Use Playwright projects to run the same test suite against Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, then shorten test time by tuning workers and splitting large suites across CI machines. A reliable fast setup starts with isolated test data, installs only the browsers you need, and captures traces on retry instead of for every test.
Configure browser projects
Playwright projects let one suite run with different browsers, devices, or other configurations. For broad engine coverage, define Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit as separate projects in playwright.config.ts. The project names below also let you target one browser during focused development. See the Playwright projects documentation and browser support documentation.
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
testDir: './tests',
projects: [
{
name: 'chromium',
use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] },
},
{
name: 'firefox',
use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] },
},
{
name: 'webkit',
use: { ...devices['Desktop Safari'] },
},
],
});Use the same functional tests across projects when behavior should be consistent. Add project-specific coverage when a device profile or browser-specific behavior merits it. Projects can also represent device profiles and branded Chrome or Edge channels; configure only the combinations your product needs rather than multiplying every test across every possible setting.
Run the full matrix or target one browser
Run all configured projects with:
npx playwright testDuring a focused change, select one configured project by its name:
#1 Best Overall
- Read Before You Buy — No Video Output: These adapters support charging and USB 2.0 data transfer, but cannot transmit video signals. Except for standard USB webcams (which use USB data only), they are not compatible with HDMI/DisplayPort cables, video-capable USB-C hubs, or docking stations with video output.
- Convert USB-A Ports to USB-C: Designed to connect USB-C earphones, cables, flash drives, card readers, and other USB-C accessories to standard USB-A ports. Plug-and-play with no drivers or software required.
- Aluminum Alloy Housing: Built with a sturdy aluminum alloy shell that aids in heat dissipation and protects against daily wear and scratches. Designed to maintain a stable and secure connection.
- Compact & Travel-Friendly: The ultra-compact design allows the adapter to stay plugged into your device without blocking adjacent ports or adding bulk, reducing wear and tear on your original USB ports.
- 12-Month Warranty: Backed by a 12-month manufacturer warranty for peace of mind. Designed to meet strict quality control standards for reliable everyday performance.
npx playwright test --project=webkitReplace webkit with the project name in your configuration. A targeted project run shortens local feedback, but it complements rather than replaces the browser coverage your product requires.
Tune workers without sacrificing stability
Playwright runs test files in parallel by default, while tests within a file run in order by default. Worker processes provide concurrency. The API reference gives a default worker count of half the logical CPU cores, while Playwright’s CI guidance recommends one worker in CI for reproducibility and stability. These are different defaults for different trade-offs, not a universal speed benchmark.
Try a worker limit explicitly when you have capacity to test it:
npx playwright test --workers=4More workers can reduce elapsed time on a sufficiently provisioned runner, but concurrent browser processes also compete for CPU and memory. They can reveal races in shared test data. Start with one worker in CI as a stable baseline, then measure higher limits on the actual runner and keep them only if reliability remains acceptable. See parallelism, CI guidance, and the TestConfig reference.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Rank #2
- 5-in-1 USB-C Hub: Experience comprehensive connectivity featuring a Power Delivery input, two USB-A 2.0 ports, a USB-A 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. (Note: The USB-C power delivery input port is only for connecting an external wall charger to power your laptop and cannot power peripheral devices.)
- 90W Pass-Through Charging: Achieve optimal charging with 90W pass-through power to your laptop, supported by a total input of 100W, with the hub reserving 10W for operational efficiency. (Note: Wall charger not included.)
- Quick Data Transfers: Accelerate your productivity with rapid data transfers using a high-speed 5Gbps USB 3.0 port and two 480Mbps USB 2.0 ports.
- 4K HDMI Display: Enhance your visual experience with a hub capable of delivering 4K resolution at 30Hz in both mirror and extend modes. Please note that this hub is compatible with MacBook (macOS 12 and newer), Windows 10 and 11, ChromeOS, and laptops equipped with DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery. Note: This device is not compatible with Linux.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Setting fullyParallel can let Playwright distribute individual tests more flexibly, including across shards. Use it only when test ordering and shared state do not create dependencies.
Isolate test data before increasing concurrency
Each test receives its own browser context, isolating browser state such as cookies and storage. A browser context does not isolate external resources. Concurrent tests can still collide if they update the same database record, use the same external service account, or write to the same output filename.
- Give parallel tests unique backend records and unique file paths.
- Use worker-scoped fixtures when sharing a resource within one worker is intentional.
- Remove dependencies on side effects from earlier tests; execution order can change when tests run in parallel or on separate shards.
Playwright explains browser-context isolation in its isolation documentation.
