Choosing the best test automation framework for your company can be challenging when there are so many options readily available in the market. This article thoroughly analyzes Playwright via Java, a recently developed framework quickly gaining popularity among software engineers.
As testing is included in earlier phases of the software development life cycle also known as SDLC, the number of testing frameworks is expanding. One of them is Playwright, which developers utilize due to its dependability and speed in quickly designing and carrying out end-to-end tests across several languages, platforms and mobile web applications.
What is Playwright?
A browser automation framework called Microsoft Playwright was originally made accessible to the general public in 2011. It is well-known for promoting search engines over consumer-facing browsers like Firefox and Safari (web page applications). When you activate this setting, Playwright works around some search engine restrictions, such as those on flexibility and speed, to assess how well your website functions.
Anyone who has experience with coding and has a website that needs to assess browser compatibility is strongly advised to use Playwright. Playwright gives you the ability to create new browser pages and keep a number of tabs open while using the browsing context. In addition to Playwright’s versatility, this framework allows you complete freedom to interact with a webpage’s elements, allowing you to maximize your productivity. Additionally, Playwright creates unique URLs, so you won’t have to waste any of your valuable time.
What Makes Playwright the Best Framework for Automation?
The Playwright is a newcomer to the industry, but as it works with many different languages, it is difficult to pinpoint its limitations. Users who want to convert from Selenium to Playwright will be fine with doing so because Playwright is compatible with C#, Java, and Python. The use of programming languages is not a barrier. The Playwright was first made accessible to the general public in January 2020, and since then, it has had a notable rise in popularity.
The Playwright uses the DevTools protocol to create dependable and strong automated tests.
Playwright can see into and control the browser, it does not rely on an intermediary translation layer. This makes it possible to create user scenarios that are more informative and pertinent.
The main elements of the Playwright framework:
Here are a few of the Playwright’s most significant features and some justifications for why you should learn more!
- A few of the browsers that gain from support for cross-browser platforms based on WebKit, and Firefox include Edge, Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Safari.
- Supports many programming languages, including Python, Java, JavaScript, and .NET and creates tests in the best environment for you while still covering all file types.
- You can easily keep track of logs, videos, and photographs thanks to built-in auto-wait, clever features and retry until the element is located, and test data tracks.
- You can interact with websites that have several pages and tabs just like a real user, and you can handle browser events and frames easily because of the modern architecture and lack of restrictions that it was built with.
Benefits of using Playwright testing:
The playwright is largely regarded as developer-friendly as more seasoned frameworks like Selenium and Appium, despite having only made its debut in 2020 and yet to offer as many integrations as other automation platforms. Some of the benefits are listed below:
- A playwright is a tool that can be used to swiftly and completely test complex applications across many different platforms, mobile web apps, and languages.
- The playwright may run tests at a large scale either locally or on a ready-made infrastructure.
- A wide range of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools, including Jenkins, GitLab and CircleCI and, is compatible with Playwright. Furthermore, it functions admirably with JavaScript testing frameworks.
- The auto-wait function in Playwright will continue to verify items and requested actions until they are all ready for execution. This will lead to a higher rate of test accuracy.
- The playwright can run parallel tests, also called simultaneous testing, on various web pages. As a result, Playwright can now create a browser context for each test, which functions similarly to creating new individual browser profiles. Testing can be scaled up more successfully by offering complete test isolation of the various web pages through parallel testing.
What is Java?
An object-oriented programming language designed for having fewer implementation dependencies, Java is a general-purpose, class-based language. An application development platform. Because of its speed, security, and reliability, Java is a very popular platform. Java applications are developed with it for laptops, data centers, game consoles, scientific supercomputers, and cell phones, among other devices.
How to install Playwright and VS Code?
The prerequisites that must be satisfied before installing VS Code are as follows:
In this part of the Playwright tutorial, we’ll discuss installing Playwright and setting up Visual Studio Code. The following actions need to be taken:
- You should create a folder and name it “learn-playwright”.
- From the command prompt, Verify that the Node.js version is at least 14 before continuing.
- After creating the folder, open it and enter “cmd” in the address box.
- Enter “code” to launch Visual Studio Code. The newly created folder will now appear as a project for you to work on in Visual Studio Code.
- Enter “Playwright” in the search field after you’ve reached the EXTENSIONS area. There are several options available. Select the “Playwright Test for VS Code by Microsoft” option.
- Select the Extensions menu and then click the Install button.
- Type “install Playwright” into the window that appears after hitting CTRL + SHIFT + P to open the command panel.
- You must select Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit checkboxes because Playwright is compatible with all browser engines.
- Click “Okay” to finish.
- You should be able to see the “example.spec.ts” file after finishing the previous step by expanding the Project Explorer.
- Turn on the Project’s Expanded View. To launch the test, click the Green arrow icon.
- To disable Headless mode, open the playwright.config.ts file and then navigate to it.
