the statsd output was deprecated in k6 v0.47.0 and removed i

Error message

the statsd output was deprecated in k6 v0.47.0 and removed in k6 v0.55.0, please use the new xk6 statsd output extension instead. It can be found at https://github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd and more info at https://github.com/grafana/k6/issues/2982

What it means

Returned by the output constructor registry when 'statsd' is requested: the built-in statsd output was deprecated in k6 v0.47.0 and removed in v0.55.0, replaced by a community-maintained xk6 extension. As with kafka, the stub constructor exists solely to explain the removal and point to the replacement.

Source

Thrown at internal/cmd/outputs.go:57

	builtinOutputExperimentalOpentelemetry
	builtinOutputOpentelemetry
	builtinOutputSummary
)

// TODO: move this to an output sub-module after we get rid of the old collectors?
func getAllOutputConstructors() (map[string]output.Constructor, error) {
	// Start with the built-in outputs
	result := map[string]output.Constructor{
		builtinOutputJSON.String():     json.New,
		builtinOutputCloud.String():    cloud.New,
		builtinOutputCSV.String():      csv.New,
		builtinOutputInfluxdb.String(): influxdb.New,
		builtinOutputKafka.String(): func(_ output.Params) (output.Output, error) {
			return nil, errors.New("the kafka output was deprecated in k6 v0.32.0 and removed in k6 v0.34.0, " +
				"please use the new xk6 kafka output extension instead - https://github.com/k6io/xk6-output-kafka")
		},
		builtinOutputStatsd.String(): func(_ output.Params) (output.Output, error) {
			return nil, errors.New("the statsd output was deprecated in k6 v0.47.0 and removed in k6 v0.55.0, " +
				"please use the new xk6 statsd output extension instead. " +
				"It can be found at https://github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd and " +
				"more info at https://github.com/grafana/k6/issues/2982")
		},
		builtinOutputDatadog.String(): func(_ output.Params) (output.Output, error) {
			return nil, errors.New("the datadog output was deprecated in k6 v0.32.0 and removed in k6 v0.34.0, " +
				"please use the statsd output extension https://github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd with environment " +
				"variable K6_STATSD_ENABLE_TAGS=true or an experimental opentelemetry output instead",
			)
		},
		builtinOutputExperimentalPrometheusRW.String(): func(params output.Params) (output.Output, error) {
			return remotewrite.New(params)
		},
		"web-dashboard": dashboard.New,
		builtinOutputExperimentalOpentelemetry.String(): func(params output.Params) (output.Output, error) {
			params.Logger.Warnf("OpenTelemetry output has been graduated as a stable output."+
				"You can now use just %q instead of %q. The experimental version will be removed in future versions.",

View on GitHub (pinned to 93accf6570)

Solutions

Build k6 with the extension: xk6 build --with github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd and keep using --out statsd with its env config
For Datadog specifically, consider the suggested alternatives in the message: statsd extension with K6_STATSD_ENABLE_TAGS=true, or the experimental OpenTelemetry output
Remove statsd from K6_OUT / --out until the extension binary is in place

Example fix

# before
k6 run --out statsd script.js   # ERR: statsd output removed in v0.55.0

# after
xk6 build --with github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd
./k6 run --out statsd script.js   # extension-provided output

Defensive patterns

Strategy: fallback

Validate before calling

# fail fast on removed outputs in CI
for o in $(echo "${K6_OUT:-}" | tr ',' ' '); do
  case "$o" in statsd) echo "statsd output removed in v0.55: use xk6-output-statsd" >&2; exit 1 ;; esac
done

Try / catch

outputs := strings.Split(cfg.Out, ",")
for _, o := range outputs {
    if strings.TrimSpace(o) == "statsd" {
        // stub constructor returns the removal error; route the user to
        // github.com/LeonAdato/xk6-output-statsd or the OTel output instead
        return errors.New("statsd output removed in k6 v0.55.0; build k6 with the xk6-output-statsd extension")
    }
}

Prevention

Before upgrading to k6 >= v0.55, replace --out statsd with the xk6-output-statsd extension build
For Datadog, evaluate the experimental OpenTelemetry output as a supported replacement
Pin k6 versions in CI so removals surface in a controlled upgrade, not mid-deploy

When it happens

Trigger: Running any command with --out statsd or K6_OUT=statsd on k6 >= v0.55.0; old configs combining statsd with K6_STATSD_* env variables; archived tests whose outputs list includes 'statsd'.

Common situations: Teams upgrading k6 across the v0.55 boundary with existing statsd-based monitoring (Datadog/Telegraf setups); CI images updated to new k6 while env still sets K6_OUT=statsd; the error text itself suggests the LeonAdato xk6-output-statsd extension as the successor.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of grafana/k6@93accf6570 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4887d44825db12e3. Report an issue: GitHub.