The document compares Cypress and Playwright, two popular end-to-end testing frameworks, highlighting their architectures, advantages, and limitations. Cypress is known for its simplicity, speed, and reliability, but is limited to JavaScript/TypeScript and has challenges with multi-tab testing. Playwright, developed by Microsoft, offers broader language support, cross-browser capabilities, and robust features but may have limited mobile testing resources.

1. Cypress vs Playwright:
A Comparative
Analysis

2. Table of contents
About Cypress
●​ Cypress Architecture
●​ Why Use Cypress
●​ Why Not Use Cypress
About Playwright
●​ Playwright Architecture
●​ Why Use Playwright
●​ Why Not Use Playwright
Comparison between Cypress Vs Playwright
Conclusion
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3. Selecting the ideal testing tool for your project could seem like a difficult task. Cross browser
testing is a crucial factor to consider when choosing between two of the most popular
choices in the field—Cypress and Playwright. Understanding their features and capabilities can
help you make an informed decision.
Cypress is an End-to-End (E2E) testing framework built for modern online applications, based on
JavaScript Cypress is a great option for novices because of its well-known simplicity and ease
of use. Web applications can be tested quickly and reliably because of its unique design.
Cypress is compatible with many other tools and frameworks, including Angular, Vue, React, and
more.Its special features, such as automated waiting and time travel, can greatly increase the
effectiveness and dependability of your testing procedure.
On the other hand, Playwright offers a more comprehensive approach to testing. Developed by
Microsoft, Playwright supports multiple programming languages, including JavaScript,
TypeScript, Python, and C#. Its cross-browser testing capabilities enable developers to test
applications across various browsers and devices seamlessly.
This blog will guide you through the comparison between playwright vs cypress, and the criteria
by which you can determine the most suitable tool for your project.
Before explaining more about Cypress vs Playwright let’s see the NPM trend for Cypress and
Playwright. Looking at the npm trends give us some insights into the popularity and adoption
rates of Cypress.
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4. About Cypress
Cypress is an open-source end-to-end testing framework designed specifically for modern web
applications. It’s known for its simplicity, speed, and ability to provide reliable testing
results.Cypress operates directly within the browser and executes tests in the same run loop as
the application being tested. This architecture allows for fast and consistent testing without the
need for external drivers.
The tests are run within the browser, which minimises test execution time and eliminates
network latency, as seen in the screenshot below.
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5. Cypress Architecture
Cypress runs on top of Node.js, which acts as the central hub for managing and executing tests.
Cypress architecture differs from most other test automation tools. Unlike Selenium, which runs
outside the browser, Cypress executes tests directly inside the browser. This approach offers
several advantages, including:
Faster test execution: Because Cypress is running in the same environment as the application,
there’s no need for network overhead.
More reliable tests: Cypress has better control over the browser and can wait for elements to
load before interacting with them, reducing the likelihood of flaky tests.
Easier debugging: Since the tests are running in the browser, you can use the browser’s
developer tools to debug any issues that arise.
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6. Here’s a breakdown of the key components of Cypress testing architecture:
Test Runner: The test runner is a Node.js server that coordinates the execution of your tests. It
communicates with the browser and the test files.
Browser: Cypress tests are executed inside the browser. This gives Cypress full control over the
browser environment and allows it to interact with the application directly.
Dev Tools: Cypress can leverage the browser’s developer tools to inspect the DOM, network
traffic, and other aspects of the application.
Node.js Server: The Node.js server runs behind the scenes and provides various functionalities
such as file serving, test execution, and communication with the browser.
Why Use Cypress
Cypress offers several key advantages and features that make it a popular choice for front-end
testing. Here are some of the most notable ones:
All-in-One Testing Framework: Cypress combines several testing types and utilities into a single
package, providing a comprehensive testing solution. It includes features for end-to-end testing,
unit testing, integration testing, and even stubbing and mocking network requests.
Automatic Waiting: Cypress automatically waits for commands and assertions to pass before
moving on to the next step in the test. This intelligent waiting behavior eliminates the need for
explicit sleep statements or complex synchronization logic, making tests more reliable and
easier to write.
Time Travel and Debugging: Cypress provides a powerful time travel feature that allows you to
step through your tests, pause execution, and inspect the state of the application at any point.
This makes debugging tests much easier and more intuitive.
Real Browser Automation: Cypress runs tests in a real browser, providing a realistic testing
environment that closely mimics user interactions. This is in contrast to other tools that
simulate browser behavior, which can sometimes miss edge cases or fail to accurately
represent the user experience.
Parallelization and Recording: Cypress supports running tests in parallel across multiple
machines or browsers, significantly speeding up the testing process.
Flake-Resistant Tests: Cypress is designed to minimize flaky tests (tests that pass or fail
inconsistently) by providing a more reliable and deterministic testing environment.
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7. Cross-Browser Support: Cypress supports all major desktop and mobile browsers, including
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Electron, and even mobile browsers on real devices or simulators.
Why Not Use Cypress
So far we have seen the advantage of using Cypress however at the same time there are a few
cons of Cypress.
