Features
- Cross-browser testing (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
- Auto-waiting eliminates flaky selectors
- Trace viewer for debugging failed tests
- Code generation from user interactions
Pros
- Most reliable E2E framework with auto-waiting
- Supports all modern browsers including Safari (WebKit)
- Excellent debugging tools (trace viewer, inspector)
Cons
- Heavier setup than unit testing frameworks
- Tests are slower than unit tests by nature
- Requires browser binaries to be installed
Overview
Playwright is an end-to-end testing framework created by Microsoft. It enables reliable testing across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit (Safari) with a single API. Playwright was built by the team that originally created Puppeteer at Google, incorporating lessons learned into a more robust and capable tool.
Playwright’s auto-waiting mechanism is its standout feature. Instead of requiring explicit waits or sleep statements, Playwright automatically waits for elements to be actionable before interacting with them, dramatically reducing test flakiness. The trace viewer captures screenshots, DOM snapshots, and network requests during test runs, making debugging failed tests straightforward.
The codegen tool allows you to record browser interactions and automatically generate test code, lowering the barrier to writing E2E tests.
When to Use
Choose Playwright for end-to-end testing of web applications, especially when you need cross-browser coverage including Safari. It is the best E2E testing framework for teams that prioritize test reliability and debugging experience.
Getting Started
npm init playwright@latest
npx playwright test
npx playwright show-report