Shard a large suite across CI machines
Workers add parallel execution on one machine. Sharding partitions a suite among separate jobs or machines, which helps when CI can provide additional machine capacity. For a three-way split, run one shard in each job:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRank #3
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
npx playwright test --shard=1/3
npx playwright test --shard=2/3
npx playwright test --shard=3/3Each job needs a distinct shard number and the same total. Configure report merging and artifact handling for your CI provider’s workflow. Sharding adds orchestration and cannot make a single constrained machine more powerful. The elapsed time depends on suite balance, setup overhead, agent availability, and resource contention; no fixed speedup is guaranteed. See the command-line reference and CI documentation.
Reduce browser setup and failure-debugging overhead
Install only browsers in use
Install only the browser binaries needed by the projects you run. For example, when running Chromium alone:
npx playwright install chromiumInstalling selected browsers instead of every browser reduces download time and disk use. If CI caches browser downloads, key the cache to the Playwright version so the binaries stay aligned with the installed package. The Playwright best-practices guidance covers browser installation and caching.
Capture traces on retry
Use the Trace Viewer to investigate CI failures, and configure traces on the first retry rather than collecting them for every test. Tracing every run is performance-heavy; retry-based traces retain diagnostic data for failures without imposing that cost on every passing test. Follow the current best-practices page for the trace configuration appropriate to your setup.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #4
- Dual Converters, Infinite Potential：Includes 2× USB C male to USB A female adapters and 2× USB A male to USB C female adapters. Perfect for a wide range of uses—tablets with Bluetooth keyboards, expand USB ports on macbook, and more. Two different converters for all your daily needs
- Next-Level 10Gbps & 3A Charging: No more slow 480Mbps, this usb to usb c adapter has a transfer speed of up to 10Gbps, allowing you to do more transferring in less time. This usb adapter fits both USB A and USB C charger, supporting up to 3A fast charging
- Upgraded Exquisite Craftsmanship: With an aluminum alloy housing and metal connector, the usbc to usb adapter is extremely durable and sturdy. Rigorously tested to withstand more than 10,000 times of plugging and unplugging, ensuring long-lasting performance
- Broad Compatible: The usb c to usb adapter widely supports all USB C/ USB A devices like laptops, tablets, cellphones, car chargers, and phone chargers. Such as compatible with MacBook Pro/Air 2023/2022, Thunderbolt 4/3 Devices,Apple MagSafe Watch 9/8/7/SE/Ultra, iPad Pro 2022/2021, Samsung Galaxy S23/S20/S10, and iPhone 17/16/15 Pro. Plug and play
- Please Note: To reach 10Gbps speed, keep the cable under 3.3 ft. For USB A Male to USB C adapters, try flipping the USB C connector. USB C Male to USB A adapters support bidirectional 10Gbps transfer within 3.3 ft
Choose the right speed strategy
| Approach | Best fit | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Run one project locally | Fast feedback while changing browser-specific behavior | Does not provide the full configured browser coverage |
| Increase workers | A runner with available CPU and memory, plus tests safe to run concurrently | Contention or shared-data races can reduce reliability |
| Shard across machines | A large suite and CI capacity for multiple jobs | Requires job coordination, report/artifact handling, and balanced shards |
| Install selected browsers | Jobs that run only a subset of projects | Only suitable when omitted browser projects are not needed in that job |
Troubleshoot slow or unstable runs
The worker increase did not make the suite faster
Check whether CPU or memory contention has increased, and whether startup or test setup dominates runtime. Lower the worker limit and compare runs on the same runner. More workers are useful only when the environment and suite can sustain them.
Tests fail only in parallel or on shards
Look for shared database rows, external accounts, filenames, and ordering assumptions. Make test data unique, or deliberately scope shared fixtures to a worker. Browser contexts isolate browser storage, not those resources.
A targeted run omits expected tests
Confirm the value passed to --project exactly matches a project name in playwright.config.ts. Run without that option to execute the configured matrix.
Browser installation takes too long in CI
Install only the browsers needed by that job and cache downloads with a key tied to the Playwright version. Avoid reusing a cache across incompatible package versions.
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
CI failures are hard to diagnose
Use retry-based traces and inspect them with the Trace Viewer. Avoid tracing every test by default because trace collection adds performance cost.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need screenshots of pages rather than automated interactive browser tests, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. A single GET request returns an image or PDF; its options also include device presets, full-page captures, custom CSS and JavaScript, and bulk capture.
For example, this cURL request saves a screenshot as WebP:
Quick Recap
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 parameters and response details. Cookie/consent banners are accepted before capture, and more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets can be removed; each step can be turned off. Bot checks/CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers indicate the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for the free plan.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
