Cross-Browser Testing with Playwright

In the world of web development, ensuring consistent functionality and appearance across multiple browsers is essential. Playwright, a Node.js-based automation library developed by Microsoft, has emerged as a powerful tool for end-to-end (E2E) cross-browser testing.

This guide explores how Playwright makes cross-browser testing easier, faster, and more reliable.

🎯 What is Playwright?

Playwright is an open-source automation library for web testing that supports:

Modern browsers: Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit

Multiple programming languages: JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, and .NET

Features like: auto-waiting, screenshots, network interception, and headless/headful mode

✅ Key Advantage: One API to test across all major browser engines.

🌐 Why Cross-Browser Testing Matters

Different browsers (and even different versions) can render HTML, CSS, and JavaScript differently, potentially causing bugs or layout issues. Cross-browser testing ensures:

Consistent user experience

Browser-specific bugs are caught early

Better compatibility across devices and platforms

🚀 Getting Started with Playwright

1. Install Playwright

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npm init playwright@latest

This installs Playwright along with its test runner and browser binaries.

2. Run Your First Test

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npx playwright test

3. Define a Test for Multiple Browsers

Playwright makes it easy to run the same test across all supported browsers using its test project configuration.

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// playwright.config.ts

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

export default defineConfig({

  projects: [

    { name: 'Chromium', use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] } },

    { name: 'Firefox', use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] } },

    { name: 'WebKit', use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] } },

  ],

});

Now, all your tests will run across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit automatically.

🔧 Test Example

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// example.spec.ts

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('homepage has title', async ({ page }) => {

  await page.goto('https://example.com');

  await expect(page).toHaveTitle(/Example Domain/);

});

This test checks the page title—and with the config above, it runs on all browsers.

🧪 Best Practices for Cross-Browser Testing

✅ Use test.describe() for grouping

Organize browser-specific tests using test.describe() and tags.

✅ Use test.skip() or test.fixme() for known issues

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test.skip(({ browserName }) => browserName === 'webkit', 'Bug on WebKit');

✅ Test Responsiveness

Use built-in device emulation to test on mobile and tablet views:

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{ name: 'Mobile Safari', use: devices['iPhone 12'] }

✅ Capture Screenshots and Videos

Configure Playwright to take screenshots or videos on failure:

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use: {

  screenshot: 'only-on-failure',

  video: 'retain-on-failure',

}

📈 CI/CD Integration

Playwright integrates easily with CI/CD tools like:

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Jenkins

Azure Pipelines

Example GitHub Actions workflow:

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name: Playwright Tests

on: [push]

jobs:

  test:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:

      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - uses: microsoft/playwright-github-action@v1

      - run: npx playwright install --with-deps

      - run: npx playwright test

📊 Reporting

Playwright includes a built-in HTML reporter:

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npx playwright show-report

Reports include:

Passed/failed tests

Per-browser breakdown

Screenshots, logs, and videos (if enabled)

🛠️ Troubleshooting Tips

Problem Solution

Flaky tests Use page.waitFor* or leverage Playwright’s auto-waiting

WebKit fails in CI Use --with-deps when installing

Headless tests behave differently Compare headless and headed mode during test design

Intermittent timeouts Increase timeout or optimize selectors

🏁 Final Thoughts

Playwright has rapidly become one of the best tools for cross-browser automation. With native support for all major engines and a developer-friendly API, it allows teams to write and maintain tests that run consistently across browsers and platforms.

🔹 Use Playwright if:

You want unified testing across Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

You value modern automation features and fast execution

You're integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines

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