How Playwright Supports Multiple Browsers
Playwright is a modern open-source automation framework developed by Microsoft for end-to-end testing of web applications. One of its standout features is its native support for multiple browsers, making it a powerful tool for developers and testers aiming for broad test coverage and cross-browser compatibility.
In this blog, we’ll explore how Playwright supports multiple browsers, why it matters, and how you can take advantage of this feature in your test automation strategy.
Why Multi-Browser Support Matters
Web applications today are accessed through various browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, each with its rendering engine and behavior. Testing across multiple browsers ensures:
Consistent user experience
Bug detection in specific browsers
Better accessibility and usability
Increased reliability of the application
Playwright’s Browser Support
Playwright supports the following major browser engines:
Chromium
Powers browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge
Ideal for testing Chrome-based experiences
WebKit
Powers Safari on macOS and iOS
Critical for Apple ecosystem testing
Firefox
Independent engine from Mozilla
Ensures support for open web standards
Playwright downloads and manages these browser binaries automatically, so you don’t need to install them manually.
Launching Different Browsers in Playwright
With just a few lines of code, you can launch and test on different browsers:
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const { chromium, firefox, webkit } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch(); // For Chrome
const context = await browser.newContext();
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await browser.close();
})();
To test in Firefox or WebKit, simply switch the browser:
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const browser = await firefox.launch(); // Or webkit.launch()
This flexibility allows you to reuse the same test script for all supported browsers with minimal changes.
Cross-Browser Testing in Parallel
Playwright also enables parallel cross-browser testing using test runners like Playwright Test. Here's an example configuration:
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projects: [
{ name: 'Chromium', use: { browserName: 'chromium' } },
{ name: 'Firefox', use: { browserName: 'firefox' } },
{ name: 'WebKit', use: { browserName: 'webkit' } },
]
This setup runs your tests across all three browsers concurrently, saving time and improving test coverage.
Conclusion
Playwright makes multi-browser testing straightforward, powerful, and efficient. By supporting Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit out-of-the-box, it ensures developers can build and validate cross-browser experiences with confidence. Whether you're testing responsive layouts, complex UI interactions, or accessibility, Playwright offers the tools needed to deliver quality applications across every major browser.
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