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Authenticate once in a Playwright setup project, save the browser context with storageState, and configure dependent projects to load that file. Your page object model (POM) should wrap the already-authenticated page; it should not own the login lifecycle. Use one shared account only when tests can run concurrently without changing the same server-side data. If tests mutate shared data, create separate accounts and state files per worker.
The boundary: authentication setup versus a POM
Playwright defines a page object as an application-focused layer that centralizes selectors and reusable operations. The POM gives tests a higher-level API; the browser context supplies cookies, local storage and other browser state. Keeping those responsibilities separate makes authentication replaceable and prevents every page object from implementing its own login sequence.
The arrangement is:
- A setup project logs in (through the UI or an API) and writes a state file.
- Test projects depend on setup and set
use.storageStateto that file. - Fixtures construct POMs from the authenticated
pagefixture.
See Playwright’s authentication guide, page object model guide and TestOptions reference.
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Authenticate once in a setup project
Create the setup test
Create tests/auth.setup.ts. Adapt routes, credentials, selectors and the signed-in condition to your application; the example values below are not universal.
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import { test as setup, expect } from '@playwright/test';
import path from 'node:path';
const authFile = path.resolve('playwright/.auth/user.json');
setup('authenticate', async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto('https://your-app.example/login');
await page.getByLabel('Email').fill(process.env.E2E_EMAIL!);
await page.getByLabel('Password').fill(process.env.E2E_PASSWORD!);
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign in' }).click();
// Prefer a durable post-login signal.
await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard/);
await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' })).toBeVisible();
await page.context().storageState({ path: authFile });
});Waiting for a final URL or authenticated UI element is safer than saving immediately after a click. If the application completes login asynchronously, wait for the element or response that proves the session is usable.
Configure project dependencies
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
import path from 'node:path';
const authFile = path.resolve('playwright/.auth/user.json');
export default defineConfig({
testDir: './tests',
projects: [
{
name: 'setup',
testMatch: /.*\.setup\.ts/,
},
{
name: 'chromium',
use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'], storageState: authFile },
dependencies: ['setup'],
},
],
});The dependency causes the setup project to run before the Chromium project. Add equivalent projects for Firefox or WebKit when their authentication state is valid for those browsers.
Build POMs on the authenticated page
Wrap the standard page fixture
import { expect, type Locator, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
export class DashboardPage {
readonly heading: Locator;
readonly projectsLink: Locator;
constructor(private readonly page: Page) {
this.heading = page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Dashboard' });
this.projectsLink = page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Projects' });
}
async expectLoaded() {
await expect(this.heading).toBeVisible();
}
async openProjects() {
await this.projectsLink.click();
}
}Because the project configuration initializes the context from user.json, every test using the normal page fixture starts authenticated.
Expose the POM as a fixture
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';
import { DashboardPage } from './pages/dashboard-page';
type Fixtures = { dashboard: DashboardPage };
export const test = base.extend<Fixtures>({
dashboard: async ({ page }, use) => {
await use(new DashboardPage(page));
},
});
export { expect } from '@playwright/test';import { test } from './fixtures';
test('opens projects for an authenticated user', async ({ dashboard }) => {
await dashboard.expectLoaded();
await dashboard.openProjects();
});Alternatively, instantiate new DashboardPage(page) inside an individual test. Fixtures are useful when many tests need the same POM and keep construction consistent.
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One account or one account per worker?
Use one shared state when isolation is unnecessary
Playwright’s basic approach is suitable when tests can run at the same time without affecting one another and authentication is not browser-specific. A shared account minimizes provisioning and setup code. It is a poor fit for tests that rename the same record, change permissions, consume a one-time token or otherwise alter data another test reads.
Use worker-scoped accounts for mutating tests
Provision a unique account for each parallel worker and generate that worker’s state once. The worker index is available through test.info().parallelIndex. A worker fixture can write to a distinct file:
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';
import fs from 'node:fs';
import path from 'node:path';
export const test = base.extend<{}, { workerStorageState: string }>({
workerStorageState: [async ({}, use, workerInfo) => {
const file = path.resolve(`test-results/.auth/worker-${workerInfo.parallelIndex}.json`);
fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(file), { recursive: true });
// Replace this call with your account-provisioning and login routine.
await authenticateUniqueWorker(workerInfo.parallelIndex, file);
await use(file);
}, { scope: 'worker' }],
});
async function authenticateUniqueWorker(index: number, file: string) {
// Create or select account index, then save context.storageState({ path: file }).
