Load testing for engineering teams | Grafana k6
k6 is an open-source tool and cloud service that makes load testing easy for developers and QA engineers.
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k6 is a modern open-source load testing tool that empowers engineering teams to write performance tests in JavaScript and execute them locally, on Kubernetes, or in the cloud for reliable software releases.
๐ Overview
k6 is an open-source load testing and performance testing tool developed by Grafana Labs, designed to bring performance testing into the everyday workflow of developers, SREs, and QA engineers. It allows teams to script tests using familiar JavaScript, making it easy to simulate real-world traffic and identify bottlenecks early.
The project solves the problem of siloed QA performance testing by enabling "tests as code" that integrate seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines, preventing regressions, validating scalability, and ensuring applications can handle expected loads without failures.
It's built for developers who want simple yet powerful tools, SREs focused on reliability SLOs, and teams shifting left on testing. Grafana created k6 to deliver the best developer experience in load testing, leveraging Go's efficiency and JavaScript's accessibility.
โจ Key Features
- JavaScript scripting: Author realistic load tests with full-featured API supporting HTTP/1.1 & 2, WebSocket, gRPC, GraphQL, cookies, and Browser modules for end-to-end testing.
- Flexible execution: Run the same script locally (
k6 run), on Kubernetes, or distributed in k6 Cloud across 21 global load zones. - Extensibility & integrations: Vast extension ecosystem, thresholds for SLOs, and native output to Grafana, Prometheus, InfluxDB, and CI/CD tools.
- Upcoming: Enhanced Browser module, TypeScript support, and fault injection for resilient apps.
๐ Tech Stack
- Core: Go (78%), JavaScript (20%, embedded V8 engine for scripting)
- Protocols: HTTP, WebSocket, gRPC, Browser (Chromium via extension)
- Extensions: JavaScript modules for custom logic
- Cloud: Grafana Cloud k6 (SaaS)
- Metrics: Export to PostgreSQL-compatible (via extensions), Redis (caching), no built-in DB
- Auth: Custom/OAuth via Grafana Cloud
- Hosting: Self-hosted binary, Kubernetes Operator, Vercel/Netlify not applicable (CLI tool)
๐ฅ Who Is This For?
This project is useful for:
- Developers who want to ___add performance tests to CI/CD without learning new languages
- Teams looking for ___scalable load generation from dev laptops to enterprise clouds
- Indie makers building ___APIs and apps needing quick reliability checks
๐ธ Screenshots / Demo
- Live demo: https://k6.io (Quickstart with example scripts)
- GitHub: https://github.com/grafana/k6
๐ฅ Project Status
- ๐ข Actively building
Last updated: 2026-03-24
โ FAQ
Is this project free?
Open Source / Freemium (k6 OSS is completely free and open-source. k6 Cloud offers a free tier for small tests and paid plans for advanced features and scaling.)
Is the source code available?
Yes โ https://github.com/grafana/k6
Can I contribute?
Yes โ File issues or feature requests on GitHub, submit pull requests following CONTRIBUTING.md. Join discussions in the community forum at https://community.grafana.com/c/grafana-k6/70 or check the public roadmap.
๐ฌ Contact & Links
- Website: https://k6.io
- GitHub: https://github.com/grafana/k6
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/k6_io
- Email: support via https://grafana.com/contact or community forum
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