRF, and more
  • Malware/Threats: EICAR download (HTTP/HTTPS/ZIP), C2 callback, malicious User-Agent
  • URL Filtering: PAN-DB category test URLs (malware, phishing, hacking, proxy)
  • DNS Attacks: DNS tunneling, DGA detection, DNS rebinding
  • Protocol Abuse: SSH brute force, FTP bounce, HTTP smuggling, Slowloris
  • File-Based Threats: PDF with JS, Office macros, PE executable download
• Automated pass/fail verdicts based on connection resets, block pages, and response analysis
• Edit any test (built-in or custom), add custom attack patterns
• See Security Testing Guide for details

Browser Mode (Playwright)

• Real browser traffic using Chromium, Firefox, or WebKit (all pre-installed)
• Authentic TLS fingerprints and L7 headers
• Available on HTTPS, HTTP Plain, and External HTTPS cards
• Browser rotation: specific engine or random per burst cycle

Traffic Topology Visualization

• Per-protocol traceroute (TCP/UDP) showing SD-WAN path differences
• vis.js network graph with animated traffic flow, latency labels, and router health status
• Enterprise SVG icons: client, server, router, hops, timeout markers

Router Link Simulation (SSH)

• Connect to Linux routers via SSH — apply tc/netem impairment on real interfaces
• Three modes: Healthy, Impaired (latency/jitter/loss/bandwidth), Link Down
• Presets: Degraded WAN (300ms/5%), Voice SLA (200ms/2%), Video SLA (150ms/3%)
• Multiple routers, independent control per router

Multi-Client Control

• Server dashboard (http://<server>:8082) manages multiple client instances
• Add clients by name + URL — each gets a full control tab
• All API calls proxied through server for centralized management

Traffic Control

• Duration control (default 15 min), rate control (PPS), burst mode
• Up to 20 parallel flows per protocol
• DSCP marking on all protocols (EF, AF, CS classes)
• Random data sizes, select-all / bulk start-stop

Proxy Configuration

• Global HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy with optional auth
• Per-protocol override: Global, On, Off, or Custom
• Works with all modes including Playwright browser mode

Source IP Simulation

• Simulate multiple clients using IP aliases on a single container
• Socket-level binding for authentic multi-client traffic
• Requires NET_ADMIN capability

Server Ports

Port	Service
80	HTTP (nginx)
443	HTTPS (self-signed cert, HTTP/2)
5201-5203	iperf3 (3 instances)
9999	HTTP echo server + security test endpoints
53	DNS server
21	FTP (passive: 21100-21110)
2222	SSH
8082	Server Dashboard
8443	Dashboard HTTPS

Default Credentials

• SSH: testuser / testpass
• FTP: anonymous (no password) or ftpuser / ftppass

Docker Images

Pre-built images (linux/amd64) on Docker Hub:

• ajaymare/vortex-client:latest
• ajaymare/vortex-server:latest

Stop and Remove

docker stop vortex-client vortex-server
docker rm vortex-client vortex-server