Is it a good idea to use async methods in Playwright for Python when writing UI tests, and how can you properly run them asynchronously?

General Discussions
1

When switching to Playwright for Python, many testers wonder whether adopting async methods (similar to Playwright for TypeScript) is beneficial for UI testing.

The challenge arises when trying to use async functions with scoped fixtures like 'module', as Python raises compatibility issues.

Although Playwright supports asynchronous execution using async_playwright, setting it up correctly with fixtures and test hooks can be tricky.

The official Microsoft Playwright repo offers an async example, but it’s often complex for QA teams without deep Python experience.

2

Using async methods in Playwright for Python can improve performance, especially if you need to run multiple browser actions concurrently.

The main challenge is integrating async functions with pytest fixtures.

You can use pytest-asyncio to handle async test functions and fixtures properly:

import pytest
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright

@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_example():
    async with async_playwright() as p:
        browser = await p.chromium.launch()
        page = await browser.new_page()
        await page.goto("https://example.com")
        await browser.close()

This ensures your async calls run correctly and don’t conflict with fixture scopes.

3

I agree, async is great for speeding up UI tests, but you have to be careful with scoped fixtures.

For module or session-scoped fixtures, you can use @pytest_asyncio.fixture to define them as async, so they integrate nicely with your async tests without throwing errors.

It takes a bit of setup but works reliably once done.

4

@sndhu.rani Also, a practical tip: if your team isn’t familiar with async Python, you can stick with the sync Playwright API (playwright.sync_api), it’s simpler and avoids fixture conflicts.

You only really need async if you’re trying to run multiple pages or browsers concurrently, otherwise sync tests are easier to maintain for QA teams.