k6 – Modern Load Testing

Module 1: Introduction to k6

• k6 vs JMeter vs Gatling: developer comparison
• Installing k6: packages, Docker, npm wrapper
• First test: VUs, duration, HTTP request
• k6 execution model: VUs, iterations, lifecycle
• k6 stdout metrics interpretation
• Grafana k6 ecosystem overview

Module 2: Script Writing in JavaScript

• Script structure: options, default function, setup/teardown
• http module: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
• check function for inline assertions
• Tags and groups for metric organisation
• Template literals for dynamic requests
• Error handling and response inspection

Module 3: Scenarios & Load Profiles

• k6 scenarios: multiple workloads in one test
• Executors: shared-iterations, constant-vus, ramping-vus
• Open model: constant-arrival-rate, ramping-arrival-rate
• Graceful stop and ramp-down configuration
• Mixed workload simulation strategies
• Scenario-specific tags and environments

Module 4: Data & Parameterisation

• SharedArray for efficient data sharing across VUs
• CSV files with papaparse library
• JSON fixture files for test data injection
• __ENV variables for environment configuration
• Randomisation patterns for realistic variance
• Secret management for credentials

Module 5: Thresholds & Checks

• Thresholds: SLA pass/fail criteria definition
• Error rate and latency threshold types
• Threshold types: rate, count, trend, value
• Checks vs thresholds: validation vs SLA
• Aborting on threshold failure for CI/CD
• Combining multiple threshold conditions

Module 6: Extensions & Protocols

• xk6 extension framework overview
• WebSocket testing with ws module
• gRPC load testing with k6
• k6 browser module for E2E performance
• xk6-sql for database load testing
• MQTT and messaging protocol support

Module 7: Output & Observability

• Output: JSON, InfluxDB, Prometheus destinations
• Grafana dashboard for real-time visualisation
• k6 Cloud: execution and live dashboard
• xk6-dashboard: local browser dashboard
• Custom metrics: Counter, Gauge, Rate, Trend
• End-of-test summary interpretation

Module 8: CI/CD & Advanced Patterns

• GitHub Actions load testing on pull requests
• Jenkins and GitLab CI pipeline integration
• Threshold-based CI/CD performance gates
• Distributed testing with k6 Operator on Kubernetes
• Performance baseline tracking across releases
• Microservices load test suite design

Our k6 instructors are early adopters of k6 who have helped cloud-native companies adopt k6 as their continuous performance testing tool. They are experienced JavaScript developers who make k6 feel natural for JS teams and have built real-time performance monitoring stacks integrating k6 with Grafana and Prometheus.