The brief
Requested: a traffic simulation tool delivered as a Windows .exe file that sends test requests using configurable IP addresses, referrer values and user-agent strings. The buyer has not yet defined the main purpose and wants to discuss scope first, so the first phase is a scoping call before build work starts.
Environment: the buyer confirmed the tool will run against a staging or test environment that the buyer controls. Work is limited to that environment. Any use against production sites or third-party services is outside this scope and must be discussed and approved separately.
Proposed scope to confirm during the scoping call:
1. Purpose and success criteria: what the buyer needs to learn from the simulated traffic, such as load behaviour, logging, rate limiting, or request-header handling.
2. Target definition: which staging endpoints will be tested, and what request patterns, methods and volumes are in scope. Volumes will be agreed in writing, not assumed.
3. Source configuration: a user-editable list or file for IP addresses, referrer values and user-agent strings, so the buyer can set these per test run. The buyer supplies the values to use.
4. Execution controls: start, stop and rate settings, plus a clear log of each run showing configuration used, request counts and response codes.
5. Packaging: a single Windows executable, with a short readme covering setup, configuration format and how to run a test.
Deliverables: the agreed tool source, the built .exe, a sample configuration file, a readme with run instructions, and a short test report from one run against the buyer's staging environment.
Acceptance checks: the .exe launches on a standard Windows machine without the seller's development tools installed; it reads the configuration file and sends requests only to the staging target set in that file; the run log matches the configured values; and the tool stops cleanly when told to.
The tool must not be used to fabricate analytics, inflate ad or referral metrics, or evade bot detection on any live site. If the scoping call shows the intended use falls outside controlled testing, the seller may decline the job.
Process: scoping call, written scope and price agreement, build, one revision round after review, handover of files and documentation.