- Run the code once more, and then type “headless: false” into the use block to display the browser.
Thanks to the user-friendly and dependable Playwright tool, everyone interested in learning anything new can access automation. It is strongly advised that you test Playwright using an online platform like LambdaTest that supports testing across several browsers. It gives you access to an online browser farm with more than 50 different operating systems and browser combinations, enabling you to run Playwright scripts.
How does Playwright compare to end-to-end test frameworks?
Playwright is a rising star on the competitive scene in a field populated by seasoned pros like Cypress and Selenium. Let’s compare it to other frameworks:
Selenium
There are some structural and functional similarities between Selenium and Playwright. Both frameworks are open source, simple to install, and free to use at any time. While Selenium supports a few more than the others, they both accept a variety of programming languages (namely PHP, Perl and Ruby).
Selenium is compatible for all browsers, whereas Playwright only works with Chromium, Firefox, and Webkit. A cross-platform program is Playwright. Additionally, even in the most complex situations, testing may be finished more quickly because of Playwright’s headless methodology.
Comparing the two frameworks, Playwright is frequently more efficient when handling complicated tests with a constrained coverage range. The best choice for any tests that need to cover a wider area overall is definitely Selenium. As Playwright is still a relatively new game, it is unclear how far it will be translated into other languages and platforms.
Cypress
There are some parallels between Cypress and Playwright, however there are also some differences between the two frameworks. Testers may also utilize Cypress, a free open-source framework. The npm is the easiest way to install either one.
Playwright allows you to run a single test simultaneously in multiple browsers and supports Chrome, Webkit, and Firefox. Cypress is incompatible with browsers that utilize the Webkit toolkit, such as Safari, and does not support multi-page comparisons or third-party programs at the time of this writing.
The Cypress framework does include documentation that is easy to comprehend, and it has a larger user base. The framework gives the impression of being a plug-and-play device because it is an all-in-one test kit. Playwright allows you to select the test runner you want to use and has less dependencies that need to be controlled.
When comparing the two frameworks side by side, Cypress offers a better option for programmers looking for a single package that includes all they need to get started or for those who are new to testing. This is so because Cypress has all of their essential needs. If you need to test with Webkit or cover scenarios that call for several pages and domains, Playwright is probably your best bet.
How should Playwright testing be conducted?
You can benefit from a range of advantages that the Playwright framework offers. Java is the default language of Playwright. A cloud-based testing tool like LambdaTest is the only way to determine the true scope of the testing possibilities. Through the use of LambdaTest’s test automation cloud on an online browser with more than fifty browsers, including Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Webkit, playwright tests may be automated.
You can also run a lot of Playwright test scripts simultaneously to drastically cut down on the time needed for each test execution cycle.
Here are some additional functions that, when used with LambdaTest, simplify Playwright testing.
- More than 3,000 actual desktop and mobile settings are directly accessible.
- You can execute tests 70% quicker than ever before with HyperExecute, an end-to-end test orchestration cloud.
- You can shorten work times, cut down on test failures, and get feedback on coding changes more quickly with Test at Scale.
- You can test in various geographic locations by using a geolocation testing option.
- More than 120 third-party connectors for your favorite tool for project management, codeless automation, continuous integration, and other features.
The following is a list of the steps required to run Playwright tests on the LambdaTest platform.
- Sign up for a free account with LambdaTest, then log in to access your account.
- Cloning the LambdaTest Playwright source on GitHub is advised.
- Install the NPM dependencies by using the npm install command.
- Your LambdaTest account and access key must be added to the environment variables. By visiting the LambdaTest Automation testing Dashboard and selecting the Access Key button in the top-right corner of the screen, you can get them.
You can access more information about the Playwright test session you just completed by clicking the session name. The test execution data for a Playwright test are shown in the following snapshot. The Test Name, Test ID, Selected Configurations, Test Logs, Basic Information, Input Configuration, and Test Session Video are among these details.
Future of Playwright Testing:
Playwright is a very new framework, but Microsoft and the rest of their ecosystem have already provided a substantial amount of support for it. Since it already has cross-platform functionality, it can compete directly with some of the most well-known brands already on the market.
Despite the fact that Playwright is still relatively unknown, the vast majority of users who have tried it say they would use it again. In comparison to other well-liked frameworks, the Playwright framework has a high satisfaction score despite being available for less than a year.
It makes sense that Playwright will continue to develop as more and more new capabilities are introduced to the software. There’s a chance Azure will one day support exciting cross-functionality with other Microsoft programs.
Playwright stands out as a special offering when compared to other frameworks in the industry, which are frequently more of a chore because it is a highly customizable framework with features that are just simply fun to use. It makes building automated tests incredibly simple via Java and you can create large test suites much faster than you could with other techniques. In addition, the entry hurdle is kept low, so introducing it to a new team will be manageable. We sincerely hope you learned something from this Playwright lesson and will consider using it as one of your go-to automation frameworks.