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Apache JMeter VS Playwright

Compare Apache JMeter VS Playwright and see what are their differences

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Apache JMeter logo Apache JMeter

Apache JMeter™.

Playwright logo Playwright

Playwright is automation software for Chromium, Firefox, Webkit using the Node.js library having a single API in place.
  • Apache JMeter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29
  • Playwright Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-22

Apache JMeter features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache JMeter is free to use, reducing the overall cost of testing and allowing for significant customization by the community.
  • Extensibility
    JMeter is highly extensible with plugins, which can add additional functionalities and capabilities tailored to specific needs.
  • Strong Community Support
    Due to its long history and widespread usage, JMeter benefits from a large, active community that provides tutorials, plugins, and troubleshooting help.
  • Supports Various Protocols
    JMeter supports a wide range of testing protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, LDAP, JDBC, and JMS, making it versatile for different types of applications.
  • Continuous Integration
    JMeter can be easily integrated with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, enabling automated performance testing in the development pipeline.
  • Graphical Interface
    The graphical user interface (GUI) makes it easier for testers to design and configure testing scenarios without extensive programming knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Apache JMeter

  • Resource Intensive
    JMeter can be resource-intensive, especially when simulating high loads, which may require substantial hardware to mimic real-world scenarios.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its GUI, JMeter can be complex to learn and use effectively, especially for those who are new to performance testing.
  • Limited Reporting
    JMeter's built-in reporting capabilities can be somewhat limited, requiring additional tools or plugins for more advanced reporting and analysis.
  • Not Ideal for UI Testing
    JMeter is not suitable for front-end or UI testing, as it is primarily designed for performance and load testing of backend services.
  • Memory Consumption
    The GUI mode, in particular, can consume a significant amount of memory, impacting performance during large-scale tests.

Playwright features and specs

  • Cross-Browser Testing
    Playwright supports testing on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, providing comprehensive coverage across different browsers, thus ensuring greater compatibility and a wider test reach.
  • Auto-Wait Mechanism
    Playwright automatically waits for elements to be actionable before performing interactions, reducing the need for explicit wait commands and helping to make tests more reliable and less flaky.
  • Headless Testing
    Playwright supports headless mode for all browsers, which allows for faster test execution and reduced resource consumption, making it ideal for continuous integration systems.
  • Context Isolation
    Playwright introduces the concept of browser contexts, which allows for isolated execution environments within a single browser instance. This enables parallel testing with reduced overhead.
  • Extensive API
    Playwright offers a wide range of APIs that cover user interactions, network interception, and browser automation, providing developers with powerful tools to create robust tests.
  • Network Interception
    Playwright can intercept and modify network requests and responses, allowing for advanced testing scenarios such as mocking APIs and simulating different network conditions.
  • Strong Documentation
    Playwright provides thorough and detailed documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and effectively utilize the framework.
  • Rich Debugging Features
    The framework includes features like verbose logging and debugging capabilities, which facilitate easier troubleshooting and quicker resolution of issues.
  • Support for Multiple Languages
    Playwright supports multiple programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java, offering flexibility to developers based on their preference.
  • Community and Support
    The Playwright project has an active community and regular updates, ensuring continuous improvement and access to support from both the community and the development team.

Possible disadvantages of Playwright

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive capabilities and API, Playwright might have a steeper learning curve for beginners compared to some simpler testing tools.
  • Performance Overhead
    While Playwright aims to be efficient, its feature-rich nature can sometimes introduce performance overhead, particularly for complex test suites.
  • Evolving Ecosystem
    The relatively rapid development and updates can occasionally lead to breaking changes, requiring teams to frequently update their test scripts.
  • Less Mature Ecosystem
    Compared to more established tools like Selenium, Playwright's ecosystem is still maturing, which may result in fewer third-party plugins and integrations.
  • Limited Browser Versions
    Playwright's focus on modern browsers and web standards might make it difficult to test older browser versions or niche browsers, potentially limiting test coverage for legacy systems.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple browser contexts and handling extensive network interception can be resource-intensive, requiring more powerful hardware or cloud resources for large test suites.

