---
title: "Run your first k6 performance test | Grafana Labs"
description: "Welcome to the Grafana learning path that shows you how to write, run, and analyze your first k6 performance test, from installation to visualizing results in Grafana Cloud."
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Run your first k6 performance test

k6 lets you describe HTTP traffic in code, run it locally, and view results in Grafana Cloud.

In this path, you get to a local `k6 run` quickly, then send the same script to Grafana Cloud k6 so you can open a stored run and dashboard.

*Grafana Cloud users:* you can also try the interactive onboarding in the k6 app. Go to **Testing & synthetics** > **Performance** to:

- Explore test authoring tools (k6 Studio, OpenAPI to k6)
- Run tests from the UI or CLI
- Understand results

This guide complements the in-product onboarding with step-by-step instructions you can follow at your own pace.

The image below shows an example k6 test results dashboard.

## Here’s what to expect

When you complete this journey, you’ll be able to:

- Install k6 on your machine
- Write your first k6 test script
- Run a test locally and view results
- Send test results to Grafana Cloud
- Analyze test results in Grafana Cloud dashboards

## Before you begin

Before you run your first k6 performance test, ensure that you have:

- A Grafana Cloud account. To create an account, refer to [Grafana Cloud](/signup/cloud/connect-account).
- Basic knowledge of JavaScript or TypeScript (k6 scripts are written in JavaScript/TypeScript).
- A code editor to write your scripts, such as [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) or [Cursor editors](https://www.cursor.com/).
- Access to a terminal or command line interface.
- A basic understanding of HTTP requests and web applications.

## Troubleshooting

If you get stuck, use the troubleshooting links in the milestone where the issue happens.

## More to explore

Where it helps, this path links to related k6 and Grafana Cloud k6 docs without slowing the main flow.