Introduction
Modern users access web applications using different browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari. A feature that works perfectly in one browser may behave differently in another due to differences in rendering engines, JavaScript implementations, or browser-specific behaviors.
Cross-browser testing ensures your application delivers a consistent user experience across all supported browsers.
Playwright makes this process simple by providing built-in support for Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit using a single automation API.
In this guide, you'll learn how to execute the same Playwright test across multiple browsers using Java.
Why Cross-Browser Testing is Important
Testing across multiple browsers helps you:
- Detect browser-specific bugs
- Validate UI consistency
- Improve customer experience
- Increase application reliability
- Meet enterprise quality standards
Instead of maintaining separate automation frameworks for different browsers, Playwright allows you to use one codebase for all supported browsers.
Browsers Supported by Playwright
Playwright supports three browser engines:
| Browser Engine | Common Browsers |
|---|---|
| Chromium | Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave |
| Firefox | Mozilla Firefox |
| WebKit | Apple Safari |
This broad support enables comprehensive browser compatibility testing.
Project Setup
Ensure your Maven project includes the Playwright dependency.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.microsoft.playwright</groupId>
<artifactId>playwright</artifactId>
<version>1.55.0</version>
</dependency>After adding the dependency, install the required browser binaries.
mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass=com.microsoft.playwright.CLI -Dexec.args="install"Launching Chromium
Chromium is the default browser used by many Playwright projects.
Playwright playwright = Playwright.create();
Browser browser =
playwright.chromium().launch(
new BrowserType.LaunchOptions()
.setHeadless(false));
BrowserContext context =
browser.newContext();
Page page = context.newPage();
page.navigate("https://example.com");Launching Firefox
To execute the same test in Firefox, change only the browser initialization.
Browser browser =
playwright.firefox().launch(
new BrowserType.LaunchOptions()
.setHeadless(false));Everything else remains unchanged.
Launching WebKit
Testing Safari compatibility is equally straightforward.
Browser browser =
playwright.webkit().launch(
new BrowserType.LaunchOptions()
.setHeadless(false));WebKit uses the same rendering engine as Safari, making it ideal for validating Safari behavior.
Parameterizing Browser Selection
Instead of maintaining separate test classes, you can parameterize the browser using TestNG.
@Parameters("browser")
@BeforeMethod
public void setup(String browserName) {
playwright = Playwright.create();
switch (browserName.toLowerCase()) {
case "chromium":
browser = playwright.chromium().launch();
break;
case "firefox":
browser = playwright.firefox().launch();
break;
case "webkit":
browser = playwright.webkit().launch();
break;
default:
throw new IllegalArgumentException(
"Unsupported browser: " + browserName);
}
context = browser.newContext();
page = context.newPage();
}This approach keeps your framework flexible and avoids code duplication.
Configuring testng.xml
Pass the browser name through TestNG parameters.
<suite name="CrossBrowserSuite">
<test name="Chromium">
<parameter name="browser"
value="chromium"/>
<classes>
<class name="tests.LoginTest"/>
</classes>
</test>
<test name="Firefox">
<parameter name="browser"
value="firefox"/>
<classes>
<class name="tests.LoginTest"/>
</classes>
</test>
<test name="WebKit">
<parameter name="browser"
value="webkit"/>
<classes>
<class name="tests.LoginTest"/>
</classes>
</test>
</suite>The same test class runs against all three browsers.
Running Tests in Parallel
To reduce execution time, enable parallel execution in TestNG.
<suite name="CrossBrowserSuite"
parallel="tests"
thread-count="3">Each browser executes in its own thread.
Ensure every thread creates a separate BrowserContext and Page.
Example Login Test
@Test
public void verifyLogin() {
page.navigate("https://example.com/login");
page.fill("#username", "admin");
page.fill("#password", "password123");
page.click("#loginButton");
assertThat(page)
.hasURL("https://example.com/dashboard");
}This single test can now validate functionality across Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
Best Practices
Use Separate Browser Contexts
Create a new BrowserContext for every test to isolate cookies, storage, and session data.
Avoid Browser-Specific Logic
Write browser-agnostic tests whenever possible.
If browser-specific behavior exists, document it clearly and minimize conditional code.
Run Headless in CI/CD
Headless mode is faster and better suited for build servers.
new BrowserType.LaunchOptions()
.setHeadless(true);Verify Critical User Flows
Prioritize cross-browser testing for high-value scenarios such as:
- Login
- Registration
- Checkout
- Payment
- Search
- File uploads
- Form submission
Capture Screenshots on Failure
Integrate screenshot capture with your reporting framework (such as Allure) to simplify debugging across browsers.
Common Browser Differences
Although Playwright abstracts many browser differences, you may still encounter:
- Font rendering variations
- CSS layout differences
- Native dialog behavior
- Download handling
- Browser security policies
Test these scenarios carefully when supporting multiple browsers.
Common Interview Questions
Which browsers are supported by Playwright?
Playwright supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
Can the same Playwright test run on multiple browsers?
Yes. Playwright uses a single API, allowing the same test code to execute across supported browser engines.
Why use BrowserContext instead of sharing a Browser instance?
A BrowserContext provides isolated sessions, preventing cookies and local storage from leaking between tests.
How do you execute Playwright tests on multiple browsers using TestNG?
Pass the browser as a TestNG parameter in testng.xml and initialize the corresponding browser in the setup method.
Is Microsoft Edge supported?
Yes. Microsoft Edge is Chromium-based, so Playwright can automate it using the Chromium engine or by launching the Edge executable if required.
Conclusion
Cross-browser testing is essential for delivering reliable web applications.
Playwright simplifies this process by providing a unified API for Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, enabling teams to validate browser compatibility without maintaining separate automation frameworks.
In this tutorial, you learned how to:
- Launch Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit
- Parameterize browser selection with TestNG
- Execute cross-browser tests in parallel
- Follow best practices for browser isolation
- Build a scalable, enterprise-ready automation framework
With these techniques, your automation suite will be better equipped to catch browser-specific issues before they reach production.
