Test Syntax and API

How tests are written and structured in each end-to-end testing tool.

Playwright

Tests are written with test()/test.describe() blocks and an async, promise-based API (await page.click(...)), with built-in test runner features like fixtures and parallel workers.

Cypress

Tests are written with describe()/it() blocks using a chainable, jQuery-inspired command syntax (cy.get(...).click()), where commands are queued rather than immediately awaited.

Selenium

Tests are written using whatever test framework the chosen language pairs it with (JUnit, pytest, and so on), with Selenium itself providing the WebDriver API calls (driver.findElement(...).click()) used inside those tests.

Puppeteer

Tests are written using a promise-based API (await page.click(...)) similar in shape to Playwright’s, typically paired with a separate test runner like Jest since Puppeteer itself doesn’t include one.

WebdriverIO

Tests are written with describe()/it() blocks and either a synchronous-looking command style or promise-based async/await, depending on configuration.

TestCafe

Tests are written with a fixture/test structure and a fluent, chainable action API (await t.click(...)), with built-in test runner features similar to Playwright’s or Cypress’s.