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

# k6 archive

> Create a self-contained test archive

# k6 archive

Create a fully self-contained test archive that can be executed identically elsewhere.

## Synopsis

```bash theme={null}
k6 archive [flags] <script>
```

## Description

The `k6 archive` command creates a tarball (`.tar` file) containing:

* The test script
* All imported modules and dependencies
* Test configuration and options
* Environment variables (unless excluded)

This archive is completely self-contained and can be executed on any system with k6 installed, ensuring consistent test execution across different environments.

## Arguments

<ParamField path="script" type="string" required>
  Path to the test script file to archive
</ParamField>

## Examples

```bash theme={null}
# Archive a test run
k6 archive -u 10 -d 10s -O myarchive.tar script.js

# Run the resulting archive
k6 run myarchive.tar

# Create an archive without environment variables
k6 archive --exclude-env-vars -O myarchive.tar script.js

# Archive and output to stdout
k6 archive -O - script.js > myarchive.tar
```

## Flags

<ParamField path="-O, --archive-out" type="string" default="archive.tar">
  Archive output filename. Use `-` to output to stdout.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--exclude-env-vars" type="boolean">
  Do not embed any environment variables (either from `--env` or the actual environment) in the archive metadata
</ParamField>

### Test Configuration Flags

All standard test execution flags are available to configure the archived test:

<ParamField path="-u, --vus" type="int" default="1">
  Number of virtual users
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="-d, --duration" type="duration">
  Test duration
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="-i, --iterations" type="int">
  Total iteration limit
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="-s, --stage" type="string[]">
  Add execution stages
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--execution-segment" type="string">
  Execution segment for distributed testing
</ParamField>

### Runtime Options

<ParamField path="-e, --env" type="string[]">
  Add/override environment variable with `VAR=value`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--include-system-env-vars" type="boolean">
  Include system environment variables
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--compatibility-mode" type="string" default="extended">
  JavaScript compatibility mode
</ParamField>

All other options from `k6 run` are also available. See [k6 run](/cli/run) for the complete list.

## Archive Contents

A k6 archive contains:

1. **Test Script** - The main JavaScript file
2. **Dependencies** - All imported modules and files
3. **Configuration** - Consolidated options from all sources
4. **Environment Variables** - Runtime environment (unless excluded)
5. **Metadata** - Version information and execution context

## Use Cases

### Reproducible Testing

Create an archive to ensure the exact same test can be run later:

```bash theme={null}
k6 archive -u 100 -d 5m -O prod-test.tar script.js
# Later or on another machine:
k6 run prod-test.tar
```

### Distributed Execution

Create archives for execution across multiple machines:

```bash theme={null}
# Create archive for first segment
k6 archive --execution-segment "0:1/3" -O segment1.tar script.js

# Create archive for second segment  
k6 archive --execution-segment "1/3:2/3" -O segment2.tar script.js

# Create archive for third segment
k6 archive --execution-segment "2/3:1" -O segment3.tar script.js
```

### CI/CD Pipelines

Archive tests in one pipeline stage, execute in another:

```bash theme={null}
# Build stage
k6 archive --exclude-env-vars -O test.tar script.js

# Test stage (different environment)
k6 run -e API_URL=$PROD_URL test.tar
```

### Cloud Execution

Archives can be uploaded and executed in Grafana Cloud:

```bash theme={null}
k6 archive -O test.tar script.js
k6 cloud run test.tar
```

## Security Considerations

<Warning>
  By default, archives include environment variables. Use `--exclude-env-vars` if the archive will be shared or stored in version control.
</Warning>

Environment variables may contain sensitive information like:

* API keys
* Passwords
* Tokens
* Internal URLs

Always review what's being archived when dealing with sensitive data.

## Exit Codes

* `0` - Archive created successfully
* Non-zero - Error occurred

## See Also

* [k6 run](/cli/run) - Run a test or archive
* [k6 cloud](/cli/cloud) - Run tests in Grafana Cloud
* [k6 inspect](/cli/inspect) - Inspect an archive