What are the limitations of Playwright?

While Playwright is a powerful browser automation framework for testing and web scraping, understanding its limitations helps you make informed decisions for your projects. Here are the key constraints and potential workarounds:

Browser and Platform Limitations

1. Limited Mobile Browser Support

Playwright supports device emulation but not real mobile browsers:

// Device emulation (supported)
const context = await browser.newContext({
  ...devices['iPhone 12']
});

// Real iOS Safari or Android Chrome (not supported)

Workaround: Use cloud testing services like BrowserStack or Sauce Labs for real device testing.

2. No Internet Explorer Support

Playwright doesn't support Internet Explorer, which reached end-of-life in 2022.

Alternative: Use WebDriver-based tools if IE testing is absolutely required.

3. Browser Extension Limitations

Browser extensions generally don't work with Playwright's automation context:

// This won't work reliably
const context = await browser.newContext({
  // Extensions may not function properly
});

Workaround: Test extension functionality separately or use the browser's built-in developer tools API.

Technical Constraints

4. Protocol Limitations

Playwright only handles web protocols (HTTP/HTTPS, data:, blob:):

// Supported
await page.goto('https://example.com');
await page.goto('data:text/html,<h1>Hello</h1>');

// Not supported
await page.goto('ftp://files.example.com');

Workaround: Use dedicated libraries for FTP, file system operations, or other protocols.

5. File Download Complexity

File downloads require special handling and can't be tested like user interactions:

// Requires download event handling
const downloadPromise = page.waitForEvent('download');
await page.click('text=Download');
const download = await downloadPromise;

6. Browser-Specific Feature Gaps

Some native browser features aren't fully accessible: - Firefox Reader Mode - Safari Reading List - Browser password managers - Native notifications

Development Challenges

7. Asynchronous Programming Requirements

All Playwright operations are Promise-based, which can be challenging for beginners:

// Common mistake - missing await
page.click('button'); // Returns Promise, doesn't wait

// Correct approach
await page.click('button');
await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');

8. Resource Management

Playwright installs its own browser binaries (~300MB per browser):

# Can consume significant disk space
npx playwright install  # Downloads Chromium, Firefox, WebKit

Management options:

# Install specific browsers only
npx playwright install chromium
# Use system browsers (limited support)

9. Learning Curve for Complex Scenarios

Advanced patterns require understanding of: - Browser contexts and isolation - Network interception - Multi-page workflows - Custom wait strategies

// Complex example - API mocking
await page.route('**/api/users', route => {
  route.fulfill({
    status: 200,
    contentType: 'application/json',
    body: JSON.stringify([{ id: 1, name: 'Test User' }])
  });
});

Performance Considerations

10. Resource Intensity

Playwright launches full browser instances, which consume more resources than lightweight alternatives:

// Each browser instance uses significant memory
const browser1 = await chromium.launch();
const browser2 = await firefox.launch();
const browser3 = await webkit.launch();

Optimization: Reuse browser contexts and implement proper cleanup.

Working Around Limitations

Best Practices for Common Issues

1. For dynamic content: Use explicit waits

await page.waitForSelector('[data-testid="dynamic-content"]');
await page.waitForFunction(() => window.myApp.loaded);

1. For timing issues: Implement robust wait strategies

await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
await page.waitForTimeout(1000); // Use sparingly

1. For flaky tests: Add retry mechanisms

// In playwright.config.js
export default {
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  use: {
    actionTimeout: 10000,
    navigationTimeout: 30000,
  },
};

When to Consider Alternatives

Consider other tools if you need: - Real mobile browser testing → Appium, cloud services - Legacy browser support → Selenium WebDriver - Lightweight scraping → Puppeteer, Cheerio - API testing → Supertest, Jest

Despite these limitations, Playwright remains an excellent choice for modern web application testing and automation, offering superior reliability, speed, and developer experience compared to many alternatives.