Playwright Test Runner

Learning objectives#

• Configure playwright.config.ts
• Run across browsers and devices
• Reuse login with storageState
• Create custom fixtures

Explanation#

playwright.config.ts sets baseURL, timeouts, retries, reporters and projects (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit, mobile devices).

A setup project can log in once and save storageState; other projects reuse it, so tests start signed in.

Fixtures provide ready-made objects (page objects, API clients) to tests via parameters.

Tests run in parallel workers; retries and traces help diagnose intermittent failures.

Code example: Config with login setup#

1import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
2

3export default defineConfig({
4  testDir: './tests',
5  fullyParallel: true,
6  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
7  reporter: [['html'], ['junit', { outputFile: 'results/junit.xml' }]],
8  use: { baseURL: process.env.BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:5173', trace: 'on-first-retry' },
9  projects: [
10    { name: 'setup', testMatch: /auth\.setup\.ts/ },
11    { name: 'chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'], storageState: '.auth/user.json' }, dependencies: ['setup'] },
12    { name: 'mobile', use: { ...devices['Pixel 7'], storageState: '.auth/user.json' }, dependencies: ['setup'] },
13  ],
14});
15

16// tests/auth.setup.ts
17// setup('log in', async ({ page }) => {
18//   await page.goto('/login'); …fill and submit…
19//   await page.context().storageState({ path: '.auth/user.json' });
20// });

The setup project logs in once; Chromium and Pixel 7 tests run in parallel already signed in, with HTML and JUnit reports.

This example is illustrative. Copy or download it and run it in your own environment; the expected output is shown above.

Step-by-step explanation#

1. Retries and traces are enabled only in CI.
2. The setup project saves the signed-in state.
3. Browser projects depend on setup and reuse the state.
4. Two reporters serve humans (HTML) and CI (JUnit).

Real-world use case#

Common mistakes#

Best practices#

• Setup project + storageState
• Projects for browsers and devices
• Fixtures for page objects
• Traces on first retry

Remember this#

Practice exercise#

1npx playwright test --project=mobile

Mini quiz#

Want more? Practise all Automation Testing MCQs · Automation Testing interview questions

Related topics#

My notes#

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