Playwright + TypeScript
+ Allure Framework

The Purpose

Playwright is the reference framework for new automation projects — the author’s preferred stack for any greenfield engagement. It runs outside the browser via the Chrome DevTools Protocol, giving it full cross-browser reach (including WebKit / Safari), native iframe support via frameLocator(), and a best-in-class async API designed for modern JavaScript runtimes.

This is Stack 1 of the Cross-Stack Series — the benchmark against which all other stacks are compared. It demonstrates the patterns that command the most value in TypeScript-native product organisations: typed fixtures for dependency injection, @step decorators for self-documenting Allure reports, and soft assertions for multi-field validation scenarios.

Key differentiator vs other stacks: Full cross-browser execution (Chromium + Firefox + WebKit), native iframe support via frameLocator(), and fullyParallel: true at zero extra cost — none of which require paid services.

Architecture Constraints

Every decision reflects real TypeScript ecosystem requirements:

• types.ts defined first — all interfaces (RegistrationForm, TableRow, AsyncButtonState) typed before any page object
• base.fixture.ts with test.extend() — typed fixture injection, single setup point for all sections
• @step decorator on all Page Object methods — Allure report populated automatically, zero manual allure.step() calls
• Locators as readonly class properties — resolved once in constructor, reused across methods
• expect.soft() for multi-field form checks — collects all failures, not first-fail
• No page.waitForTimeout() anywhere — all waits via Playwright auto-waiting or expect().toBeVisible()
• frameLocator('#iframes iframe') for iframe access — never page.frames()
• fullyParallel: true — free parallelism via GitHub Actions matrix, no Playwright Cloud needed
• npx tsc --noEmit in CI — compile gate before any test execution