{"id":54276,"date":"2025-11-30T18:53:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=54276"},"modified":"2025-11-30T18:53:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:53:51","slug":"grafana-k6-oss-demo-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/grafana-k6-oss-demo-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Grafana k6 OSS: Demo & Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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1. Install k6 on Windows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have a few options. I\u2019ll show the two easiest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option A \u2013 Using winget<\/code> (recommended if available)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Open Windows Terminal \/ PowerShell<\/strong> as Administrator<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Run: winget install grafana.k6<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. After install, verify: k6 version<\/code> You should see something like: k6 v0.xx.x<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Option B \u2013 Using Chocolatey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re already using Chocolatey<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Open PowerShell (Admin)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Install: choco install k6<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Verify: k6 version<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      Option C \u2013 Portable (ZIP) Binary (no package manager)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Go to: https:\/\/github.com\/grafana\/k6\/releases<\/code> (in your browser).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Download the latest Windows x64 .zip<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Extract it to a folder, e.g.: C:\\tools\\k6\\<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Add that folder to your PATH<\/strong>:\n
          \n
        • Press Win<\/code> \u2192 search Environment Variables<\/strong> \u2192 \u201cEdit the system environment variables\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Click Environment Variables\u2026<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Under User variables<\/strong> or System variables<\/strong>, select Path<\/code> \u2192 Edit<\/strong> \u2192 New<\/strong> \u2192 add: C:\\tools\\k6\\<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Click OK<\/strong> several times.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Open a new<\/strong> PowerShell and run: k6 version<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          2. Create a Project Folder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Let\u2019s keep things clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. Choose a workspace folder, e.g.: mkdir C:\\k6-demo cd C:\\k6-demo<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. You\u2019ll put all your k6 scripts here.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            3. Your First \u201cHello World\u201d k6 Script<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            We\u2019ll create a very simple script that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Sends 1 HTTP GET request to a test URL.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Checks that the response status is 200.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Prints basic stats at the end.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              3.1 Create the script file<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. In C:\\k6-demo<\/code>, create a file named hello-world.js<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                If you like using Notepad:<\/p>\n\n\n

                notepad<\/span> .\\hello-world<\/span>.js<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Paste this code inside:<\/p>\n\n\n
                import<\/span> http from<\/span> 'k6\/http'<\/span>;\nimport<\/span> { check, sleep } from<\/span> 'k6'<\/span>;\n\nexport<\/span> const<\/span> options = {\n  vus<\/span>: 1<\/span>,          \/\/ number of virtual users<\/span>\n  duration<\/span>: '10s'<\/span>, \/\/ total test duration<\/span>\n};\n\nexport<\/span> default<\/span> function<\/span> (<\/span>) <\/span>{\n  \/\/ 1) Make a simple GET request<\/span>\n  const<\/span> res = http.get('https:\/\/test.k6.io'<\/span>);\n\n  \/\/ 2) Validate response<\/span>\n  check(res, {\n    'status is 200'<\/span>: (r<\/span>) =><\/span> r.status === 200<\/span>,\n  });\n\n  \/\/ 3) Small pause between iterations<\/span>\n  sleep(1<\/span>);\n}\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Save and close the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n
                4. Run the Hello World Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                From inside the folder:<\/p>\n\n\n
                cd<\/span> C<\/span>:\\k6-demo<\/span>\nk6<\/span> run<\/span> .\\hello-world<\/span>.js<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                You will see something like:<\/p>\n\n\n
                          \/\\      |\u203e\u203e| \/\u203e\u203e\/  \/\u203e\u203e\/\n     \/\\  \/  \\     |  |\/  \/  \/  \/\n    \/  \\\/    \\    |     (  \/  \/\n   \/          \\   |  |\\  \\\/  \/\n  \/ __________ \\  |__| \\____\/\n\n  execution: local\n     script: hello-world.js\n     output: -\n\n  scenarios: (100.00<\/span>%) 1<\/span> scenario, 1<\/span> max VUs, 10<\/span>s max duration (incl. graceful stop):\n           * default<\/span>: 1<\/span> looping VUs for<\/span> 10<\/span>s (gracefulStop: 30<\/span>s)\n\nrunning (10.0<\/span>s), 0<\/span>\/1<\/span> VUs, 10<\/span> complete and<\/span> 0<\/span> interrupted iterations\ndefault<\/span> \u2713 [======================================] 1<\/span> VUs  10<\/span>s\n\n     \u2713 status is 200<\/span>\n\n     checks...................: 100.00<\/span>% \u2713 10<\/span> \u2717 0<\/span>\n     http_req_duration........: avg=150<\/span>ms min=120<\/span>ms max=200<\/span>ms ...\n     http_reqs................: 10<\/span>  (1.0<\/span>\/s)\n     vus......................: 1<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n
