playwright-fixtures-auth

name	playwright-fixtures-auth
description	Build custom Playwright fixtures, skip repeated login with storage state, and keep tests isolated so they run in any order in parallel. Use when tests need auth, share setup, or are slow because every test re-logs-in.

Fixtures, auth & test isolation

Working references in this repo:

• tests/fixtures.ts — loginPage, inventoryPage, authenticatedInventoryPage (composed fixture)
• tests/example.spec.ts (last test) — storage-state reuse across isolated contexts

Fixtures > beforeEach

• Run only for tests that ask for the fixture (named parameter destructuring).
• Return a typed value via use(); teardown after use.
• Compose: a fixture can depend on other fixtures (see authenticatedInventoryPage in this repo).

Isolation contract

Playwright gives every test a fresh browser context + page. So:

• Tests must be independent — don't write test('step 1') + test('step 2') that depend on order.
• "Works alone, fails in suite" → some other test mutated shared state.
• "Works locally, fails in CI" → CI runs more workers in parallel.
• Put shared setup in a fixture, not in another test.

Storage state — skip the UI login

// once: save cookies after a real login
await loginPage.page.context().storageState({ path: 'playwright/.auth/user.json' });

// after: open contexts pre-loaded with that state
const ctx = await browser.newContext({ storageState: 'playwright/.auth/user.json' });

When to use which auth pattern

Situation	Use
Most tests need the same logged-in user	globalSetup + use.storageState in config
Multiple user types	One storage file per user + test.use({ storageState })
Test is about login	No storage state — start fresh
One or two tests share login	A composed fixture (see this repo)

Pitfalls

• Auth file missing in CI → generate via globalSetup; commit a .gitkeep, never real credentials.
• Token expired → regenerate in globalSetup per run.
• Leaked state between tests → storage state loads at context creation; mutations don't persist back. Good.

Workshop exercises in .roo/WORKSHOP_GUIDE.md.