What is Playwright?
Playwright is an E2E testing framework developed by Microsoft. It automates Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browsers with a single API. Supports multiple languages: TypeScript, Python, Java, and .NET.
Installation and setup
npm init playwright@latest
npx playwright install
This creates the base structure with sample tests, configuration in playwright.config.ts, and installed browsers.
Key features
- Multi-browser: one test runs in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
- Auto-wait: Playwright automatically waits for elements to be ready.
- Network interception: simulate API responses and network conditions.
- Mobile emulation: test mobile versions with simulated devices.
Basic test
test('login flow', async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto('/login');
await page.fill('[name="email"]', 'user@test.com');
await page.fill('[name="password"]', 'secret123');
await page.click('button[type="submit"]');
await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard');
});
Codegen
Playwright includes a code generator that records your interactions and generates the test automatically.
npx playwright codegen
Advantages over Cypress
- Real multi-browser support (Cypress only Chromium).
- Native parallel execution.
- More powerful network mocking.
- No iframe limitations.
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