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k6 version

Show the k6 version and build information.

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Synopsis

k6 version [flags]
k6 --version

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Description

The k6 version command displays version and build information for the k6 binary. This includes:
  • k6 version number
  • Git commit hash (if available)
  • Go version used to build k6
  • Operating system and architecture
  • Loaded extensions (if any)

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Examples

# Show version (standard format)
k6 version

# Show version (short format)
k6 --version

# Show version in JSON format
k6 version --json

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Flags

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--json
boolean
Output version information in JSON format

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Output Format

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Standard Output

The standard output format shows a human-readable version string: 
k6 v0.48.0 (commit/a1b2c3d4, go1.21.4, linux/amd64)
This includes:
  • Version number (e.g., v0.48.0)
  • Git commit hash (e.g., a1b2c3d4)
  • Go version (e.g., go1.21.4)
  • Platform (e.g., linux/amd64)

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With Extensions

If k6 extensions are loaded, they are listed: 
k6 v0.48.0 (commit/a1b2c3d4, go1.21.4, linux/amd64)
Extensions:
  github.com/grafana/xk6-browser v1.0.0
  github.com/grafana/xk6-sql v0.1.0

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JSON Output

With the --json flag, output is structured JSON: 
{
  "version": "v0.48.0",
  "commit": "a1b2c3d4",
  "commit_dirty": false,
  "go_version": "go1.21.4",
  "go_os": "linux",
  "go_arch": "amd64",
  "extensions": [
    {
      "module": "github.com/grafana/xk6-browser",
      "version": "v1.0.0",
      "outputs": [],
      "imports": ["k6/x/browser"]
    }
  ]
}

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Version Components

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Version Number

The semantic version of k6 (e.g., v0.48.0). Follows Semantic Versioning:
  • Major version: Breaking changes
  • Minor version: New features (backwards compatible)
  • Patch version: Bug fixes

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Commit Hash

The Git commit hash from which k6 was built. Useful for:
  • Identifying exact build
  • Debugging issues
  • Verifying builds
If the working directory had uncommitted changes, -dirty is appended.

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Go Version

The version of Go used to compile k6. Important for:
  • Compatibility verification
  • Performance characteristics
  • Security updates

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Platform

The target operating system and architecture:
  • linux/amd64 - 64-bit Linux
  • darwin/amd64 - Intel Mac
  • darwin/arm64 - Apple Silicon Mac
  • windows/amd64 - 64-bit Windows

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Use Cases

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Bug Reports

Include full version information in bug reports: 
k6 version --json > version-info.json

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CI/CD Verification

Verify the correct k6 version in pipelines: 
# Check minimum version
VERSION=$(k6 version --json | jq -r '.version')
if [[ "$VERSION" < "v0.48.0" ]]; then
  echo "k6 version too old"
  exit 1
fi

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Extension Verification

Check if required extensions are loaded: 
k6 version --json | jq -r '.extensions[].module'

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Debugging

Identify build characteristics: 
k6 version --json | jq '{version, commit, go_version}'

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Development Builds

Development builds show (devel) as the version: 
k6 (devel) (commit/devel, go1.21.4, linux/amd64)
This indicates k6 was built from source without a version tag.

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Extensions Information

The output includes details about loaded k6 extensions:
  • Module: Go module path
  • Version: Extension version
  • Imports: JavaScript import paths (for JS extensions)
  • Outputs: Output names (for output extensions)
Example with multiple extension types: 
{
  "extensions": [
    {
      "module": "github.com/grafana/xk6-browser",
      "version": "v1.0.0",
      "imports": ["k6/x/browser"]
    },
    {
      "module": "github.com/grafana/xk6-output-prometheus",
      "version": "v0.1.0",
      "outputs": ["prometheus"]
    }
  ]
}

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - Command executed successfully

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See Also

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