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What headless mode does—and what it does not do
A headless browser runs without displaying its normal user interface. It still loads pages and executes browser automation, which makes it suitable for command-line use and CI environments without a desktop. Headless mode does not remove the need for a browser binary or its runtime dependencies.
For both Playwright and Cypress, the simplest starting point is the runner’s standard test command. You generally do not need a special headless flag unless you are overriding a project setting. Use a visible, or headed, run when you need to watch a test or reproduce a headless-only difference.
Run Playwright Test headlessly
Install project dependencies and browsers
Use the Playwright version already declared by the project, install the project’s dependencies, and install the browser engines that its tests will run. Browser versions and required operating-system libraries can vary with the Playwright version and CI image, so use the browser installation guidance matching your project rather than assuming a globally installed browser will work.
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For a headless-only Chromium setup, Playwright documents a separate Chromium headless shell and the command npx playwright install --with-deps --only-shell when no browser channel is specified. Check the Playwright browser installation documentation for the current version-specific conditions before using that reduced installation.
Run the suite
npx playwright testPlaywright Test defaults to headless execution. To make that choice explicit in a project configuration, specify it under use. For example, a minimal playwright.config.ts can be:
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
headless: true,
browserName: 'chromium',
},
});The supported browser names include chromium, firefox, and webkit. Choose the engine or engines that match your coverage needs; adding engines increases the number of environments you must install and maintain.
Keep useful failure evidence
Screenshots, traces, and video can make failures easier to diagnose without rerunning a CI job interactively. These settings are examples, not a requirement to keep every artifact for every run:
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import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
headless: true,
screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
trace: 'on-first-retry',
video: 'on-first-retry',
},
});Failure-only screenshots reduce routine artifact creation. Trace and video capture on retry can help explain flaky failures, but artifacts consume storage and may include page content or other sensitive data. Set retention and access according to your CI and data-handling requirements.
Diagnose browser launch errors
If the browser does not start in CI, first confirm that the installed browser build matches the Playwright version and that the environment has its required dependencies. For browser launch logs, Playwright’s CI guidance recommends setting DEBUG=pw:browser. Collect the resulting logs with the CI job output when diagnosing a launch failure.
Run Cypress headlessly
Run the CLI suite
Cypress’s CLI command runs supported browsers headlessly by default:
npx cypress runTo select an installed supported browser explicitly, use --browser. For example:
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npx cypress run --browser chromeUse an interactive, headed workflow such as npx cypress open when you want to work through tests with the browser visible. You can also ask a CLI run to show the browser with --headed.
Know the rendering defaults
Cypress documents a headless rendering default of 1280 × 720 pixels with device pixel ratio 1. These are defaults, not a guarantee that your application will render identically on every browser, operating system, or configured viewport. If a screenshot’s dimensions or pixel density matter to a test, configure and verify those values for the test environment rather than relying on an implicit default.
Preserve screenshots and video
Cypress documents screenshot and video capture for test runs. Keep the artifacts that answer your team’s debugging needs and check the runner configuration and CI job for where those files are saved and how long they are retained. If a test fails only headlessly, replay it visibly and compare the new run with the recorded screenshots or video.
Choose a browser and make CI runs reproducible
Start with the browser engine your project already targets. Chromium is a practical initial choice for many suites, but that is a coverage decision—not a claim that other engines are unnecessary. Add Firefox or WebKit when your supported audience or product requirements call for testing those engines. Playwright offers Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit; Cypress documents Chrome-family browsers and Firefox, while its WebKit support is experimental.
