> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/grafana/k6-docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Explore Extensions

> Discover official and community k6 extensions for protocols, outputs, and specialized testing

Extensions can be used to extend the core k6 features to fit your performance-testing use cases. There are two main categories of extensions: official and community.

## Official extensions

These are extensions owned and maintained by Grafana Labs, with support for a wide range of versions.

### Protocol extensions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="k6/x/mqtt" icon="tower-broadcast" href="/extensions/protocol-extensions#mqtt">
    MQTT protocol support with event-driven architecture, QoS levels, and SSL/TLS
  </Card>

  <Card title="k6/x/redis" icon="database" href="/extensions/protocol-extensions#redis">
    Redis database interaction with promise-based async API
  </Card>

  <Card title="k6/x/sql" icon="table" href="/extensions/protocol-extensions#sql">
    SQL database testing for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Browser and chaos testing

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="k6 browser" icon="browser" href="/extensions/browser">
    Browser automation and end-to-end testing with Playwright-compatible APIs
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-disruptor" icon="bolt" href="/extensions/xk6-disruptor">
    Chaos testing through fault injection in Kubernetes environments
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Output extensions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="xk6-output-prometheus-remote" icon="chart-line">
    Send metrics to Prometheus via remote write protocol
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-output-influxdb" icon="chart-area">
    Export metrics to InfluxDB time-series database
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Community extensions

These are extensions developed by the community, with support for specific versions.

<Note>
  We're working on a process for community folks to submit their extensions.
</Note>

### Popular community extensions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="xk6-kafka" icon="stream">
    Apache Kafka producer and consumer for event streaming tests
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-faker" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Generate realistic fake data for tests
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-websockets" icon="plug">
    Enhanced WebSocket support with additional features
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-dashboard" icon="gauge">
    Real-time web-based dashboard for test execution
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Warning>
  Many other extensions maintained by members of the k6 ecosystem are available on [GitHub](https://github.com/topics/xk6). These extensions aren't maintained nor audited by Grafana Labs.
</Warning>

## Using extensions

There are two ways to use extensions when running a k6 test script.

### Automatic extension resolution

Official and community extensions can be used without additional configuration. They are automatically resolved and loaded by k6 when you import them in your test script.

**Example with xk6-faker:**

```javascript theme={null}
import faker from 'k6/x/faker';

export default function () {
  console.log(faker.person.firstName());
}
```

Run your script normally:

```bash theme={null}
k6 run script.js
```

<Note>
  For community extensions, enable them with an environment variable:

  ```bash theme={null}
  K6_ENABLE_COMMUNITY_EXTENSIONS=true k6 run test.js
  ```
</Note>

#### Limitations

* Only works with official and community extensions
* Output extensions aren't supported
* Running scripts from stdin isn't supported
* Only files with extensions `.js`, `.ts` or `.tar` can be used

#### Disable automatic resolution

You can disable this feature by setting the environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
K6_AUTO_EXTENSION_RESOLUTION=false k6 run test.js
```

### Custom k6 binary

If you have developed your own k6 extension or want to use an extension that's not available through automatic extension resolution, build a custom k6 binary.

The process involves using the xk6 tool to compile k6 with your desired extensions included. Custom binaries give you the flexibility to incorporate any extension from the k6 ecosystem.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Go and xk6 theme={null}
  xk6 build \
    --with github.com/grafana/xk6-sql@v0.0.1 \
    --with github.com/grafana/xk6-output-prometheus-remote
  ```

  ```bash Docker on Linux theme={null}
  docker run --rm -u "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "${PWD}:/xk6" grafana/xk6 build \
    --with github.com/grafana/xk6-sql@v0.0.1
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Refer to [Build a Custom k6 Binary](/extensions/bundle) to learn how to create your own k6 binary with custom extensions.

## Finding extensions

To discover more extensions:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Browse GitHub topics">
    Search for repositories tagged with [xk6](https://github.com/topics/xk6) on GitHub.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the k6 community">
    Visit the [k6 Community Forum](https://community.grafana.com/c/grafana-k6/extensions/82) for discussions about extensions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review extension registries">
    Some extensions are listed in community-maintained registries.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build Custom Binary" icon="hammer" href="/extensions/bundle">
    Learn how to bundle extensions into k6
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create Extension" icon="code" href="/extensions/create">
    Build your own k6 extension
  </Card>

  <Card title="Protocol Extensions" icon="network-wired" href="/extensions/protocol-extensions">
    Explore MQTT, Redis, and SQL extensions
  </Card>

  <Card title="xk6-disruptor" icon="bolt" href="/extensions/xk6-disruptor">
    Try chaos testing with fault injection
  </Card>
</CardGroup>