What is Playwright?
Playwright is an open-source end-to-end (E2E) automation testing framework developed by Microsoft. It is used to automate modern web applications across multiple browsers and platforms. Playwright provides APIs for automating Chromium (Chrome, Edge), Firefox, and WebKit (Safari) browsers using a single codebase.
Key Features of Playwright
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Cross-browser testing | Supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a unified API. |
| Cross-platform | Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. |
| Auto-wait | Automatically waits for elements to be ready before performing actions. |
| Headless & Headful modes | Can run in the background (headless) or visible mode (headful). |
| Multiple language support | Official support for JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, and .NET. |
| Built-in test runner | Includes its own Playwright Test runner for powerful parallel execution, retries, and test reporting. |
| Browser contexts | Isolates test environments within the same browser instance to simulate multiple users. |
| Network & Geolocation mocking | Allows simulation of network conditions and geolocation. |
| Visual comparisons | Supports screenshot and video capturing for visual regression testing. |
Supported Browsers
- Chromium (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge)
- Firefox
- WebKit (Safari)
These are bundled with Playwright, so no need to install them manually.
Advanced Features
- API Testing: Playwright can make HTTP requests and validate responses.
- Mobile Emulation: Emulates mobile devices like iPhone, Pixel.
- Component Testing: React, Angular, Vue component testing support.
- CI/CD Integration: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab, Azure DevOps, etc.
Comparison: Playwright vs Selenium
| Feature | Playwright | Selenium |
|---|---|---|
| Modern web support | Excellent | Limited in modern web features |
| Speed | Faster | Slower |
| Auto-wait | Yes | Manual wait often required |
| Browser support | Chromium, Firefox, WebKit | All major browsers |
| API Testing | Built-in | Needs external tools |
| Built-in test runner | Yes | No |
Playwright generally used for:
- Cross-browser UI Testing
- Visual Regression Testing
- API Testing
- CI/CD pipeline automation
- Mobile and geolocation testing
- Real-time network condition simulation
You can go official website for more detail: https://playwright.dev/java/
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