Playwright - Plays it right with their perfect Dora Metrics
4 min read
Playwright is an automation library that was developed and maintained by Microsoft. Playwright originally kicked off as a JavaScript library, which later extended to support other languages like TypeScript, Python, .NET, and Java.
The cool part?
The Playwright community even built a Go library! Basically, Playwright’s goal is to give developers and testers one tool to automate their web apps across all major browsers—Chromium (think Chrome), WebKit (like Safari), and Firefox. So no matter what browser you're targeting, Playwright has you covered with a single, easy-to-use API.
This web testing and automation tool has around 118k users and around 533 contributors. For a relatively new tool launched in 2020, the repository is thriving.
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We took a peek into their software development cycle and got some interesting insights.
If you are wondering how we analyzed their repo, the answer is Middleware Open Source. To know more about how it works, check our live demo.
We monitored their Dora metrics using our open-source tool which takes a few minutes to setup locally.
Also read: What are DORA Metrics?
Our Findings
Playwright plays it right with their Dora Metrics
It may sound a bit cheesy but Playwright plays it right when it comes to managing their repository. Don’t take my word for it.
Let’s check their deployment frequency and lead time for the past three months.
In July, they achieved an impressive deployment rate of 177. Then in August, they completed 174 releases, and by September, they soared with an astounding 243 deployments!
Their lead time was also truly impressive. In July, they took just 25.6 hours to go from start to final delivery, followed by 30.6 hours in both August and September.
When it comes to their cycle time—which includes rework, first response, and merge times—they consistently stayed well below the benchmarks set in the 2023 State of DevOps Report.
Also read: Bootstrap: Strong Merge and Cycle Times
What’s their Secret?
Focus on Documentation Updates: There have been a lot of contributions to keep the documentation fresh and accurate, which is super important for everyone using it.
For example, take pull requests like docs: fix broken anchor links (#31707)—this one fixed links that were broken, so users can easily find what they need without hitting dead ends.
Then there's docs(ci.md): typo (#31508), where contributors jumped in to correct some typos in the Continuous Integration doc, making it clearer and more polished. These updates show that there's a real commitment to keeping the docs user-friendly and up-to-date!
Microsoft Backing: Playwright is a Microsoft product so Team Playwright has a strong backing. With Microsoft’s solid infrastructure and support, it makes collaboration easier and resource management a breeze
Automated Workflows: The repository employs several automated workflows like publish_release_docker.yml, and trigger_tests.yml which streamline consistent and reliable deployments.
Quick Development Cycle: The average first response, rework, and merge times stayed under a day for all three months of collected data. This indicates a strong cycle time without any major hiccups.
Auto-waiting: Playwright automatically manages the waiting period for certain actions during tests without requiring the developer to add extra code for it. For instance, if a test needs to click a button, Playwright will wait until that button is visible or clickable before proceeding.
This auto-waiting feature helps ensure that tests run smoothly and reduces the chance of errors that might occur if the test tries to interact with elements that aren't ready yet. As a result, it makes the tests more reliable and consistent, as they can handle various timing issues that arise from asynchronous operations in web applications.
Also read: Kubernetes: An Efficient Engineering Pipeline with thorough documentation & thriving community
Playwright - Standing Tall with their Perfect Dora Metrics
Playwright is a repo that we initially underestimated, actually displaying outstanding software delivery performance. With the right focus on feature pushes, testing, bug fixes, and documentation, Playwright is seamlessly scaling their deployment frequency. This relentless commitment to improving their processes allows them to maintain a competitive edge. And, by continuously refining their pipeline and ensuring that every aspect is optimized, Playwright sets the stage for future growth.
If you wish to know how we tracked the Dora metrics of this interesting repo or wish to do an analysis of your own engineering pipeline, then write to us productivity@middlewarehq.com or you can also take a free trial of Middleware OSS now!