Install xk6 with Homebrew, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• xk6

Project history

The tool grew out of k6's decision to keep the core load-testing runtime small while letting users compile in Go-based extensions. The current Grafana repository presents xk6 as the official toolbox for extension authors and lists its main jobs as scaffolding, building, running, testing, linting, reusable workflows, Docker use, and development-container support.

xk6's command surface has expanded from the basic custom-builder role into a fuller extension workflow. Its README documents commands such as `xk6 new`, `xk6 build`, `xk6 run`, `xk6 lint`, `xk6 test`, and `xk6 sync`; the build command also handles extension module paths, replacements, target OS/architecture, k6 forks, and k6 major-version resolution.

Adoption history

xk6 became important because many useful k6 capabilities live outside the default binary. Grafana's extension documentation tells users that official and community extensions may be resolved automatically in newer k6 releases, but that other extensions, including private or newly-created ones, still require building a custom k6 binary with xk6.

The tool is therefore part of the normal path for k6 users who need SQL outputs, custom protocols, test helpers, private modules, or experimental APIs before they are available in the main k6 release. Grafana also publishes an xk6 Docker image so users can build custom binaries without first setting up a local Go toolchain.

How it is used

Typical use is `xk6 build --with module[@version]` to produce a custom `k6` executable containing one or more extensions. Extension developers also use `xk6 run` to rebuild and execute during development, `xk6 new` to create a template project, and `xk6 lint` or `xk6 test` to check extension compliance.

xk6 is most relevant when the desired extension is not handled by k6 automatic extension resolution, when an output extension is involved, when the extension is private, or when the user needs to pin or replace Go modules during a custom build.

Why package nerds care

xk6 is a package-nerd example of a small CLI that exists to manufacture another CLI. Its value is not in running load tests directly, but in making reproducible, module-aware k6 binaries from Go extension packages.

It also shows how modern developer tools push extension distribution into language package ecosystems: the package manager installs xk6, xk6 asks Go for modules, and the result is a custom executable tailored to a testing stack.

Timeline

• 2020: Public support discussions show users installing and troubleshooting xk6 for custom k6 builds.
• 2021-2022: Grafana community answers routinely recommend `xk6 build ... --with ...` for extension-based k6 binaries.
• 2025: The Grafana xk6 repository records v0.x development and documents xk6 as a broader extension-development toolbox, not only a builder.
• 2026: Grafana k6 documentation still directs users to xk6 for custom binaries when automatic extension resolution is not enough.

Related projects

• k6 is the load-testing runtime that xk6 builds. The surrounding ecosystem includes Grafana's k6 extension registry, xk6 extension template repositories, and individual extensions such as xk6-sql, xk6-output-influxdb, xk6-faker, and xk6-disruptor.

Sources

• https://community.grafana.com/t/i-need-to-build-k6-with-an-extension-in-local/97838
• https://community.grafana.com/t/unable-to-locate-xk6-after-installing-it/99016
• https://github.com/grafana/xk6
• https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/extensions/
• https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/extensions/run/
• https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/extensions/run/build-k6-binary-using-go/
• https://registry.k6.io/