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Puppeteer Support for Firefox (hacks.mozilla.org)

655 points by cpeterso · 732 days ago · 90 comments on HN

Article summary

Puppeteer, a browser automation library, now supports Firefox as of version 23, allowing users to write automation and perform end-to-end testing using Puppeteer and run it against both Chrome and Firefox. This is made possible by WebDriver BiDi, a cross-browser protocol undergoing standardization at the W3C. The support for Firefox in Puppeteer enables features such as capturing log messages, device emulation, network interception, and preload scripts. The announcement highlights the collaboration between the Puppeteer team and the W3C Browser Testing and Tools Working Group.

Main themes

  • Browser Automation
  • Puppeteer
  • Firefox Support
  • WebDriver BiDi
  • Cross-Browser Testing
  • Web Development

What commenters say

  • The rise of LLMs is making 'vision first' automation plausible, but it still has limitations, such as struggling to find specific elements on a screenshot.
  • Using LLMs like ChatGPT can be a useful tool for developers, but it requires expertise to distinguish between good and bad advice.
  • Playwright is considered a more feature-rich and robust tool compared to Selenium and Puppeteer, but some users prefer the latter due to their extensive ecosystem and explicit support from browsers.
  • The use of WebDriver BiDi, a standardized protocol, may provide a more stable and representative solution for cross-browser testing compared to forking browsers to support specific features.
  • Some developers prefer not to use Microsoft-owned tools, opting for open-source alternatives like Selenium and Puppeteer instead.
  • The choice between Selenium, Playwright, and Puppeteer ultimately comes down to personal preference, experience, and specific use cases, with each tool having its own strengths and weaknesses.
  • The development of WebDriver BiDi as a W3C standard may lead to a more unified and efficient approach to cross-browser testing, but its implementation and adoption are still in progress.
  • Some users have concerns about the stability and limitations of using custom browser versions with tools like Playwright, which may hinder their ability to target new and advanced browser features.