A high-end user experience can only be achieved by assessing and verifying the functionality of an application. In order to identify potential problems with web software, various tools are available, including Cypress and Playwright testing frameworks.
These tools allow developers to quickly detect and identify bugs, errors, and other issues that can negatively impact user experience. As a result, developers are able to create a high-quality, error-free product that offers an exceptional user experience. If you aren’t sure which end-to-end testing framework to choose for your development projects, this blog will help clarify when to choose each of them.
What is Playwright?
Playwright is a modern, open-source, end-to-end testing framework developed by Microsoft. It allows developers to write tests that automatically navigate web applications, perform actions, and assert results.
Playwright is primarily written in and supports JavaScript (and, by extension, TypeScript). This means it integrates seamlessly with most modern web development stacks and continuous integration pipelines. This framework provides the ability to run tests across a range of browsers, including Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit. This helps ensure compatibility and consistent behavior across all major web platforms.
What is Cypress?
Cypress is a frontend testing tool built for the modern web. It offers a complete end-to-end testing experience, providing developers and testers with tools to write and execute tests for web applications.
Cypress is built on and supports JavaScript. It has out-of-the-box compatibility with popular JavaScript frameworks and bundlers, making it a favorite among many frontend developers. One of the distinguishing features of Cypress is its real-time, automatic reloading upon code change. This feature enables developers to see test results instantaneously, accelerating the test-debug cycle.
Before diving into how these differ and when you should leverage them, let’s hover over the similarities between Playwright and Cypress.
Primary similarities between Playwright and Cypress
Both Playwright and Cypress are emerging as top choices when it comes to end-to-end testing frameworks for web applications. Despite their unique offerings, they share some core similarities that make them stand out in the E2E testing landscape:
1. JavaScript-based: Both frameworks are primarily built around JavaScript. This ensures they align well with modern web development practices and are easily adoptable by today’s vast community of JavaScript developers.
2. Real-time feedback: Both tools focus on providing real-time feedback. As tests are executed, developers get immediate insights into their test status, allowing for quick iteration and bug fixing.
3. Browser support: Playwright and Cypress are designed to support multiple modern browsers. This cross-browser compatibility ensures comprehensive test coverage, allowing for a more holistic assessment of web applications.
4. Rich debugging capabilities: Both frameworks offer powerful debugging features. From Playwright’s ability to pause execution and inspect the browser’s state to Cypress’s time-traveling debugger, these tools aim to simplify the often complex debugging process.
5. Interceptor capabilities: Both Playwright and Cypress have features to intercept and modify network requests. This allows testers to mimic various backend responses or conditions, ensuring the frontend behaves correctly under different scenarios.
6. DOM interaction: Handling and interacting with the Document Object Model (DOM) is crucial for E2E tests. Both frameworks excel in this domain, offering intuitive commands and methods to navigate, query, and interact with web page elements.
Playwright vs. Cypress — The key differences
Test structure
● Playwright
Playwright follows the standard Jest-like pattern for structuring tests, using describe and its blocks.
const { test } = require(‘@playwright/test’);
test.describe(‘Feature XYZ’, () => {
test(‘should display element on page’, async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto(‘https://example.com’);
const element = await page.$(‘selector’);
expect(element).toBeTruthy();
});
});
● Cypress
Cypress uses a unique chainable pattern to structure and write tests, which some developers find more readable.
describe(‘Feature XYZ’, () => {
it(‘should display element on page’, () => {
cy.visit(‘https://example.com’);
cy.get(‘selector’).should(‘be.visible’);
});
});
Interacting with elements
● Playwright
Interaction is more straightforward, closely aligning with how developers typically engage with web elements programmatically.
await page.type(‘input[name=”username”]’, ‘exampleUser’);
● Cypress
Uses a more chained, jQuery-like syntax for element interaction.
cy.get(‘input[name=”username”]’).type(‘exampleUser’);
Handling asynchronous code
● Playwright
Relies on JavaScript’s native async/await syntax.
await page.click(‘button’);
await page.waitForResponse(response => response.url() === ‘https://api.example.com/data’ && response.status() === 200);
● Cypress:
Uses its own internal promise-like mechanism to handle asynchronous operations, which removes the need for async/await.
