A Complete Beginner's Guide Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial
If you’ve ever struggled with flaky Selenium tests or wish end-to-end testing were faster and easier, you’re in the right place. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you step by step through setting up, writing, and running your first automated tests using Playwright—Microsoft’s powerful browser automation tool.
What Is Playwright?
Playwright is an open-source Node.js library developed by Microsoft that enables you to automate browser actions, such as clicks, navigation, form submissions, and assertions. Unlike older tools like Selenium, Playwright offers:
Support for all major browsers: Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit (Safari)
Cross-platform testing: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Headless or headed execution
Multiple language bindings: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java
It’s designed with modern web applications in mind, including Single-Page Applications (SPAs) and AJAX-heavy UIs.
Step 1: Installing Playwright
If you’re looking to break into automation testing, one tool you should be familiar with is Playwright. It’s fast, powerful, and supports all modern browsers out of the box. But before you can write tests, you need to get it installed correctly. In this guide, we’ll walk you through every step to install Playwright—whether you’re using Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Prerequisites to Install Playwright
.npm init playwright@latest
# Choose JavaScript or TypeScript
npm install
npx playwright install
This automatically sets up your config, test folder, and necessary browser binaries
Step 2 – Write Your First Test
Create tests/example.spec.ts:
import { test, expect } from ‘@playwright/test’;
test(‘homepage has correct title’, async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto(‘https://example.com’);
await expect(page).toHaveTitle(‘Example Domain’);
});
Run with:
npx playwright test
The test launches a browser, visits the URL, checks the title, and reports pass/fail via HTML reporter
Step 3 – Work with Selectors & Locators
Playwright provides flexible selectors:
CSS, text, XPath
.locator()API for chaining and better readability: const login = page.locator(‘text=Log in’);
Step 4 – Use Assertions & Waits
await expect(page.locator(‘#menu’)).toBeVisible();
await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard/);
Playwright’s web-first assertions retry until conditions match or timeout
Step 5 – Build a Robust Framework
Structure your tests with the Page Object Model (POM):
pages/home.page.ts
tests/home.test.ts
Use classes for elements and test files for scenarios
Step 6 – Add Advanced Features
Parallel execution using
@playwright/testrunnerAPI testing & request mocking via Playwright’s request interception
CI/CD integration: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Docker setup automatically
Reports: HTML, JSON, JUnit output; capture screenshots/videos for failures
Step 7 – Best Practices & Debugging
Embrace POM, clear naming, and test organization
Use Playwright Inspector & traces to debug flaky tests checklyhq.com+15browserstack.com+15reddit.com+15
Integrate with Allure, JUnit, or built-in HTML reporters
Maintain isolation: new browser context per test
Summary
This Playwright automation testing tutorial equips you with the essentials:
Cross-browser setup
POM + organized tests
Assertions & debugging tools
API testing + CI/CD integration
By following these steps, you’re well on your way to building a solid, scalable E2E testing framework.
FAQs
Can beginners follow this tutorial?
Absolutely. You don’t need prior JS/TS experience—installation to assertion examples are included.
Can Playwright test APIs?
Yes, Playwright supports API interaction and network mocking natively
Is Playwright better than Selenium?
For most modern apps, yes. Playwright is faster, more stable, and offers better debugging tools out of the box.
Is Playwright good for CI/CD?
Yes! It runs well in headless environments, supports Docker, and integrates with major CI providers.
What is a Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial?
A Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial is a step-by-step guide that teaches you how to use the Playwright framework for automating web application testing across different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
Who should follow this Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial?
This tutorial is perfect for QA engineers, testers, developers, and beginners who want to learn Playwright automation testing from scratch. Whether you’re switching from Selenium or starting fresh, it’s beginner-friendly.
What will I learn in this Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial?
You’ll learn how to install Playwright, write test scripts using JavaScript or TypeScript, handle browser actions, run tests in headless mode, and integrate Playwright with CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions
Do I need coding experience to follow the Playwright Automation Testing Tutorial?
Basic knowledge of JavaScript or TypeScript is helpful, but many tutorials—like the one on PlaywrightMasters—are designed with beginners in mind and include hands-on examples.