What is Grafana k6?

Grafana k6 is an easy-to-use, open source load testing tool that helps teams assess system performance and identify issues before they reach production.

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Grafana k6 overview

Grafana k6 is an open source load testing tool designed for efficient performance testing in a developer-friendly environment. With test scripts written in JavaScript, developers and engineers can easily collaborate to find and fix issues before they reach production.

The k6 OSS project was started in 2016 by k6, a startup Grafana Labs acquired in 2021. The mission of the project is to give teams extensible load testing tools for building and observing reliable applications. Grafana k6 extends beyond standard load testing (such as stress testing), supporting various use cases such as browser testing and fault injection testing.

Grafana Labs is proud to lead the development of the Grafana k6 project, building first-class support for k6 into Grafana, and ensuring Grafana Labs customers receive k6 support and features they need.

Why use Grafana k6 for load testing?

Easily configure load tests to identify potential bottlenecks, mimic real-world scenarios, and diagnose known failure conditions.

Build load tests locally and run them across your local machine, distributed clusters, and on the cloud.

Collaborate seamlessly across teams by utilizing test scripts written in JavaScript.

Minimize resource consumption with the highly performant k6 engine, written in Go.

Store results from load testing as either aggregated statistics or individual data points in your chosen backend — Prometheus, Mimir, Datadog, New Relic, Timescale, etc.

Jumpstart performance testing quickly with developer-friendly APIs.

Automate load testing using checks and thresholds to ensure ongoing validation of performance and reliability.

Visualize performance metrics and trends using the web UI or one of the pre-built Grafana dashboards.

How does Grafana k6 work for load testing?

Create scripts easily

Effortlessly generate load and performance test scripts in JavaScript after installing k6. Customize to your use case with xk6 extensions, such as the xk6-disruptor extension for fault injections.

Configure precise load tests

Create a controlled environment that mirrors real-world load demands on your systems with specific parameters, such as the number of users or ramp-up/ramp-down periods.

Execute load testing your way

Run load tests either locally or in the cloud. Iterate on the test scripts and configurations to enhance reliability and efficiency.

Visualize metrics

Visualize test results using the web UI, pre-built Grafana dashboards, or Grafana Cloud k6, gaining insights into performance metrics and trends over time.

Choose the version that’s best for you

To use Grafana k6 for load testing, you have three options:

Grafana k6

Open source

Easy-to-use, open source load testing tool.

Get started

Easiest way to get started

Grafana Cloud Free

Free forever

Best suited for early stage and small teams that run small-scale load testing with up to 500 k6 VUh per month and 14 days of retention.

Start free

Grafana Cloud Pro

Pay as you go

Best suited for growing teams that perform more frequent load testing with higher levels of traffic exceeding 500 k6 VUh, 30 days of retention, and access to 8x5 support.

Start 14-day trial

See pricing details