JavaScript consistently ranks asthe world ’ s most popular programming speechamong developer. It should come as no surprise so that a variety of JavaScript test automation frameworks are usable to help developers test JavaScript apps.

Here ’ s a looking at the top five JavaScript test mechanization frameworks, include the professional and cons of each.

WebdriverIO

Not to be confused with Selenium WebDriver, which back only browser testing,WebdriverIOis a exam automation framework for both browser and native. It ’ s highly extensile and can automate tests for a wide variety of apps running in any mainstream browser or mobile OS.

WebdriverIO ’ s power to back a broad set of quiz needs create it a outstanding model if you develop multiple types of apps and want a single framework for automatically quiz them all.

WebdriverIO uses Puppeteer out-of-the-box. It also integrates with Mocha, Jasmine, and Cucumber, and the unharmed setup requires only a couple of npm commands.

In sum: use WebdriverIO if you have extensive and broad testing demand that extend beyond just basic JavaScript tests.

Cypress

Cypress has become one of the most popular JavaScript screen frameworks in recent years, due largely to the fact that it is simple to set up, specially if you ’ re a front-end developer.

Cypress besides boasts the ability to do both front-end and (to a certain extent) backend testing. That do Cypress a full choice for developers who use JavaScript (or Node) for both server-side and client-side development.

The main limitations of Cypress include limited support for screen peregrine apps: it can handle peregrine apps that run natively in a browser, but not early types. It likewise currently supports Chrome-family browsers, WebKit, and Firefox.

In sum: if you want a simple yet knock-down JavaScript test automation framework that will meet most standard testing needs, Cypress is a great solution. If you want entire coating and browser reporting, nevertheless, Cypress on its own waterfall short.

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TestCafe

TestCafe is similar to Cypress in that it is easygoing to deploy. It also offers the advantage of supporting both JavaScript and TypeScript as the words for writing testing scripts. The TypeScript choice may be attractive to developer who favour powerfully typecast languages.

TestCafe also supports all of the major desktop browsers, including Chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, and Safari. It has some limited support for browser-based mobile apps, but in general it is not plan for mobile testing.

A drawback of TestCafe is that it solely supports client-side apps. It ’ s also designed primarily to be an end-to-end and fixation testing framework, and make not work good for unit testing or desegregation testing.

In sum: TestCafe is an excellent option for testing any desktop or peregrine JavaScript apps, provided they are client-side alone. If you need server-side essay support or mobile testing, face elsewhere.

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Playwright

Released by Microsoft in January 2020, Playwright, which is open source, is one of the raw JavaScript-based test automation frameworks useable.

In addition to JavaScript, Playwright too supports testing in .NET C #, Java, and Python, which makes it handy for developers who need to work with multiple languages. Playwright too supports all of the major mod browsers except Internet Explorer, and it can handle both desktop and mobile examination.

As of right now, perhaps the biggest drawback of Playwright is that, because the framework is relatively new, it is withal germinate, and it doesn ’ t offer as many integrations as more mature frameworks. The lack of Internet Explorer support is besides a limit, as is the fact that Playwright requires a usance browser that must be downloaded each clip you want to run a tryout. This contribute time to testing routine, and too means that you can ’ t exam in the actual browser that your exploiter are using. Finally, like Puppeteer, Playwright needs to be integrated manually with tryout frameworks like Mocha, Jasmine or Jest.

In sum: Playwright is an attractive choice for developer-friendly, cross-browser testing that supports multiple language, including but not circumscribed to JavaScript. But if you involve to test for Internet Explorer, you ’ ll need a different framework. You may also require to expect a bit for Playwright to mature farther if you are worried about having to handle rapidly changing APIs.

Related imagination:Getting Started with the Playwright Test Automation Framework

Puppeteer

If you like but care it be more stable and mature, you should consider Puppeteer, which has been around in stable pattern since 2018.

Playwright ’ s lead developer formerly work on Puppeteer, and the fabric share much in common: they are easy-to-deploy, JavaScript-first browser mechanization tools that concentrate on desktop app testing.

The primary restriction of Puppeteer is that it only full endorse Chrome and Chromium, so it ’ s not a true cross-browser testing resolution. That said, the Firefox nightly body-build are currently compatible with Puppeteer as well, thanks to collaboration between the Puppeteer team and Mozilla developers. Puppeteer support for stable versions of Firefox is in the works.

In sum: Puppeteer is the go-to test automation framework for developers who solely need to support Chrome and Chromium. For cross-browser examination, frameworks like Playwright provide a similar experience.

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How to Choose a JavaScript Test Automation Framework

To choose a, consider respective variable:

• How many types of apps and configurations do you postulate to endorse? Frameworks like WebdriverIO are the most extensible.

• Do you need to test mobile as well as desktop apps? If so, frameworks that broadly support both types of apps, like WebdriverIO, are a good choice.

• How robust and mature do you want the framework to be? Frameworks like Puppeteer, TestCafe, and WebdriverIO are tried-and-true.

• Do you need a framework that can handle front-end as well as back-end testing, like Cypress?

• How quick and easygoing do you want it to be to write, configure, and run tests? Currently, frameworks like Puppeteer and Playwright necessitate some comparatively complex configuration, specially if you are not using them for the narrow use lawsuit that they indorse out-of-the-box.

Cypress vs. Playwright vs. Puppeteer vs. TestCafe: Side-by-Side Comparison

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About the Author

Chris Tozzihas worked as a journalist and Linux system administrator. He has particular interests in open source, agile infrastructure, and networking. He is Senior Editor of content and a DevOps Analyst at Fixate IO. His latest record,For Fun and Profit: A History of the Free and Open Source Software Revolution, was published in 2017.