Panther vs Playwright: What are the differences?

Introduction

Below, you will find the key differences between Panther and Playwright, formatted as Markdown code that can be used in a website.

1. Testing Support: Panther is primarily focused on functional and end-to-end testing of web applications with support for UI-driven testing, while Playwright is a versatile and flexible framework that allows for a range of testing scenarios, including UI-driven, API-driven, and performance testing.

2. Browser Support: Panther supports only the Chrome browser while Playwright supports multiple browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and WebKit. This allows Playwright to run tests on different browsers for better cross-browser compatibility and coverage.

3. Programming Languages: Panther is written in Python, so it provides a Pythonic API and is primarily used with Python projects. On the other hand, Playwright provides multi-language support for multiple programming languages including Python, JavaScript, and .NET. This makes Playwright more accessible for developers who prefer working with different languages.

4. Automation Capabilities: Panther provides extensive automation capabilities with built-in features like form filling, screenshot capturing, and element interaction. Playwright also offers these features but goes a step further by supporting advanced automation scenarios like intercepting network calls, emulating mobile devices, and handling file uploads and downloads more seamlessly.

5. Debugging and Logging: Panther offers basic debugging and logging capabilities, providing the ability to print logs and pause the execution of tests. Playwright, on the other hand, offers more advanced debugging and logging options, including support for debugging tests in the browser context and capturing network traffic logs for better troubleshooting.

6. Community and Ecosystem: Panther is a relatively new framework and has a smaller community and ecosystem compared to Playwright. Playwright, being developed by Microsoft, has a larger community and is backed by a strong ecosystem. This means that Playwright has more active contributions, extensive documentation, and a broader range of resources available.

In Summary, Panther is primarily focused on functional testing, supports only the Chrome browser, and has a Pythonic API, while Playwright is a versatile framework that supports different testing scenarios, multiple browsers, and offers multi-language support with advanced automation capabilities, extensive debugging and logging options, and a larger community and ecosystem.