Apache JMeter videos

Book Review - Master Apache JMeter - From load testing to DevOps

Playwright videos

Generate tests in VS Code

More videos:

  • Review - Playwright Brittany K. Allen wins 2021 Georgia Engel Comedy Playwriting Prize

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache JMeter and Playwright)
Website Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Software Testing
100 100%
0% 0
Automated Testing
22 22%
78% 78

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache JMeter and Playwright

Apache JMeter Reviews

Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2019 (Comprehensive List)
Apache JMeter is an open-source Java desktop application designed for load testing. It mainly focuses on web applications. This tool can also be employed for unit testing and limited functional testing.
Top 20 Best Automation Testing Tools in 2018 (Comprehensive List)
Apache JMeter is an open-source Java desktop application designed for load testing. It mainly focuses on web applications. This tool can also be employed for unit testing and limited functional testing.

Playwright Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Playwright offers a modern approach with auto-wait APIs and more native support for modern web features compared to Selenium's more manual and broad approach. While Selenium requires explicit waits and has a broader language support, Playwright focuses on simplifying cross-browser testing with its unified API and auto-wait features, which might reduce setup and test...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
Appium and Playwright closely resemble Selenium in terms of functionality but offer unique features and advantages. Both of these solutions require coding experience. Leapwork, a commercial vendor, uses Selenium under the hood to power their visual automation approach.
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Playwright, a Node.js library created by Microsoft, is considered one of the best JavaScript frameworks for testing. It automates Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a single API. Developers building JavaScript code can use these APIs to build new browser pages, go to URLs, and interact with page elements. Additionally, Playwright can automate Microsoft Edge since it is based...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Playwright seems to be a lot more popular than Apache JMeter. While we know about 279 links to Playwright, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Apache JMeter. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache JMeter mentions (2)

  • Java naming facts
    Before Jakarta EE there was Apache Jakarta which was effectively the group name for Java based projects within the Apache project. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Are servers multithreaded by default?
    If you remove Spring from the equation you need to build the servlets yourself (according to the Sevlet API). You probably package the servlets in a war-file (with some configuration files), the war-file can then be deployed in a servlet server (ie Tomcat,). The sevlet servser usually handles the thread pool and other resources (ie database connection pools) for you, so you "only" have to provide a servlet that... Source: almost 4 years ago

Playwright mentions (279)

  • Design Pattern for Playwright End-to-End Testing
    This article introduces a design pattern for end-to-end testing using Playwright. This pattern is an extension of the Page Object Model, aimed at improving test code readability and reducing the increase in code volume when adding more test scenarios or test data variations. This pattern is adopted by SVQK. A working implementation example and its test results are available in the following repositories:. - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • Why the Python Standard Library Needs a run_sync()
    I recently updated a small script I wrote to automate file uploads to a website with no API. It uses the excellent Playwright project to drive a browser - making the tedious task of filling out forms painless. - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago
  • No Dockerfile? No problem! Running Node and Python MCPs with ToolHive
    E.g. If you’re interested in running the Playwright MCP, simply do:. - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago
  • SVQK - A Web Application Development Platform Using Svelte + Quarkus
    This command not only sets up the tools and scripts but also runs tests to verify that the tools and applications work as expected. The tests include unit tests for backend components, integration tests for manipulating Web APIs using a Rest Client, and end-to-end tests for frontend operations using Playwright. This setup command can be executed both on a local PC and in a CI environment. - Source: dev.to / 11 days ago
  • How to Chat with Gemini 2.5 Pro from VSCode via AI Studio (Free and Unlimited)
    My first idea was to run an instance of Chrome and control it using Playwright. So I created a file browser.ts and wrote the following code to:. - Source: dev.to / 19 days ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache JMeter and Playwright, you can also consider the following products

locust - An open source load testing tool written in Python.

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...

soapUI - SoapUI Pro is one of the most prominent API testing platforms around, allowing developers to quickly prototype the functions of their apps and get them to market with little hassle.

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

Sauce Labs - Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.

BrowserCat - Easy, fast, and reliable browser automation and headless browser APIs. The web is messy, but your code shouldn't be.