Answer

Understanding Test Failures and Retries in @playwright/test

When you're running tests with @playwright/test, each test is executed in its own worker process. This means that each test is isolated and won't affect others. If a test fails, @playwright/test discards the worker process and starts a new one for the next test.

Mocking APIs with Fixtures

You might be using fixtures to mock multiple APIs. Fixtures help set up and tear down resources for testing. If there's an issue during the setup phase or with one of the mocked APIs, some tests might fail on the first try.

import { test } from '@playwright/test';

test.beforeAll(async ({}) => {
  // Mock APIs here
});

test('My Test', async ({}) => {
  // Your test code here
});

Overcoming Failures with Retries

But don't worry! @playwright/test has a retry mechanism. If a test fails, it will be retried until it passes or reaches the maximum number of attempts. This gives you a chance to overcome any temporary issues with the mocked APIs.

import { test } from '@playwright/test';

test.retry(3);

test('My Test', async ({}) => {
  // Your test code here
});

Each retry starts a new worker process and re-executes the failed tests. The fixture setup is repeated for each retry, increasing the chance of passing the test.

So, if you're seeing tests fail on the first try but pass on retries, it could be due to issues with the fixture setup or the mocked APIs. But thanks to @playwright/test's retry mechanism, these temporary issues can be overcome.

For more insights, check out Exploring the Various Retry APIs of Playwright for Robust Testing.