# Install k6 with Homebrew, chocolatey, MacPorts, Nix, scoop, winget, zypper Modern load testing tool, using Go and JavaScript. Version 2.1.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-30. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:k6 ``` ## Agent safety answer k6 runs load tests that can hit local or remote systems with scripted traffic. - **Credential access:** Reads environment variables, test scripts, and optional cloud tokens. - **Remote mutation:** Can generate traffic against production endpoints or upload cloud results. - **Publish/artifact risk:** Can publish test results or stress external systems. - **Recommended control:** Gate cloud uploads, production targets, and secret-backed test runs. - **Agent-use guidance:** Allow local dry tests; require approval for remote load, cloud output, and tokens. Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install k6 ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install k6 ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: net/k6/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#k6 ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/k6/k6/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install k6 ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: k6 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Chocolatey (92%): ```sh choco install k6 ``` Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: k6 from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','jetbrains-rider' - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/k6 ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/k6.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id GrafanaLabs.k6 -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: GrafanaLabs.k6 from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:k6 - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.1.0 - **Source summary:** Modern load testing tool, using Go and JavaScript - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** AGPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-30T09:51:09Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - k6 (cli) - k6 (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.1.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-30 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/grafana/k6 - Upstream latest detected: v2.1.0 (current) ## Project history and usage Grafana k6 is an open source load and performance testing tool written in Go with test scripts authored in JavaScript or TypeScript, designed for developer-friendly reliability testing from local runs through cloud and CI workflows. ### Project history k6 began as an open source load-testing tool from Load Impact, with public releases visible from 2017. It combined a Go runtime with JavaScript test scripts, aiming to make load tests feel like code that developers could keep with application projects. Load Impact rebranded around k6 in 2020, including the GitHub repository move from `loadimpact/k6` to `k6io/k6`. Grafana Labs acquired the Stockholm-based k6 company in June 2021 and folded the project into Grafana's observability stack. In 2025, Grafana announced k6 1.0 as a general-availability milestone with Semantic Versioning, stability guarantees, TypeScript support, native extensibility, and a stronger long-term support story. ### Adoption history k6 adoption grew from teams wanting scripted, automatable load testing without older GUI-heavy workflows. Its JavaScript API, CLI-first design, thresholds, CI integrations, and Grafana/Prometheus-friendly metrics made it attractive to developers, SREs, QA engineers, and platform teams. After the Grafana acquisition, k6 became part of a broader observability loop: generate load with k6, observe behavior in Grafana-backed systems, and use cloud or Kubernetes execution when local tests are not enough. ### How it is used Users write test scenarios in JavaScript or TypeScript and run them with `k6 run`, often checking thresholds in CI. More advanced setups send metrics to observability backends, run distributed tests, use extensions, or execute tests through Grafana Cloud k6. ### Why package nerds care k6 is significant because it made load testing feel like a normal developer CLI dependency: install a binary, commit scripts, run in CI, and export metrics. Its Go-plus-JavaScript architecture also makes it an interesting packaging target: a single executable with an embedded scripting engine and extension ecosystem. ### Timeline - 2017: k6 public releases were published under the Load Impact era. - 2020: Load Impact rebranded to k6 and moved the GitHub repository to the k6 organization. - 2021: Grafana Labs acquired k6 on June 17. - 2025: Grafana announced k6 1.0 with stability guarantees and Semantic Versioning. ### Related projects - k6 is related to Grafana, Grafana Cloud k6, Prometheus-style metrics workflows, xk6 extensions, the k6 Kubernetes operator, and older load-testing tools such as JMeter, Gatling, and Locust. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for k6. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/k6/config.json - Unix: ~/.config/k6/config.json ## Credential files - macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/k6/config.json - Unix: ~/.config/k6/config.json ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** k6 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - k6: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/k6/k6/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper - k6 - 2.0.0-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: k6 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Modern load testing tool, using Go and JavaScript | https://github.com/grafana/k6 - zypper - k6-bash-completion - 2.0.0-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: k6-bash-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Bash Completion for k6 | https://github.com/grafana/k6 - zypper - k6-fish-completion - 2.0.0-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: k6-fish-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Fish Completion for k6 | https://github.com/grafana/k6 - zypper - k6-zsh-completion - 2.0.0-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: k6-zsh-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Zsh Completion for k6 | https://github.com/grafana/k6 - MacPorts - k6: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: net/k6/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Chocolatey - k6: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: k6 from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','jetbrains-rider' - Scoop - main/k6: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/k6.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget - GrafanaLabs.k6: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: GrafanaLabs.k6 from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [xk6](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xk6/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [artillery](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/artillery/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, load-testing, performance-testing, testing. - [bzt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/bzt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, load-testing, performance-testing, testing. - [cassowary](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cassowary/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, go, load-testing, testing. - [gor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, go, load-testing, testing. - [jmeter](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jmeter/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, load-testing, performance-testing, testing. - [locust](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/locust/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, load-testing, performance-testing, testing. - [vegeta](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/vegeta/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, go, load-testing, testing. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/k6.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/k6.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph - curated agent safety answer