> ## 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.

# Results & Visualization Overview

> Learn about all the ways you can view and analyze k6 test results, from real-time streaming to end-of-test summaries and visualization dashboards.

# Results & Visualization Overview

k6 emits metrics with timestamps at every point of the test, providing comprehensive data about your load testing results. You can output these metric results as either **aggregated statistics** or **individual data points**, depending on your analysis needs.

## Output Options

k6 provides two main approaches to viewing test results:

### End-of-Test Summary

For a top-level test overview, k6 displays an [end-of-test summary](/results/end-of-test) when your test completes. This provides aggregated statistics including:

* Threshold pass/fail results
* Check results and success rates
* Aggregated metrics by category (HTTP, execution, network, custom)
* Summary statistics (avg, min, max, percentiles)

The end-of-test summary is perfect for quick analysis and CI/CD integration where you need immediate feedback on test performance.

### Real-Time Streaming

For granular output of all metrics with timestamps, you can [stream metrics in real time](/results/real-time) to:

* **File formats**: CSV, JSON
* **External services**: InfluxDB, Prometheus, Datadog, Grafana Cloud k6, and many more

Real-time streaming enables:

* Live monitoring during test execution
* Long-term storage and trend analysis
* Integration with existing observability platforms
* Custom processing and alerting

<img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/grafana-k6-docs/images/k6-results-diagram.png" alt="Diagram showing aggregated vs granular results" />

## Visualization Options

### Web Dashboard

k6 includes a built-in [web dashboard](/results/web-dashboard) that you can enable to visualize results in real time as your test runs. The dashboard provides:

* Live performance metrics and graphs
* Real-time threshold status
* Check results
* Downloadable HTML reports

Enable it with:

```sh theme={null}
K6_WEB_DASHBOARD=true k6 run script.js
```

### Grafana Dashboards

For advanced visualization and correlation with other observability data, you can use [Grafana dashboards](/results/grafana-dashboards). This approach allows you to:

* Create custom dashboards with multiple data sources
* Correlate k6 results with application and system metrics
* Analyze performance over multiple test runs
* Use pre-built dashboards for popular backends like InfluxDB and Prometheus

## Choosing Your Approach

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Quick Analysis">
    Use the **end-of-test summary** for:

    * Local test runs
    * CI/CD pipelines
    * Quick performance checks
    * Threshold-based pass/fail decisions

    ```sh theme={null}
    k6 run script.js
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Real-Time Monitoring">
    Use the **web dashboard** for:

    * Interactive test monitoring
    * Local development
    * Sharing results with non-technical stakeholders
    * Generating HTML reports

    ```sh theme={null}
    K6_WEB_DASHBOARD=true k6 run script.js
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Advanced Analysis">
    Use **real-time streaming + Grafana** for:

    * Production-grade monitoring
    * Correlating with system metrics
    * Long-term trend analysis
    * Team collaboration

    ```sh theme={null}
    k6 run --out influxdb=http://localhost:8086/k6db script.js
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Multiple Outputs

You can combine multiple output options in a single test run:

```sh theme={null}
K6_WEB_DASHBOARD=true k6 run \
  --out json=results.json \
  --out influxdb=http://localhost:8086/k6db \
  script.js
```

This command:

* Shows the default end-of-test summary
* Displays the web dashboard at [http://127.0.0.1:5665](http://127.0.0.1:5665)
* Saves detailed metrics to results.json
* Streams metrics to InfluxDB for Grafana visualization

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="End-of-Test Summary" icon="flag-checkered" href="/results/end-of-test">
    Learn about the default summary output and how to customize it
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-Time Streaming" icon="stream" href="/results/real-time">
    Explore options for streaming metrics during test execution
  </Card>

  <Card title="Web Dashboard" icon="chart-line" href="/results/web-dashboard">
    Enable the built-in web dashboard for live monitoring
  </Card>

  <Card title="Grafana Dashboards" icon="chart-area" href="/results/grafana-dashboards">
    Visualize results with Grafana and pre-built dashboards
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Additional Resources

* [Ways to visualize k6 results](https://k6.io/blog/ways-to-visualize-k6-results/) - Blog post exploring visualization options
* [k6 data collection pipeline](https://grafana.com/blog/2023/08/10/understanding-grafana-k6-a-simple-guide-to-the-load-testing-tool/) - Deep dive into how k6 collects and processes metrics
* [Build an output extension](https://grafana.com/docs/k6/latest/extensions/create/output-extensions) - Create custom output formats