Playwright

Aria snapshots

New assertion [expect(locator).toMatchAriaSnapshot()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-locatorassertions#locator-assertions-to-match-aria-snapshot) verifies page structure by comparing to an expected accessibility tree, represented as YAML.

python
page.goto("https://playwright.dev")
expect(page.locator('body')).to_match_aria_snapshot('''
- banner:
- heading /Playwright enables reliable/ [level=1]
- link "Get started"
- link "Star microsoft/playwright on GitHub"
- main:
- img "Browsers (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)"
- heading "Any browser • Any platform • One API"
''')


You can generate this assertion with [Test Generator](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/codegen) or by calling [locator.ariaSnapshot()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-locator#locator-aria-snapshot).

Learn more in the [aria snapshots guide](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/aria-snapshots).

Tracing groups

New method [tracing.group()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-tracing#tracing-group) allows you to visually group actions in the trace viewer.

python
All actions between group and group_end
will be shown in the trace viewer as a group.
page.context.tracing.group("Open Playwright.dev > API")
page.goto("https://playwright.dev/")
page.get_by_role("link", name="API").click()
page.context.tracing.group_end()


Breaking: `chrome` and `msedge` channels switch to new headless mode

This change affects you if you're using one of the following channels in your `playwright.config.ts`:
- `chrome`, `chrome-dev`, `chrome-beta`, or `chrome-canary`
- `msedge`, `msedge-dev`, `msedge-beta`, or `msedge-canary`

After updating to Playwright v1.49, run your test suite. If it still passes, you're good to go. If not, you will probably need to update your snapshots, and adapt some of your test code around PDF viewers and extensions. See [issue 33566](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33566) for more details.

Try new Chromium headless

You can opt into the new headless mode by using `'chromium'` channel. As [official Chrome documentation puts it](https://developer.chrome.com/blog/chrome-headless-shell):

> New Headless on the other hand is the real Chrome browser, and is thus more authentic, reliable, and offers more features. This makes it more suitable for high-accuracy end-to-end web app testing or browser extension testing.

See [issue 33566](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33566) for the list of possible breakages you could encounter and more details on Chromium headless. Please file an issue if you see any problems after opting in.

bash python
pytest test_login.py --browser-channel chromium


Miscellaneous
- There will be no more updates for WebKit on Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 11. We recommend updating your OS to a later version.
- `<canvas>` elements inside a snapshot now draw a preview.
- Python 3.8 is not supported anymore.

Browser Versions
- Chromium 131.0.6778.33
- Mozilla Firefox 132.0
- WebKit 18.2

This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
- Google Chrome 130
- Microsoft Edge 130

Highlights

https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33141 - [Bug]: UI Mode crashed
https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33219 - [BUG] Trace Viewer PWA crashes with "Aw, Snap!"
https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33086 - [Bug]: UI Mode Memory problem
https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33000 - [Regression]: Inspector and Browser doesn't close on CTRL+C
https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33204 - [Bug]: Chrome tab and inspector not closing after terminating session in terminal

Browser Versions
- Chromium 130.0.6723.19
- Mozilla Firefox 130.0
- WebKit 18.0

This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
- Google Chrome 129
- Microsoft Edge 129

Highlights

https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33023 - [Bug]: command line flag --headed has no effect in ui mode

WebSocket routing

New methods [page.route_web_socket()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-page#page-route-web-socket) and [browser_context.route_web_socket()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-route-web-socket) allow to intercept, modify and mock WebSocket connections initiated in the page. Below is a simple example that mocks WebSocket communication by responding to a `"request"` with a `"response"`.

python
def message_handler(ws: WebSocketRoute, message: Union[str, bytes]):
if message == "request":
ws.send("response")

page.route_web_socket("/ws", lambda ws: ws.on_message(
lambda message: message_handler(ws, message)
))


See [WebSocketRoute](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-websocketroute) for more details.

UI updates
- New "copy" buttons for annotations and test location in the HTML report.
- Route method calls like [route.fulfill()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-route#route-fulfill) are not shown in the report and trace viewer anymore. You can see which network requests were routed in the network tab instead.
- New "Copy as cURL" and "Copy as fetch" buttons for requests in the network tab.

Miscellaneous
- New method [page.request_gc()](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-page#page-request-gc) may help detect memory leaks.
- Requests made by [APIRequestContext](https://playwright.dev/python/docs/api/class-apirequestcontext) now record detailed timing and security information in the HAR.
- This version adds support for Python 3.13
- This version is the last version supporting Python 3.8

Browser Versions
- Chromium 130.0.6723.19
- Mozilla Firefox 130.0
- WebKit 18.0

This version was also tested against the following stable channels:
- Google Chrome 129
- Microsoft Edge 129

Highlights

https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/pull/32699- [REGRESSION]: fix(codegen): use content_frame property in python/.NET

Highlights