Playwright with Java or Node (JavaScript / TypeScript) which is best?

In this video blog post, the content creator discusses the advantages and considerations for choosing between JavaScript/TypeScript and Java when using Playwright for test automation.

The video begins with an introduction to Playwright and its popularity in the market. The speaker then suggests considering the language familiarity of the team when deciding between Java and JavaScript/TypeScript. If the team is already using Selenium and Java, it may be more beneficial to stick with Java. However, the speaker mentions that many organizations are leaning towards node.js and JavaScript for testing due to its compatibility with popular tech stacks like Angular, Vue, and React.

The video then explores the syntactic differences between Java and JavaScript/TypeScript for Playwright. The speaker demonstrates that the JavaScript/TypeScript syntax is more concise and easier to read, especially when compared side by side with Java code examples.

Next, the speaker discusses the availability of reporting options for each language. While both Java and JavaScript/TypeScript can use Allure or Extent Report, the speaker suggests that TypeScript has an advantage because it offers reporting out of the box, eliminating the need for excessive code writing.

The speaker also mentions the availability of different test runners for both languages. While Java has JUnit and TestNG, the speaker recommends Playwright Test Runner for JavaScript/TypeScript due to its advantages, such as built-in retry options and customizable reporting with videos, screenshots, and trace logs.

Lastly, the video highlights the advantages of using Visual Studio Code as an IDE for Playwright automation. The speaker emphasizes the ease of debugging and live editing of locators through the VS Code extension for Playwright.

In conclusion, the video offers the speaker's personal opinion that JavaScript/TypeScript is a better choice for Playwright test automation due to the syntactic simplicity, out-of-the-box reporting, advanced test runner options, and VS Code integration. However, the speaker acknowledges that both languages can achieve similar results, and the ultimate decision should be based on individual team preferences and needs.