                5. Understand the Output<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                Important fields to understand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • checks<\/strong> \u2013 shows how many checks passed\/failed:\n
                    \n
                  • \u2713 10 \u2717 0<\/code> \u2192 all 10 requests returned status 200.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • http_req_duration<\/strong> \u2013 time it took to complete each HTTP request.\n
                      \n
                    • avg<\/code>, min<\/code>, max<\/code>, percentiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • http_reqs<\/strong> \u2013 total number of HTTP requests (10 here).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • vus<\/strong> \u2013 how many virtual users were active (1 here).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                      Since status is 200<\/code> is the only check, if the website failed or returned a different code, you\u2019d see failed checks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      6. Slightly More Interesting Example (Hello World with Threshold)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      Now, let\u2019s add a threshold<\/strong> so the test \u201cfails\u201d if latency is too high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      Create another file: hello-with-threshold.js<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n
                      notepad .\\hello-with<\/span>-threshold.js\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      Paste:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      import<\/span> http from<\/span> 'k6\/http'<\/span>;\nimport<\/span> { check, sleep } from<\/span> 'k6'<\/span>;\n\nexport<\/span> const<\/span> options = {\n  vus<\/span>: 2<\/span>,\n  duration<\/span>: '15s'<\/span>,\n  thresholds<\/span>: {\n    \/\/ 95% of all requests must finish below 500ms<\/span>\n    http_req_duration<\/span>: ['p(95) < 500'<\/span>],\n    \/\/ At least 99% of checks must pass<\/span>\n    checks<\/span>: ['rate > 0.99'<\/span>],\n  },\n};\n\nexport<\/span> default<\/span> function<\/span> (<\/span>) <\/span>{\n  const<\/span> res = http.get('https:\/\/test.k6.io'<\/span>);\n\n  check(res, {\n    'status is 200'<\/span>: (r<\/span>) =><\/span> r.status === 200<\/span>,\n  });\n\n  sleep(1<\/span>);\n}\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      Run it:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      k6 run .\\hello-with<\/span>-threshold.js\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      At the end, you\u2019ll see something like:<\/p>\n\n\n
                         checks................: 100.00% \u2713 30 \u2717 0\n   http_req_duration.....: p(95)=180ms ...\n   thresholds:\n     * http_req_duration  p(95)<500<\/span>       \u2713  passed<\/span>\n     * checks<\/span>             rate<\/span>><\/span>0.99       \u2713  passed\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      If you intentionally use a slow or broken URL<\/strong>, you might see thresholds marked as failed<\/strong> with \u2717<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      7. Running a Quick \u201cSmoke Test\u201d Style Hello World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      If you just want to quickly confirm your script works (like a smoke test):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      Create hello-smoke.js<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      notepad<\/span> .\\hello-smoke<\/span>.js<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      Paste:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      import<\/span> http from<\/span> 'k6\/http'<\/span>;\nimport<\/span> { sleep } from<\/span> 'k6'<\/span>;\n\nexport<\/span> const<\/span> options = {\n  vus<\/span>: 1<\/span>,\n  iterations<\/span>: 1<\/span>, \/\/ run only once<\/span>\n};\n\nexport<\/span> default<\/span> function<\/span> (<\/span>) <\/span>{\n  const<\/span> res = http.get('https:\/\/test.k6.io'<\/span>);\n  console<\/span>.log(`Response status: ${res.status}<\/span>`<\/span>);\n  sleep(1<\/span>);\n}\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      Run:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      k6<\/span> run<\/span> .\\hello-smoke<\/span>.js<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      You\u2019ll see a log line:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      INFO<\/span>[0000]<\/span> Response<\/span> status<\/span>: 200\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      This is a super basic \u201cHello World\u201d just to embed k6 in a CI step or script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      8. Typical Folder Structure for Your k6 Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      If you continue learning, you might organize like:<\/p>\n\n\n
                      C:\\k6-demo\n \u251c\u2500 hello-world.js\n \u251c\u2500 hello-with<\/span>-threshold.js\n \u251c\u2500 hello-smoke.js\n \u251c\u2500 scenarios\/\n \u2502   \u251c\u2500 basic-load.js\n \u2502   \u251c\u2500 spike-test.js\n \u251c\u2500 data\/\n \u2502   \u2514\u2500 users.csv\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      9. Next Easy Steps After Hello World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      Once this works, good next things to explore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. Increase load<\/strong>
                        Change: vus: 10, duration: '30s',<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. Add multiple URLs<\/strong>
                        Use group()<\/code> blocks and multiple http.get<\/code> calls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. Export results to JSON<\/strong> (for later analysis): k6 run --out json=results.json .\\hello-world.js<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      4. Integrate with Grafana<\/strong> later (Prometheus or k6 Cloud), once you\u2019re comfortable.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n