release.md

name	k6 Release
about	k6 release accommodates activities and a checklist with the k6 open-source release process.
title	k6 release v2.x.0
labels	release

Release Date:

22nd June 2026 <- WRITE HERE THE UPDATED RELEASE DATE

Release Activities

At the beginning of the cycle

• Create a new release-v{major}.{minor}.0 branch.
  • Add a new release notes file using the available template to the repository's release notes folder.
  • Go through the potential dependencies updates and create a dedicated PR if any of them is relevant to this release.
• Create a new release-v{major}.{minor}.0 branch on the grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork repository.
  • Bump the version in types/k6/package.json to the next one.
• Lock the conversation of the current issue to prevent any abuse or misuse of the issue. Note, it still allow the maintainers to edit the issue's description and to add comments.

Release Preparation

~ 2 weeks before the release date

• Ensure that all PRs from a release milestone are merged.
• Ensure experimental modules (if needed) have been updated to their latest version.

~ 1 week before the release date

• Ensure that all merged PRs referenced in the release notes are linked to the release milestone.
• Ensure all PRs in the k6-docs repository related to new or modified functionalities introduced by the new version have been created.
• Ensure all PRs in the k6 repository, part of the current milestone, have been merged.
• Open a PR with the release notes for the new version
  • Ask teams that might have contributed to the release to contribute their notes and review the existing ones.
  • Remember to mention and thank external contributors. (<- Update the query with the correct milestone version).
• Share the release notes PR with the k6 open-source teams. Request contributions from all affected teams and any other stakeholders involved in the new release.
• Open a separate PR for bumping the k6 Go project's version.
• Open a PR in the DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped repository using the release branch created in the grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork to update the k6 type definitions for the new release.
• Open a PR to add the new k6 version to the extensions registry (similar to this one for v2.1.0).

~ 1 day before the release date

• Ensure all PRs in the k6-docs repository related to new or modified functionalities introduced by the new version have been merged.

Release Day

Documentation

• Open and merge a PR from main in the k6-docs repository:
  • Creating a new v{major}.{minor}.0 file in the next release notes folder and copy/paste the main sections of the release notes (new features, deprecations and roadmap).
  • Copying the current k6's next (including the newly created release note file) to a folder named with the k6 version (e.g., v2.1.x).
• Ensure the k6 repository release notes PR contains the correct links to the docs.

In k6 repository

• Merge the PR bumping the k6 Go project's version.
• Merge the release notes PR.
• Pull locally the previously merged changes.
• Create a new long-lived v{major}.{minor}.x release branch from the master branch.
• Create and push a new tag of the form v{major}.{minor}.0.

!!! Update the below when making the issue

git checkout master && git pull && git checkout -b v2.1.x && git tag v2.1.0 -m "v2.1.0" && git push origin v2.1.0

In k6-extension-registry

• Merge the PR adding the new k6 version.
• Push a new tag/make new release to push that the update to production

Announcements

• Notify the larger team in the #k6 and #k6-changelog channels, letting them know that the release is published by linking the release on GitHub.
• Close the release's milestone.

Wrapping Release

• Ensure the DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped PR(s) are merged.
• Ensure to sync grafana/k6-DefinitelyTyped fork with the latest changes from the DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped repository.
• Update the k6 repository's .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/release.md in the event steps from this checklist were incorrect or missing.