How to Handle Authentication, Captchas, and Popups in Playwright

Playwright is a powerful end-to-end testing and automation library that allows developers to automate browser interactions across multiple browsers like Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.

However, when automating real-world scenarios, you may encounter challenges such as handling authentication, CAPTCHAs, and popups.

In this blog, we’ll explore how to tackle these challenges effectively using Playwright.

1. Handling Authentication

Many web applications require user authentication to access protected resources. Playwright provides several ways to handle authentication seamlessly.

a. Using context.httpCredentials

If your application uses basic HTTP authentication, you can pass the credentials directly when creating a browser context

Another way is to set global credentials in the playwright.config.ts file within the use block by providing a username and password.

b. Programmatically Filling Login Forms

For applications with login forms, you can automate the process of entering credentials and submitting the form.

c. Storing Authentication State

To avoid logging in repeatedly, you can save the authentication state and reuse it in subsequent sessions.

2. Handling CAPTCHAs

CAPTCHAs are designed to prevent automation, making them a significant challenge for testing. Here are some strategies to handle them:

a. Disable CAPTCHAs in Test Environments

The best approach is to work with your development team to disable CAPTCHAs in test environments. This can be done by:

• Using a test-specific configuration that bypasses CAPTCHA validation.
• Implementing a mock CAPTCHA service that always returns a valid response.

b. Mock CAPTCHA Responses

If you control the backend, you can mock CAPTCHA responses during testing to simulate a successful validation.

3. Handling Popups

Popups, such as alerts, confirmations, and new windows, are common in web applications. Playwright provides robust APIs to handle them.

a. Handling Alerts and Confirmations

Playwright allows you to listen for and respond to JavaScript dialogs like alert, confirm, and prompt.

b. Handling New Windows or Tabs

When a link or button opens a new window or tab, you can use Playwright’s waitForEvent method to handle it.

c. Handling Browser Popups (e.g., Login with Google)

For browser-level popups (e.g., OAuth login), you can use Playwright’s context to intercept and handle them.

D. Handle overlays popup on web page

When testing a webpage, sometimes pop-up messages like “Sign up” can appear and block actions you want to automate, like clicking a button. These pop-ups don’t always show up the same way or at the same time, so they can be hard to deal with in automated tests.

You can create a special function called a handler that detects when these pop-ups appear. The handler’s job is to remove the pop-up so your test can continue as if it wasn’t there.

// Setup the handler.

await page.addLocatorHandler(page.getByText(‘Sign up to the demo’), async () => {

await page.getByRole(‘button’, { name: ‘No thanks’ }).click();

});

// Write the test as usual.

await page.goto(‘https://example.com');

await page.getByRole(‘button’, { name: ‘Start here’ }).click();

Read also: Integrating Playwright with GitLab CI: A Step-by-Step Guide

Conclusion

Handling authentication, CAPTCHAs, and popups in Playwright requires a combination of built-in features and creative solutions. You can automate even the most challenging scenarios by leveraging Playwright’s powerful APIs and integrating with external services when necessary. Whether you’re testing a web application or building a scraper, these techniques will help you overcome common obstacles and streamline your automation workflows.

Contact a leading playwright automation testing company for more expert insights.