playwright packages

packages.md

playwright-{chromium,firefox,webkit}

scenarios

• Limit downloads on CI/CD.
• Concerned over download size on the dev box. Partially mitigated by shared install.
• Separate versioning of browsers for easier rolls.

pros

• Clear message - I only need one browser.
• Do not have to ever worry about extra downloads.
• Separate versioning if needed.
• Using env is cumbersome, especially on Windows.

cons

• Unclear message - do I have to use specific browser version, or just playwright?
• Changing require names in runtime. Harder with ESM.
• More maintenance.
• Does this work for other languages?
• What about Electron? Edge?

alternatives

• PW_BROWSER=webkit,chromium npm install playwright.
• Separate playwright-1.0 package for using multiple versions in the same project.

playwright-core

scenarios

• Only importing types for wrapper libriries relying on your own playwright of choice.
• Carlo-like applications distributed without browser binaries.

pros

• Clear message - I do not need browsers.
• Using env is cumbersome, especially on Windows.

cons

• What do we export? What about Electron? Edge?
• More maintenance.

alternatives

• Existing PLAYWRIGHT_SKIP_BROWSER_DOWNLOAD=1 npm install playwright.

Env variables are very inconvenient to use:

• aren't versioned, require additional process to propagate to developers / cloud boxes
• very hard to set up on windows

this all is very well summarized in this comment: microsoft/playwright#2905 (comment)