Playwright is a framework for Web Testing and Automation that allows testing Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a single API. It’s built to enable cross-browser web automation that is ever-green, capable, reliable, and fast.
System requirements Playwright requires Node.js version 18 or higher.
Playwright supports the following platforms:
Linux : Chromium, Firefox, and WebKitmacOS : Chromium, Firefox, and WebKitWindows : Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit
Headless execution is supported for all browsers on all platforms.
Installation methods There are two ways to install Playwright: using the init command (recommended) or manual installation.
Using init command
Manual installation
The easiest way to get started with Playwright Test is to run the init command. This is the recommended approach for new projects.
Run the init command
From your project’s root directory, run: npm init playwright@latest
Or create a new project: npm init playwright@latest new-project
Configure your setup
The init command will prompt you to:
Choose which browsers to install (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
Set up TypeScript or JavaScript
Add example tests
Configure GitHub Actions workflow
Verify installation
After installation completes, you’ll have:
A playwright.config.ts (or .js) configuration file
A tests/ directory with example test files
Browser binaries installed in your system
Optional GitHub Actions workflow in .github/workflows/
This method automatically creates a configuration file, adds example tests, and sets up GitHub Actions workflow for CI/CD.
If you prefer more control over the setup process, you can install Playwright manually.
Install the test package
Add Playwright Test as a dev dependency: npm i -D @playwright/test
Install browser binaries
Install the supported browsers:
Install specific browsers only
You can optionally install only selected browsers: # Install Chromium only npx playwright install chromium # Install multiple specific browsers npx playwright install chromium firefox
Available browser options:
chromium - Installs Chrome for Testingfirefox - Installs Firefoxwebkit - Installs WebKit (Safari)
Create configuration file
Create a playwright.config.ts file in your project root: import { defineConfig , devices } from '@playwright/test' ; export default defineConfig ({ testDir: './tests' , timeout: 30000 , expect: { timeout: 5000 } , fullyParallel: true , forbidOnly: !! process . env . CI , retries: process . env . CI ? 2 : 0 , workers: process . env . CI ? 1 : undefined , reporter: 'html' , use: { trace: 'on-first-retry' , } , projects: [ { name: 'chromium' , use: { ... devices [ 'Desktop Chrome' ] }, }, ] , }) ;
Browser versions Playwright uses the following browser versions:
Chromium : 146.0.7680.31 (Chrome for Testing)Firefox : 146.0.1WebKit : 26.0
Playwright uses Chrome for Testing by default, which is a dedicated Chrome build for testing purposes.
Using existing browser channels Instead of downloading browser binaries, you can use existing browser installations on your system:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test' ; export default defineConfig ({ projects: [ { name: 'Google Chrome' , use: { channel: 'chrome' }, }, { name: 'Microsoft Edge' , use: { channel: 'msedge' }, }, ] , }) ;
The main Playwright package includes:
playwright : Full Playwright library with browser automation and test runnerplaywright-core : Core library without browser binaries (version 1.59.0-next)@playwright/test : Test runner for end-to-end tests
Next steps
Quick start Run your first Playwright test
Writing tests Learn how to write effective tests
Troubleshooting
Browser installation fails
If browser installation fails, try:
Check your internet connection
Run with --force flag: npx playwright install --force
Check system dependencies on Linux: npx playwright install-deps
Playwright requires Node.js 18 or higher. Update your Node.js version: If below 18, upgrade using nvm or download from nodejs.org On Linux systems, you may need to install system dependencies for browsers. Run: npx playwright install-deps
