BrowserStack Automate runs Playwright and Puppeteer tests in hosted browsers, but the setup differs: BrowserStack’s Playwright guide uses a sample repository and environment variables, while Puppeteer connects to BrowserStack’s Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) endpoint. Choose the framework-specific route below, select a supported browser and operating system from its live matrix, then inspect the Automate dashboard for results and diagnostics.
Choose the BrowserStack route for your framework
| Question | Playwright | Puppeteer |
|---|---|---|
| How the remote browser is reached | Start with BrowserStack’s documented sample repository and run its parallel sample. | Connect with puppeteer.connect() to wss://cdp.browserstack.com/puppeteer, passing encoded browser and OS capabilities. |
| Integrating an existing suite | The cited quickstart documents a sample route; its command is not a universal command for every Playwright project. | For a Jest-based suite, BrowserStack documents the browserstack-node-sdk integration route. |
| Choosing browser and OS targets | Use the Playwright support table and its capability names. | Use the Puppeteer support table and its capability names. |
| Reporting pass or fail | Consult the framework’s sample and result flow. | Send an explicit BrowserStack executor command to mark the session passed or failed; a successful connection alone does not report the test outcome. |
Browser and OS availability varies by framework and changes over time. Avoid copying a capability from the other framework or relying on an old browser-version example.
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Run BrowserStack’s Playwright sample
- In a terminal, clone BrowserStack’s sample repository and enter it:
git clone https://github.com/browserstack/playwright-browserstack cd playwright-browserstack - Install the repository’s dependencies using the package manager and instructions in its README. The documented route is for that sample, not a drop-in command for every existing Playwright project.
- Set the BrowserStack credentials as environment variables. Use your account username and access key; do not commit either value to source control.
export BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME="YOUR_USERNAME" export BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"On Windows PowerShell, set them for the current session with
$env:BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME="YOUR_USERNAME"and$env:BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY".What’s actually slowing this PC down?
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Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. - Run the sample command documented by BrowserStack:
node parallel_test.js - When the run finishes, open the BrowserStack Automate dashboard and review the completed sessions.
Before adapting the sample to your project, check the Playwright supported versions, browsers, and OS table. It covers framework versions, OS values, browser names and versions, and device names. The examples distinguish branded Chrome and Edge from Playwright’s bundled Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit identifiers; use the documented name for the browser you intend to test.
Connect Puppeteer to a remote BrowserStack browser
BrowserStack’s sample route uses Puppeteer’s CDP connection rather than launching a browser on the local machine. Set credentials in the environment, construct the documented capabilities for a supported browser and OS, and pass the encoded capabilities when connecting.
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
const username = process.env.BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME;
const accessKey = process.env.BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY;
if (!username || !accessKey) {
throw new Error('Set BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME and BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY');
}
// Replace these example target values with capability names and values
// from BrowserStack's current Puppeteer support table.
const capabilities = {
'browser': 'chrome',
'browser_version': 'latest',
'os': 'Windows',
'os_version': '10',
};
const query = new URLSearchParams({
'key': accessKey,
'capabilities': JSON.stringify(capabilities),
});
const endpoint = `wss://cdp.browserstack.com/puppeteer?${query}`;
(async () => {
const browser = await puppeteer.connect({ browserWSEndpoint: endpoint });
let passed = false;
try {
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
if (!(await page.title()).includes('Example Domain')) {
throw new Error('Unexpected page title');
}
passed = true;
} finally {
// Puppeteer assertions run client-side. Report the result explicitly
// using BrowserStack's executor command, as in its current quickstart.
const status = passed ? 'passed' : 'failed';
const reason = passed ? 'Assertions passed' : 'Test assertion failed';
const page = (await browser.pages())[0];
if (page) {
await page.evaluate((status, reason) => {
return fetch('https://www.browserstack.com/automate/api/v1/sessions', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
body: JSON.stringify({
action: 'setSessionStatus',
arguments: { status, reason },
}),
});
}, status, reason).catch(() => {});
}
await browser.disconnect();
}
})();Use BrowserStack’s Puppeteer sample build quickstart for its current connection and executor-command example. The endpoint and capability field conventions are service-specific; check that page rather than treating the illustrative target values above as a current support guarantee. BrowserStack explains that Puppeteer assertions run client-side, so it cannot infer pass or fail from the remote session automatically. Its sample sends a browserstack_executor command through the page to set the session status. Follow that documented command pattern in your own teardown or result-reporting path so failed assertions do not appear as successful sessions.
