Playwright Interview Questions and Answers

1. Explain about the role of a Browser Context in Playwright?

To run multiple tests in parallel, Browser Context provides an isolated environment in a browser. It allows multiple tests within the same browser instance by independent testing sessions.

2. How does Playwright differ from Selenium? What programming languages does Playwright support?

Playwright provides faster and more reliable automation when compared to selenium due to its:

Use of modern browser APIs,
Built-in support for headless execution,
Better out-of-the-box support for modern web features like shadow DOM and network interception.

Playwright supports various programming languages, such as JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java.

3. What browsers are supported by Playwright? Can Playwright be used for mobile testing?

PlayWright supports browsers, like Chromium (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge), Firefox, and WebKit (Safari). It supports mobile emulation for various devices and can simulate features like touch, geolocation, and viewport sizes.

4. What is the difference between a Page and a BrowserContext?

In playwright, a Page represents a single tab in a browser, while a BrowserContext can contain multiple Pages and provides isolated browser sessions.

5. What is Playwright’s default timeout for actions?

Playwright’s default timeout for actions is 30 seconds that can be adjusted using:

page.setDefaultTimeout()
page.setDefaultNavigationTimeout().

6. How does Playwright handle asynchronous operations and ensure consistent execution across browsers?

To handle asynchronous operations, Playwright uses async and await keywords in supported languages like JavaScript/TypeScript. It uses consistent browser driver APIs, test isolation with BrowserContext, and deterministic network mocking to ensure reliable cross-browser testing.

7. What is the purpose of Playwright’s auto-wait feature?

Auto-wait feature automatically waits for elements to be ready before performing actions like clicking or typing which reduces flakiness in tests.

8. How can you capture a screenshot in Playwright?

To capture a screenshot of the current page, use page.screenshot({ path: ‘screenshot.png’ }).

9. How do you handle network requests and responses in Playwright?

Network requests and responses in Playwright are handled by methods like:

For request interception – page.route()
For monitoring responses – page.on(‘response’)

10. How can you emulate a device in Playwright?

Use browser.newContext() with the devices parameter to emulate a specific device configuration.

11. What is trace recording in Playwright? What are fixtures in Playwright?

Trace recording captures a detailed log of test execution to debug failing tests which includes:

Screenshots,
DOM snapshots,
Network requests.

Fixtures are reusable setups and configurations for tests that are used in Playwright’s Test Runner.

12. What are selectors in Playwright, and how are they used?

Selectors are used to identify web elements. Playwright supports various types, including CSS, XPath, text selectors, and Playwright-specific selectors like :nth-match().

13. How do you handle authentication in Playwright?

To manage session authentication, use browser.newContext({ storageState: ‘auth.json’ }) via saved cookies and local storage.

14. How can you perform file uploads in Playwright? How does Playwright support localization testing?

Use page.setInputFiles() to upload files by specifying the input element and file path. Playwright allows you to set the locale and geolocation in the BrowserContext to test localized content.

15. How do you debug tests in Playwright? How do you inspect network activity during a test?

Use the DEBUG=pw:* environment variable, the –headed mode, or the playwright pause command to debug tests interactively. To log network requests and responses, use page.on(‘request’) and page.on(‘response’).

16. What tools does Playwright provide for troubleshooting?

Playwright offers powerful tools for troubleshooting test failures or debugging issues.

Trace viewer
Screenshots
Video recording
Console logs
Network activity monitoring
Debugging tools

17. If you are testing a multi-step form where data entered in previous steps should persist. How would you validate this?

Use the following approach to test data retention across steps:

// Fill Step 1 await page.fill(‘input#firstName’, ‘John’); await page.click(‘button#nextStep’); // Verify data in Step 2 await page.click(‘button#previousStep’); const firstNameValue = await page.inputValue(‘input#firstName’); console.assert(firstNameValue === ‘xyz’, ‘Data is not retained’);

18. How do you capture console logs in Playwright? How do you handle timeouts in Playwright?

Use page.on(‘console’, msg => console.log(msg.text())) to capture and log messages from the browser console.

Adjust timeouts using methods like page.setDefaultTimeout() or set a specific timeout for actions like page.waitForSelector(selector, { timeout: 5000 }).

19. How would you verify that a file download works correctly in your application?

Playwright provides a page.on(‘download’) event to handle downloads. For example:

const [download] = await Promise.all([ page.waitForEvent(‘download’), page.click(‘button#downloadButton’) // Action that triggers download ]); const filePath = await download.path(); console.log(`File downloaded to: ${filePath}`);

20. What is a Playwright Test Runner?

It is an integrated test runner provided by Playwright with built-in support for parallelism, retries, fixtures, and reporting.

21. How do you organize tests using Playwright Test Runner?

Tests are organized into files using the test.describe and test syntax, with configurations defined in playwright.config.js.

22. What are retries in Playwright Test Runner?

Retries automatically re-run failed tests a specified number of times, configured via retries in the test configuration.

23. How do you execute tests in parallel using Playwright?

By default, Playwright Test Runner runs tests in parallel across multiple workers. The number of workers can be configured using the workers option.

24. What are test hooks in Playwright, and how are they used?

Test hooks like beforeEach and afterEach allow setup and teardown logic to be executed a bit சு round each test.

25. If you need to interact with a button that appears only after a specific AJAX call completes. How would you ensure the test waits for the button to be visible before clicking?

Playwright’s auto-wait mechanism handles such scenarios effectively. Use the waitForSelector method with visibility criteria.

await page.waitForSelector(‘button#dynamicButton’, { state: ‘visible’ }); await page.click(‘button#dynamicButton’);

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Playwright Interview Questions and Answers