Why use Playwright in Catchpoint for synthetic monitoring

Modern websites demand constant oversight to ensure every click, login, and checkout runs smoothly. That’s where synthetic monitoring shines: it acts like a tireless, virtual visitor that spots performance hiccups before they can bother real users.

Our Internet Performance Monitoring (IPM) platform features Playwright support. You can run new or existing Playwright scripts with little to no changes. By combining the power of a global network of intelligent agents with the versatile Playwright scripting language, Catchpoint makes it easier than ever to include robust browser simulations in your monitoring strategy.

In this post, we’ll explore how Catchpoint’s Playwright integration can supercharge your synthetic monitoring—making it easier to catch issues before they ever reach your customers.

What is Playwright?

Playwright is a versatile browser automation framework that enables you to simulate complex user interactions across multiple browsers. With its intuitive API, you can build comprehensive scripts that navigate your web applications, interact with elements, and verify that every part of your digital experience works as expected.

Key features of Playwright:

• Multi-Browser Support: Automate tests on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit.
• Rich API for Actions: Easily perform clicks, types, selections, and more.
• Robust Assertions: Validate elements, text content, URLs, and attributes with powerful assertions.
• Asynchronous Handling: Built-in methods like waitForSelector, waitForEvent, and waitForResponse ensure reliable tests even in dynamic environments.
• Seamless Integration: Playwright scripts can be executed directly in Catchpoint, giving you a comprehensive approach to web testing and monitoring.

What you gain from running Playwright scripts in Catchpoint

Playwright has quickly become a favorite among web developers and testers. Having Playwright support in Catchpoint’s IPM platform grants you the best of both worlds: a powerful browser automation framework harnessing the capabilities of a global network of intelligent agents. Here’s why it matters:

#1 End-to-end testing made simple

Automate full browser transactions with a few lines of code. Whether you’re searching for products on an e-commerce site or verifying login flows, you can script complex tasks fast. Catchpoint then runs these tests repeatedly from different global vantage points, helping you find and fix issues before your customers do.  

#2 Reliability and precision

Playwright includes powerful assertion methods—such as toHaveURL(), toBeVisible(), and toHaveText()—so your tests verify exactly what matters. This ensures your users enjoy a seamless experience.

#3 Enhanced debugging and insights

Use Playwright’s wait methods (waitForSelector, waitForResponse, etc.) to handle asynchronous events effectively. Combined with Catchpoint’s unique capabilities like setting tracepoints and indicators, you can gain deep insights into performance and behavior under real-world conditions.

#4 Catchpoint-specific enhancements

Our integration extends Playwright’s functionality by adding methods such as Catchpoint.username(), Catchpoint.storeGlobalVariable(), and Catchpoint.startStep(). These allow you to manage credentials, store global variables, and logically group test steps, streamlining the creation and execution of tests.

#5 Multi-browser coverage

Playwright supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, enabling you to validate how your web experience performs across popular browsers. Combined with IPM and its real user monitoring (RUM) capabilities, you’ll see how each browser fares under real-world conditions and keep your user experience consistent for everyone.

How it works

To see how Catchpoint and Playwright fit together, here’s a quick look at the monitoring workflow—from the initial user request to the final logged results.

By simulating real user actions at each step, Playwright helps you validate everything from basic navigation to complex transactions. Catchpoint’s IPM platform then measures performance, logs results, and alerts you if anything goes off track—so you can address issues before your customers notice

Real-world examples

To show you how Playwright works in practice, here are two common eCommerce scenarios.  

#1 Product search and wishlist

In this example, we search for “sofa bed” on the IKEA website, then add an item to a wishlist (or bag). This script demonstrates how Playwright can handle typical user tasks—like navigating pages, clicking buttons, and verifying results.

// Navigate to the IKEA homepage 
await page.goto('https://www.ikea.com/us/en/'); 
 
// Search for "sofa bed" 
await page.getByPlaceholder('What are you looking for?').click(); 
await page.getByPlaceholder('What are you looking for?').fill('sofa bed'); 
await page.getByPlaceholder('What are you looking for?').press('Enter'); 
 
// Verify search results and add to wishlist/shopping bag 
await page.goto('https://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?q=sofa%20bed'); 
await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'FRIHETEN - Sleeper sectional,3 seat w/storage' }).click(); 
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save to favorites' }).click(); 
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Add to bag' }).click();

#2 Cart checkout flow

This script adds products to the cart and simulates checkout steps, ensuring a smooth purchase experience. If any stage of the process fails, Catchpoint alerts you, so you can fix problems fast. ‍

// Navigate to the Danube website 
await page.goto('https://danube-web.shop/');  

// Add products to the cart in a loop 
for (let i = 1; i <= 3; i++) { 
    await page.click(`.preview:nth-child(${i}) > .preview-author`); 
    await page.click('.detail-wrapper > .call-to-action'); 
    await page.click('#logo'); 
} 
 
// Proceed to checkout 
await page.click('#cart'); 
await page.click('.cart > .call-to-action'); 

// Fill in shipping details and confirm checkout 
await page.type('#s-name', 'Max'); 
await page.type('#s-surname', 'Mustermann'); 
await page.type('#s-address', 'Charlottenstr. 57'); 
await page.type('#s-zipcode', '10117'); 
await page.type('#s-city', 'Berlin'); 
await page.click('.checkout > form'); 
await page.waitForSelector('#order-confirmation', { visible: true });

These examples show the basics of scripting user interactions and verifying outcomes. Whether it’s logging in, registering a product, or completing a full checkout, Playwright’s flexible API and Catchpoint IPM give you confidence that every part of your site works as intended.

Getting started

Since you can run Playwright scripts inside the Catchpoint portal, you can migrate your existing tests with minimal code changes and start monitoring right away. Leveraging Playwright in our IPM platform not only enhances test reliability but also delivers detailed insights into how your site performs under different conditions—helping you catch problems before your users do.

Schedule a 1:1 call with a solution expert to get started.  

Learn more

• To see how synthetic tests fit into a broader service-level strategy, check out our SLA Monitoring eBook

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