For a Jest-based existing suite, BrowserStack’s Puppeteer Node SDK integration guide documents installing browserstack-node-sdk as a development dependency, running npx setup to generate browserstack.yml, choosing supported platforms in that configuration, and executing the suite through the SDK. That guide states Node.js 14 or later and npm as prerequisites; verify the live guide for current requirements before using them.
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Build a test matrix from the browsers and operating systems your users actually need. For each framework, select combinations supported by its own table: Playwright browsers and OS or Puppeteer browsers and OS. Capability names and available versions are not interchangeable assumptions.
In the documented Puppeteer parallel model, each capability entry represents a separate remote session. Playwright’s cited sample is run as a parallel build with node parallel_test.js. Multiple browser/OS sessions can cover a matrix in parallel, but the number that actually run concurrently depends on the parallel limit attached to your BrowserStack account. Parallel execution may reduce elapsed time when account capacity and test workload permit; it does not change what each test covers.
Test a private or locally hosted application
For a private site or an app that is not publicly reachable, BrowserStack’s Puppeteer getting-started material says to establish a secure BrowserStack Local Testing tunnel first. The tunnel setup has its own commands and options, so use BrowserStack’s Local Testing instructions for the current procedure rather than inventing flags or assuming the remote browser can reach your machine directly.
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Find failures and diagnose remote runs
After a run, open the session in Automate and use the available artifacts to distinguish a test failure from a remote-browser or infrastructure problem. BrowserStack describes logs, console output, video, and network information as debugging data accessible through the dashboard or API.
- Assertion failure: inspect the test output and page state; for Puppeteer, verify your executor status-reporting path marks the session failed when an assertion throws.
- Navigation or load failure: check the session’s logs and network information to see whether the page request or a dependent resource failed.
- Unexpected browser behavior: confirm the session used the browser, version, OS, and framework combination you intended, using the relevant live support table.
- Missing or misleading result status: distinguish a connected session from a passed test. In Puppeteer, report pass/fail explicitly through the documented executor flow.
Troubleshooting common setup problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication or connection failure | A credential is missing, incorrect, or not available in the process environment. | Confirm both BROWSERSTACK_USERNAME and BROWSERSTACK_ACCESS_KEY are set in the shell that launches the test. Keep secrets out of committed files. |
| Unsupported capability or browser target | A browser, OS, version, or capability name is not supported for that framework or is outdated. | Copy the current target names from the Playwright or Puppeteer support table for the framework in use. |
| Playwright sample command fails in an existing project | node parallel_test.js belongs to BrowserStack’s sample repository, not every Playwright project. |
Run the command from the cloned sample repository, or follow the applicable BrowserStack integration instructions for your own project. |
| Puppeteer session is connected but shown without the expected result | Client-side assertions were not reported to BrowserStack. | Ensure teardown sends the documented executor status command for both pass and failure paths. |
| Remote browser cannot access an internal app | The app is not publicly reachable from the hosted browser. | Establish BrowserStack Local Testing using its current instructions, then retry. |
| Fewer sessions run at once than the matrix contains | Account concurrency entitlement limits active sessions. | Check the account’s permitted parallel capacity; a configured matrix does not itself guarantee simultaneous execution. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run both frameworks in the same BrowserStack account?
Yes. BrowserStack Automate documents hosted-browser routes for both Playwright and Puppeteer; configure each suite using its framework-specific setup and capabilities.
Does Puppeteer pass/fail status follow automatically from my assertions?
No. Assertions execute on the client side, so report the result through BrowserStack’s documented executor command.
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