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Speedtest

What it is

Speedtest is a collection of internet connection speed testing tools and automation scripts. It primarily uses the official Speedtest.net (Ookla) CLI to measure network performance, including download speed, upload speed, latency, and jitter.

What problem it solves

It allows for automated, periodic monitoring of internet performance, providing data-driven evidence of ISP service levels. It helps identify intermittent bandwidth issues, verify performance after network changes, and log historical speed data for long-term analysis.

Where it fits in the stack

Category: Service / Infrastructure / Monitoring. It acts as an external probe to verify the primary internet gateway's performance.

Typical use cases

  • Monitoring ISP performance for SLA compliance.
  • Logging speed drops during specific hours.
  • Triggering alerts when bandwidth falls below a threshold.

Strengths

  • Industry-standard measurement.
  • High-quality CLI tool available for multiple platforms.
  • Supports JSON output for easy parsing.

Limitations

  • Consumes significant data during tests.
  • Results can be affected by local network activity.

When to use it

  • To verify your internet connection speed programmatically.
  • To build a history of network performance.
  • When troubleshooting suspected ISP bandwidth throttling.

When not to use it

  • On metered or low-bandwidth connections where testing might consume too much quota.
  • During critical low-latency tasks (like gaming or video calls) as it saturates the connection.

Getting started

Installation (Official Ookla CLI)

# Ubuntu/Debian
curl -s https://packagecloud.io/install/repositories/ookla/speedtest-cli/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt-get install speedtest

Speedtest Tracker (Self-Hosted Dashboard)

For a persistent dashboard and automated testing, it is recommended to use Speedtest Tracker.

services:
  speedtest-tracker:
    container_name: speedtest-tracker
    image: alexjustesen/speedtest-tracker:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - 8080:80
      - 443:443
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - SPEEDTEST_SCHEDULE=0 * * * * # Every hour
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config

CLI examples

Run a test

# Basic test with automatic server selection
speedtest

# Run test using a specific server ID
speedtest --server-id=1234

Advanced Formatting

# Output as JSON for programmatic parsing
speedtest --format=json

# Output as CSV for spreadsheet import
speedtest --format=csv

API examples

Parsing results (Python)

import subprocess
import json

def run_speedtest():
    result = subprocess.run(['speedtest', '--format=json'], capture_output=True, text=True)
    data = json.loads(result.stdout)

    download = data['download']['bandwidth'] / 125000  # Convert to Mbps
    upload = data['upload']['bandwidth'] / 125000      # Convert to Mbps

    print(f"Download: {download:.2f} Mbps")
    print(f"Upload: {upload:.2f} Mbps")

run_speedtest()

Dashboard Visualization

To visualize speedtest results over time: 1. Data Collection: Use a script to run speedtest --format=json and send the output to InfluxDB. 2. Setup InfluxDB: 

# Example curl to write to InfluxDB
curl -i -XPOST 'http://localhost:8086/write?db=speedtest' --data-binary "download,host=server value=$DOWNLOAD_SPEED"
3. Grafana Dashboard: Connect Grafana to InfluxDB and create a "Time Series" panel using the following query: - SELECT "value" FROM "download" WHERE $timeFilter 4. Automation: Schedule the script via cron to run every hour.

Backlog

  • [x] Perform quarterly technical freshness audit (2026-05-27).
  • [x] Create a dashboard for visualizing speedtest results over time.

Sources / References

Contribution Metadata

  • Confidence: high
  • Last reviewed: 2026-05-27