Test Intelligence Unlocked: Comparing Logging and Screenshot Techniques in Selenium vs Playwright
- SunAi Murugan
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
As a seasoned QA professional, you know that brilliant test automation isn't just about passing assertions—it's about creating an intelligent testing ecosystem that tells the complete story of your application's behavior.
Strategic logging and screenshot capture transform your automation from a simple pass/fail reporter into a sophisticated diagnostic powerhouse. When that critical production deployment fails at 2 AM, your logs become the forensic evidence that pinpoints the root cause in minutes, not hours. Your screenshots capture the exact moment of failure, revealing UI anomalies that traditional assertions miss.
In modern CI/CD pipelines where tests execute in headless environments across multiple browsers and devices, your logging strategy becomes your eyes and ears. It's the difference between spending your morning triaging mystery failures versus confidently identifying whether it's a flaky selector, a timing issue, or a genuine application bug.
This isn't about basic console.log statements—we're talking about architecting a comprehensive observability layer that scales with your test suite and delivers actionable insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Log4j:
Log4j is the go-to logging framework for Java-based testing projects. It uses configuration files (log4j.xml, log4j.properties, or YAML) and operates through three core components:
Loggers: Entry point for log messages
Appenders: Output logs to files, console, or other destinations
Layouts: Define log message formatting
Implementation Comparison
Selenium Logging
private static final Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(SeleniumLogging.class);
public static void main(String[] args) {
logger.info("Test execution started");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
logger.info("Navigating to example.com");
driver.get("https://example.com");
logger.info("Page title: {}", driver.getTitle());
driver.quit();
logger.info("Test execution completed");
}
Characteristics:
Predictable logging around WebDriver commands, requires driver setup, integrates with TestNG/JUnit listeners.
Playwright Logging
private static final Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(PlaywrightLogging.class);
public static void main(String[] args) {
logger.info("Playwright test started");
try (Playwright playwright = Playwright.create()) {
Browser browser = playwright.chromium().launch();
Page page = browser.newPage();
logger.info("Navigating to example.com");
page.navigate("https://example.com");
logger.info("Page title: {}", page.title());
}
}
Advantages:
Enhanced event logging, built-in browser event hooks, faster execution, simpler setup.
Screenshot Implementation
Selenium Screenshots
public static void captureScreenshot(WebDriver driver, String screenshotName) {
TakesScreenshot ts = (TakesScreenshot) driver;
File source = ts.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
String destination = System.getProperty("user.dir") + "/Screenshots/" + screenshotName + ".png";
FileHandler.copy(source, new File(destination));
}
Playwright Screenshots
public static void captureScreenshot(Page page, String screenshotName) {
String destination = System.getProperty("user.dir") + "/Screenshots/" + screenshotName + ".png";
page.screenshot(new Page.ScreenshotOptions().setPath(Paths.get(destination)));
}
Playwright wins:
Direct API, automatic file writing, cleaner implementation.
Advanced Reporting with Allure
For stakeholder-ready reports, Allure Framework provides interactive dashboards with step-by-step execution details and embedded screenshots.
Selenium + TestNG + Allure
@Test(description = "Verify Example.com title")
public void verifyTitle() {
openWebsite("https://example.com");
String title = driver.getTitle();
Assert.assertEquals(title, "Example Domain");
attachScreenshot();
}
@Step("Opening website: {url}")
public void openWebsite(String url) {
driver.get(url);
}
@Attachment(value = "Screenshot", type = "image/png")
public byte[] attachScreenshot() {
return ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.BYTES);
}
Playwright + Allure
test('Verify Example.com title', async ({ page }) => {
await allure.step('Opening website: https://example.com', async () => {
await page.goto('https://example.com');
});
const title = await page.title();
expect(title).toBe('Example Domain');
await allure.attachment('Screenshot', await page.screenshot(), 'image/png');
});
Quick Framework Comparison
Best Practice
Use appropriate log levels (DEBUG for development, INFO for flow, ERROR for problems)
Include meaningful context (test names, expected vs actual results)
Combine Log4j for debugging with Allure for stakeholder reports
Always capture on failures
Use descriptive names with timestamps
Implement cleanup strategies to prevent disk bloat
When to use Log4j and Allure
Use Log4j + Basic Screenshots for simple logging needs, legacy systems, or development debugging.
Use Allure Framework when stakeholders need rich reports, you want visual documentation, or CI/CD integration is crucial.
Conclusion
While both Selenium and Playwright offer solid logging and screenshot capabilities, Playwright's modern architecture provides simpler APIs and better event handling. Combined with Allure's reporting power, Playwright creates a streamlined solution for teams wanting comprehensive test documentation with minimal configuration overhead.
The key is choosing the approach that fits your team's technical stack, reporting needs, and long-term automation strategy.