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In CI, make browser selection explicit enough that a runner update does not silently change what is being tested. Chrome for Developers recommends a version-pinned Chrome for Testing binary for deterministic automation. Cypress likewise recommends Chrome for Testing for reproducible Chrome runs, rather than relying on a browser that may auto-update. Keep the test framework, browser binary, and CI environment aligned; record the versions used when a failure is difficult to reproduce.
| Decision | Practical approach |
|---|---|
| Framework | Use the runner already integrated into the project unless there is a concrete reason to change it. |
| Engine coverage | Begin with the engine needed for the immediate suite; add other engines when product support requirements justify the added setup. |
| Browser updates | Pin a browser build when stable, repeatable CI behavior matters; an automatically updated browser can change between runs. |
| Failure diagnosis | Choose screenshots, traces, or video according to what the team needs to inspect and retain. |
| CI display | Headless runs do not need a visible desktop. On Linux, Playwright says headed runs require Xvfb; its Docker image and GitHub Action have it preinstalled. |
Only add a virtual display when you need headed debugging on a Linux CI agent. A normal headless run avoids the visible-desktop requirement, but it still needs an installed browser and its runtime dependencies.
Investigate failures that happen only headlessly
- Save the first failure. Keep the failing test output and available screenshot, trace, or video instead of relying only on a pass/fail summary.
- Replay visibly. Run the same test with a headed browser and the same browser build, viewport, test data, and relevant environment settings.
- Compare the evidence. Look for differences in layout, timing, loaded content, interaction state, or viewport and pixel ratio. A visible replay that passes does not by itself prove the headless run was misconfigured.
- Check environment drift. Compare framework and browser versions, installed dependencies, configuration, and CI image with the environment where the test passes.
- Keep the reproduction narrow. Rerun the failing test or smallest affected group with the same settings before changing timeouts or removing assertions.
Cypress explicitly notes that a test can pass in one mode and fail in the other, and suggests replaying with a headed run such as:
npx cypress run --headed --no-exit --browser chromeUse that replay alongside the recorded screenshots or videos. If you are using Playwright on Linux, make sure Xvfb is available for the headed diagnostic run; Playwright’s Docker image and GitHub Action include it.
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Common problems and fixes
- Browser executable is missing or will not launch: Install the browser build required by the project’s framework version and the environment’s dependencies. In Playwright, enable
DEBUG=pw:browserto gather launch logs. - CI passes locally but cannot find the selected browser: Confirm that the browser named in the command or configuration is installed in CI. Cypress requires the selected browser to be installed, unless you use a Cypress Docker image that supplies the needed environment.
- Headed Linux debugging fails before tests start: Provide Xvfb for a Playwright headed run on a Linux agent. This display requirement is for headed debugging, not a standard headless run.
- Screenshot comparisons differ in CI: Check the configured viewport and device pixel ratio. Cypress documents 1280 × 720 and DPR 1 as headless defaults; configure the values your test expects.
- Tests behave differently after a browser update: Pin the browser build used in CI and align it with the framework setup. A version-pinned Chrome for Testing build is the documented reproducibility option for Chrome automation.
- A headless-only failure disappears when opened: Preserve the headless artifacts, replay visibly with the same inputs, and compare the two runs. Cypress documents that headed and headless outcomes can differ.
- Artifacts make CI storage grow: Capture screenshots only on failure and traces or video on retry where those settings fit your debugging policy. Review retention and access rather than recording every run by default.
Or skip the browser setup
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for setup and options. Cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. AI agents can take screenshots through its MCP server. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Those are screenshot captures, not browser test executions: use Playwright or Cypress when you need to verify application behavior. Sign up for the free plan.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
Headless mode removes the need to display a browser window; it does not guarantee that a test will be faster, more reliable, or cheaper. Actual run time and CI cost depend on the suite, browser, environment, and artifact policy, and no universal timing or savings figure follows from headless mode alone.
- Install only the browser engines the suite needs, while preserving any cross-engine coverage the product requires.
- Pin browser versions when reproducibility matters, and update the framework and browser deliberately rather than allowing untracked changes in CI.
- Capture failure evidence selectively and retain it long enough to investigate; traces and video can make failures easier to understand but use storage.
- For headed Linux debugging, account for the virtual display dependency separately from the ordinary headless test path.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does headless mode mean a browser is not installed?
No. It means the browser runs without a visible window; the browser binary and runtime dependencies are still required.
Can I run a browser test suite without CI?
Yes. The same Playwright or Cypress CLI commands can be run locally from the project environment.
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