In previous posts we have covered the ability to use k6 for scalable load testing, however k6 is also a suitable framework for creating functional tests. In this brief post, we will show you how to get started with using k6 as a functional testing tool. Assertions in k6 There are two basic ways to write assertions in k6. One is using the built-in check and group functions. Perhaps a better alternative is to use theRead More →
Most examples that illustrate how to create a k6 load test center around using a bottom-up approach with code. This is in contrast with frameworks such as JMeter where it is typical for tests to be created visually. However, there is a utility by Grafana Labs for creating k6 load tests with a GUI. In this post, we will show you how to use the graphical Test Builder to create k6 load tests. The Graphical k6Read More →
Even though k6 comes with an impressive assortment of built-in modules, there is an additional ecosystem of more than 50 officially supported plugins available for import. These specialized libraries can easily add functionality to support your specific load testing needs. In this brief post, we will cover some of the most useful k6 extensions. xk6-csv – As perhaps one of the most ubiquitous portable data formats, the CSV file has found an essential role in distributingRead More →
In a recent previous post, we illustrated how generative large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT can be used to assist development of JMeter tests. In this article, we will show similar concepts on how to use generative AI to accelerate your k6 test development. Getting Started As a prerequisite, you will need to create a ChatGPT account. If you don’t already have one, head over to chat.openai.com and sign up. You will have the option toRead More →
When developing your k6 tests, you will likely want to debug them before deploying to the cloud. This is especially important as your test grows more sophisticated and becomes more complex, and you will inevitably want confirmation that your test is performing as expected. By installing k6 on your local machine, you can debug your tests in near real-time with direct feedback from the k6 engine. In this brief post, we will show you how toRead More →
When it comes to load testing, there are two platforms which must be mentioned. k6 and JMeter have established themselves as the de facto standards in the performance testing space. In this article, we will compare and contrast the features of each, to help you better decide which technology is right for you. A Brief History JMeter was introduced more than 20 years ago, and in that time has become one of the most utilized performanceRead More →
The landscape of browser testing has traditionally been dominated by tools such as Selenium which incorporate a real web browser (e.g., Chromium) and orchestrate prepared tasks against a target test site. This differs from other popular load testing frameworks such as JMeter where the basic HTTP requests are sent and the responses directly analyzed. Browser testing confers the advantage of interacting with a website in the same way that a user would. This is achieved byRead More →
As one of the five major test types supported on our platform, RedLine13 offers the ability to run your k6 load tests in the cloud. Tests are defined in k6 using the JavaScript syntax, centered around simplicity and extensibility. It is a developer-centric performance testing tool that affords scalability to test designers for scripting, execution, and analysis of load tests. Since it was introduced, k6 has steadily risen in popularity to become one of the deRead More →
Janesh Kodikara, is a Software Quality Assurance Architect, trainer and mentor with over 23 years of working experience. Janesh created this Pugh matrix to evaluate JMeter alternatives: k6 and Gatling. A Pugh matrix is used to “identify the most probable solution among all alternatives“. As you can see, JMeter is the baseline and alternatives are compared to the baseline. We thought his matrix was detailed and comprehensive. So we asked him to create an additional alternative: JMeterRead More →
K6 is a popular load testing tool but it does have limitations at each of the different subscription levels. Let’s take a look at some of the K6 limitations that are in place and what it will cost if you need higher limits. For the $99/month subscription, you can load test 100 virtual users. That’s not that much. And the test can only run 15 minutes. That’s not much of a load test. And they’ll saveRead More →