Executing Playwright Tests in Multiple Environments
Tags: playwright, testing, automation
Published: 2023-08-10 12:41:27

Automated testing is a crucial aspect of ensuring the reliability and functionality of your web applications across different environments. Playwright, a powerful automation framework, allows you to execute tests seamlessly in multiple environments. In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons behind testing in multiple environments and provide a step-by-step guide to set up Playwright tests for various scenarios.

## Why Execute Tests in Multiple Environments?

**1. Environment Variability:** Web applications are accessed from different environments such as development, testing, staging, and production. Each environment might have unique configurations, settings, and data, which can impact the behavior of your application.

**2. Bug Detection:** By testing in various environments, you can uncover issues that might not arise in a single environment. This helps you identify bugs early and ensure consistent performance across the board.

**3. Configuration Validation:** Executing tests in different environments validates whether your application's configuration settings are correctly applied and functional.

## Installation and Setup

Before we dive into executing tests in multiple environments, make sure you have the necessary dependencies installed:

- Install the `dotenv` package to manage environment variables:

  `npm install dotenv`

- Install `cross-env` for managing environment variables across different platforms:

  `npm install cross-env`

## Creating Environment Profiles

- Create environment profile files (e.g., .env.dev, .env.test, .env.uat) for each environment.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2njmksxncaezh79lk3lg.png)

- Define unique keys for configuration settings in each environment file.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nb8wxcjdz2ys9udn533z.png)

- Create unique keys for separate env.ts file

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nwamx7z4a62w05998py9.png)


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/db17111a7anzvwqgld0e.png)

## Global Setup

To dynamically load environment variables before test execution, create a `globalSetup.ts` file:


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/etzqf5fjyqezejfpycmb.png)

## Configuring Playwright

In your Playwright configuration file, specify the path to the `globalSetup.ts` file:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fnsq5u9l2u7lo0oy32vx.png)


## Execution Commands
In your `package.json`, add execution commands for each environment:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/np3r7s3gro78p0he4upr.png)

## Executing the Playwright Tests

To run tests in a specific environment, use the corresponding npm script:

- For testing in the test environment: `npm run env:test`
- For testing in the uat environment: `npm run env:uat`
- For testing in the dev environment: `npm run env:dev`

## Conclusion

Executing Playwright tests in multiple environments is a fundamental practice for ensuring your web applications' functionality and reliability across various scenarios. By following these steps, you'll be equipped to seamlessly test your applications in different environments, catch bugs early, and maintain consistent performance.