}Configure the worker’s context to use that file in the fixture or project design. Separate accounts cost more to manage, but they prevent parallel workers and team members from colliding. Do not share a state file when the login itself is browser-specific.
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For an administrator and a regular user in the same scenario, create separate contexts from separate state files. A POM wraps a page, while the context establishes the role.
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import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';
import { AdminPage } from './pages/admin-page';
import { UserPage } from './pages/user-page';
export const test = base.extend<{ admin: AdminPage; user: UserPage }>({
admin: async ({ browser }, use) => {
const context = await browser.newContext({
storageState: 'playwright/.auth/admin.json',
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await use(new AdminPage(page));
await context.close();
},
user: async ({ browser }, use) => {
const context = await browser.newContext({
storageState: 'playwright/.auth/user.json',
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await use(new UserPage(page));
await context.close();
},
});UI login versus API login
If your application exposes a practical authentication endpoint, use Playwright’s APIRequestContext to authenticate and save its state. The API-testing guide documents that state is interchangeable between APIRequestContext and BrowserContext: https://playwright.dev/docs/api-testing.
import { request, test as setup } from '@playwright/test';
setup('authenticate through the API', async ({ storageState }) => {
const api = await request.newContext({ baseURL: 'https://your-app.example' });
const response = await api.post('/api/login', {
data: { email: process.env.E2E_EMAIL, password: process.env.E2E_PASSWORD },
});
if (!response.ok()) throw new Error(`Login failed: ${response.status()}`);
await api.storageState({ path: 'playwright/.auth/user.json' });
await api.dispose();
});API login can avoid brittle UI steps, but only use it when the endpoint and security model are intended for this purpose. UI login remains appropriate when browser behavior itself is what you need to exercise.
Protect and refresh state files
Playwright warns: “The browser state file may contain sensitive cookies and headers that could be used to impersonate you or your test account.” Store files under playwright/.auth, add that directory to .gitignore, and never commit them, including to a private repository.
playwright/.auth/If persistence between runs is unnecessary, write state beneath the test project’s output directory so Playwright can clean it before a run. When a session expires, delete the file and rerun setup. In UI mode, setup projects do not run automatically by default; run the setup test manually when the existing state expires.
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What storageState includes—and what it does not
- Standard state reuse covers cookies and local storage.
- IndexedDB snapshot support was added in Playwright v1.51; enable the relevant
storageStateoption and verify your installed version. - Virtual WebAuthn credential inclusion is supported through the credentials option from Playwright v1.61.
- Session storage is not automatically persisted by the standard state file. It is domain-specific; capture it yourself and seed it with
context.addInitScript, following the session-storage example in the authentication guide.
Check the BrowserContext API reference for the exact options supported by your installed version.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting
The test is redirected to login
Verify that the setup project ran, the state path is absolute or resolves from the expected working directory, and the setup test waited for a completed login. Open the state file only in a secure environment and check that the expected cookie or local-storage entry exists.
Workers change each other’s data
Replace the shared account with unique accounts and worker-scoped state. Also remove tests’ dependence on fixed record names; generate identifiers per worker where possible.
State works in Chromium but not another browser
Authentication may be browser-specific. Generate state separately for each browser project instead of reusing one file indiscriminately.
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IndexedDB or passkey authentication is missing
Confirm the Playwright version and explicitly enable the IndexedDB or virtual-credential option supported by that version. A cookie-only state file cannot recreate data stored elsewhere.
Login setup is slow or flaky
Use API authentication when the application provides a stable supported endpoint; otherwise wait on a deterministic URL or authenticated element rather than a fixed timeout. Keep setup separate from test assertions so failures identify the authentication boundary.
Performance, reliability and cost decisions
- One setup login per run is faster than repeating UI login in every test.
- Worker-scoped setup adds account provisioning and storage files, but removes data races that cause retries and nondeterministic failures.
- A persistent file reduces repeated login work across runs but requires expiry handling and secret hygiene.
- Output-directory state is safer for ephemeral credentials because it is cleaned with test artifacts.
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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 options such as full-page capture, selectors, device presets, custom headers and cookies, JavaScript, waiting conditions, PDFs, signed links and bulk capture.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I instantiate a POM before authentication finishes?
No. Construct it after the page belongs to a context initialized with the required storage state; otherwise its actions run against an unauthenticated session.
Should state files be committed to a private repository?
No. They may contain impersonation-capable cookies and headers. Keep them git-ignored and regenerate them when they expire.
Does storageState persist sessionStorage automatically?
No. Session storage requires custom capture and an init script; standard state handling does not include it.
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