Here are some of the most notable ones:
Language Limitation: Cypress is limited to JavaScript/TypeScript, which may be a disadvantage
for teams using other programming languages. In contrast, tools like Selenium WebDriver offer
support for multiple programming languages
MultiTab Testing and iframe Support: Testing scenarios involving multiple tabs or iframes can
be common in web applications. Cypress’s limitations in this regard might make it challenging
to test such scenarios effectively
Learning Curve: While Cypress is generally user-friendly, beginners may still face a learning
curve, especially if they are not familiar with JavaScript or modern web development practices.
Continuous Integration Configuration: Setting up Cypress for continuous integration (CI) can
require some configuration and may not be as straightforward as with other testing tools.
No Native Mobile Support: Cypress is primarily designed for web application testing, and it does
not have built-in support for native mobile applications
Parallel Test Execution: Cypress does not support parallel test execution out of the box. This
means that running tests in parallel across multiple browsers or machines requires additional
setup and configuration.
About Playwright
Playwright is a modern test automation tool created and maintained by Microsoft. It’s designed
to automate web applications across multiple browsers (Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit) with a
single API.
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8. Playwright Architecture
Playwright adopts a client-server architecture where the client, typically your test code written in
various programming languages, communicates with the Playwright server. The server manages
interactions with the browser engines (Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit) and executes commands
received from the client.
Playwright Architecture
Playwright leverages browser-specific protocols for communication with Chromium, Firefox, and
WebKit. For Chromium, it utilizes the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP), For Firefox and WebKit,
Playwright implements its own protocols, similar in functionality to CDP but tailored to the
respective browser engines.
Source: PogramsBuzz
Playwright establishes a WebSocket connection between the client and server to facilitate
communication. WebSocket offers advantages such as low latency and full-duplex
communication, enabling real-time data exchange between the client and server.
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9. Why Use Playwright
Here are some key points that explained why we use Playwright :
Cross-Browser Support: Playwright provides a unified API to automate Chromium, Firefox, and
WebKit browsers, allowing you to run tests across different browsers with minimal code
changes.
Auto-Waiting and Intelligent Selectors: Playwright automatically waits for elements to be
available and uses intelligent selectors that can reliably identify elements even if their attributes
or positions change.
Parallelization and Sharding: Playwright supports running tests in parallel across multiple
browsers and sharding tests across multiple machines or containers, enabling faster test
execution.
Codegen and Trace Viewer: Playwright includes a codegen utility that can generate test code by
recording user interactions, and a trace viewer that allows you to inspect and debug test
execution.
Multiple Language Support: Playwright supports multiple programming languages, including
JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, .NET, and Java.
Powerful API: Playwright provides a comprehensive API for interacting with web pages,
including handling file uploads, emulating mobile devices, capturing screenshots and videos,
and more.
Built-in Assertions: Playwright includes built-in assertions for common testing scenarios,
reducing the need for external assertion libraries.
Docker Support: Playwright can run tests inside Docker containers, making it easier to set up
and maintain a consistent testing environment.
Debugging and Inspection Tools: Playwright offers various debugging and inspection tools,
such as the ability to pause test execution, take screenshots, and capture network requests and
responses.
Active Development and Community: Playwright is actively developed and maintained by
Microsoft, with a growing community of contributors and users.
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10. Why Not Use Playwright
Limited Mobile Support: While Playwright supports mobile browser automation, its
capabilities for mobile app testing are not as extensive as its desktop browser testing features.
Limited Community Resources: Playwright is growing very fast compared to other browser
automation tools like Selenium WebDriver, Playwright has a smaller community and fewer online
resources such as tutorials, articles, and forums.
Comparison between Cypress Vs Playwright
Here’s a simplified comparison of Cypress vs Playwright:
Criteria Cypress Playwright
Browser
Support
Cypress supports
Firefox and
Chrome-family
browsers which
include Edge and
Electron.
Supports multiple browsers including
Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, offering
flexibility in browser selection.
Architecture Cypress has
in-process
architecture, running
tests within the
same JavaScript
runtime as the
application under
test.
Playwright has an out-of-process
architecture, communicating with
browsers via WebSocket connections
Framework
Support
Cypress supports
Mocha only
Playwright supports Mocha, Jest,
Jasmine, and AVA.
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11. Language
Support
Cypress supports
JavaScript
,TypeScript only.
Playwright Offers language bindings for
JavaScript, Python, Java, and C#. This
allows teams to write tests in their
preferred programming language.
Parallel
Execution
To run Cypress tests
in parallel, you need
to split the tests
across multiple files,
as parallelization is
not supported within
a single test file.
Playwright offers comprehensive
support for parallelization, even when
running tests locally. Allows parallel
execution of tests within a single test file
Plugins In Cypress, we need
to install the plugin
for File Upload
Download, XPath
,and tab support etc.
Playwright comes with direct, built-in
support for several essential features out
of the box, such as XPath, file upload and
download handling, and tab
management.
Conclusion
Cypress excels in its simplicity, ease of use, and strong community support. On the other hand,
Playwright’s versatility, cross-browser support, and robust automation capabilities make it a
better choice for complex web applications, especially those requiring multi-browser testing or
scenarios involving interactions beyond the scope of typical user interactions. Ultimately, while
comparing playwright vs cypress, the choice between the two tools hinges on the specific needs
of your team and project.
For more information, you may refer TestGrid.
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