cy.click(‘button’);
cy.wait(‘@apiCall’); // given that an alias ‘apiCall’ has been set up for the XHR request
Assertions
● Playwright
Playwright integrates with Jest, so assertions typically use Jest’s assertion library.
const title = await page.title();
expect(title).toBe(‘Expected Title’);
● Cypress
Cypress has its own built-in assertion library, powered by Chai, and uses a more chained approach.
cy.title().should(‘eq’, ‘Expected Title’);
Selectors
● Playwright
Playwright offers a range of selector engines to match elements. It combines CSS selectors, text selectors, XPath, and others under a single unified API. This gives testers the flexibility to use the most suitable selector type for their needs.
1. CSS Selector
const button = await page.$(‘button.myButton’);
2. Text selector
const elementWithText = await page.$(‘text=”Specific Text Here”‘);
3.XPath selector
const header = await page.$(‘//h1[@id=”myHeader”]’);
4. Combining selectors
const nestedElement = await page.$(‘css=div#parent >> text=”Child Text”‘);
● Cypress
Cypress primarily leverages jQuery-based selectors, which means if you’re familiar with jQuery or CSS selectors, you’d feel right at home.
1. CSS selector
cy.get(‘button.myButton’).click();
2. Containing text
cy.contains(‘Specific Text Here’).click();
3. Combining selectors
cy.get(‘div#parent’).find(‘button.childButton’).click();
While Cypress doesn’t directly support XPath out of the box, there are plugins available that add this functionality. The jQuery-based approach is quite powerful, but those used to working with raw CSS selectors or XPath might find Playwright’s approach more flexible.
HeadSpin’s integrations with automation frameworks for E2E testing
HeadSpin’s AI-driven Platform is designed to provide seamless mobile testing and monitoring experiences. One of the ways it accomplishes this is by offering integration capabilities with several popular automation frameworks for end-to-end (E2E) testing. By doing so, HeadSpin ensures that developers and testers can utilize their preferred tools while benefiting from the global device infrastructure and insights provided by HeadSpin. The Platform seamlessly integrates with frameworks like Appium, Playwright, and many others.
By offering these integrations, HeadSpin ensures that businesses can maintain their existing testing practices while benefiting from the global insights and robust infrastructure that HeadSpin provides. This combination is key to delivering high-quality applications that work flawlessly for users everywhere.
Note: HeadSpin doesn’t yet support Cypress directly.
Cypress vs. Playwright — when to choose which one?
In the end-to-end testing landscape, both Cypress and Playwright have cemented their reputations as robust tools, but choosing between them depends largely on your project’s specific requirements. Here’s a compact guide:
When should you choose Cypress?
- Ease of setup and use: You desire a testing framework that provides a fast and straightforward setup with an intuitive UI, which is especially beneficial for teams new to E2E testing.
- Real-time reloading: You value real-time feedback during test development, with Cypress automatically reloading tests upon file changes.
- Rich ecosystem: You are looking to leverage an ecosystem of plugins and integrations built around Cypress.
When should you choose Playwright?
- Browser coverage: You require testing across multiple browsers, as Playwright supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
- Mobile emulation: You need mobile device emulation to test different device-specific behaviors.
- Advanced interactions: You’re dealing with complex web apps that require sophisticated interactions like file uploads, downloads, video recording, or network throttling.
Additionally, with Cypress, teams cannot test on real phones, which can be a hindrance.
Bottom line
In the rapidly evolving domain of software testing, both Playwright and Cypress have etched their mark as formidable tools for end-to-end testing. Each boasts a unique set of capabilities and strengths catering to a diverse testing requirement range. The optimal choice is not a mere reflection of the tool’s capability but an intersection of your project’s intricacies, browser preferences, and the granularity desired in your testing strategy. It’s imperative to meticulously assess your project’s specifications, delve deep into the nuances of each framework, and then make an informed decision that synergizes seamlessly with your overarching objectives.
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https://www.headspin.io/blog/cypress-vs-playwright-comparison-guide