Playwright Page Object Model in JavaScript: Complete Guide

Last updated on September 11th, 2025 at 12:42 pm

Playwright is a modern end-to-end testing framework that enables reliable, fast, and cross-browser automation. One of the most effective ways to structure Playwright tests is by using the Playwright Page Object Model (POM). This design pattern organizes selectors and actions into separate, reusable classes, making test automation more scalable and professional.

Implementing Playwright Page Object Model brings clear benefits to teams aiming for robust Playwright test automation with POM. It improves maintainability, readability, and scalability while keeping test files clean and focused. Instead of scattering locators and methods across multiple test files, everything related to a page or component is encapsulated in one place. This allows you to write tests that are easier to maintain and scale as projects grow.

In this Playwright POM tutorial, we’ll explore what POM is, why it’s important, how to implement it in Playwright with JavaScript, and best practices to follow so you can build a clean and efficient automation framework.

What Is the Page Object Model in Playwright?

The Page Object Model (POM) in Playwright is a design pattern where each web page or component is represented by a dedicated class. This class contains all the locators (selectors) and methods (actions) related to that page. For example, a LoginPage class might define Playwright locators in Page Object Model for the username field, password field, and login button, along with methods to perform login actions.

By structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, you separate test logic from page structure. Your test files only call methods from the page classes, while the page objects themselves handle the underlying selectors and actions.

One of the biggest advantages of Playwright Page Object Model is easier maintenance. If a UI element changes, you only need to update the locator in the page object class—not across every single test. This approach reduces duplication, minimizes errors, and makes your automation framework more reliable over time.

Key Benefits of Using POM in Playwright

Adopting the Playwright Page Object Model offers multiple advantages that make test automation more reliable and efficient. Whether you are just starting a Playwright POM tutorial or managing a large automation project, the following benefits highlight why this design pattern is widely recommended.

1. Easy Maintenance

One of the biggest advantages of Playwright Page Object Model is simplified maintenance. When a selector changes in the application’s UI, you only need to update it in the page object class. This prevents the need to modify every individual test, saving time and reducing errors.

2. Reusability of Selectors and Methods

Page object classes encourage reusability. Common actions, such as login or navigation, can be defined once and reused across multiple test cases. This reduces code duplication and ensures consistency across the test suite.

3. Improved Readability of Test Scripts

By structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, your test scripts become easier to read and understand. Instead of cluttered code with raw selectors, tests are written in a way that mirrors user behavior (e.g., loginPage.login(‘user’, ‘password’)). This makes tests more descriptive and business-friendly.

4. Faster Debugging and Troubleshooting

When a test fails, it’s much easier to pinpoint the issue within a well-organized POM framework. Since each action and locator is centralized, debugging becomes quicker and more efficient. This also helps new team members ramp up faster.

5. Structured and Scalable Codebase

Implementing Playwright Page Object Model ensures that your automation project grows in a structured way. Tests, locators, and utilities remain organized in separate layers, making collaboration smoother and scaling projects easier. As a result, teams can build a Playwright test automation with a POM framework that remains robust even as the application evolves.

How to Implement Playwright Page Object Model

Implementing Playwright Page Object Model begins with setting up your development environment. Since you’ll be using Visual Studio Code (VS Code), you can leverage its rich extensions and integrated terminal to manage your Playwright project efficiently.

Project Setup

Install Node.js

• Download and install the latest Node.js version from nodejs.org
• Verify the installation by running the following in your VS Code terminal:
  • node -v
  • npm -v

These commands confirm that Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) are installed and ready.

Initialize a Playwright Project

• Open your project folder in VS Code.
• Launch the integrated terminal (shortcut: Ctrl + ` on Windows/Linux or Cmd + ` on macOS).
• Run the following command to install and set up Playwright:

npm init playwright@latest

This command installs Playwright, its test runner, recommended browsers, and generates a starter test structure.

Verify Installation in VS Code

• After installation, you should see a new tests/ folder and configuration files like playwright.config.ts.
• You can now run your first test directly from the VS Code terminal using:

npx playwright test

• For a better developer experience, install the Playwright Test for VS Code extension. It allows you to run, debug, and manage tests directly from the editor’s Testing panel.

If you want a step-by-step installation guide for Playwright, you can follow this how to install Playwright.

With Node.js and Playwright ready inside VS Code, you can move on to structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, which we’ll cover in the next section.

Recommended Project Structure

When implementing Playwright Page Object Model, organizing your project folders is just as important as writing the tests themselves. A clean project structure ensures maintainability, reusability, and makes it easier for teams to collaborate. Below is a commonly recommended structure:

project-root/
│── pages/
│ ├── LoginPage.js
│── tests/
│ ├── login.spec.js
│── utilities/
│ ├── testData.js
│── playwright.config.ts

1. /pages > Page Object Classes

This folder contains all your page object classes. Each file represents a page or a component of your application. For example:

• LoginPage.js > Contains Playwright locators in Page Object Model for username, password, and login button, along with login methods.

By storing all selectors and methods here, you centralize UI logic, making tests cleaner and easier to maintain.

2. /tests > Test Files

This folder contains your actual test cases. Tests will import page object classes from the /pages folder and use their methods to perform actions. This keeps test scripts short, readable, and focused on business logic rather than UI details.

Example:

const { test, expect } = require(‘@playwright/test’);
const { LoginPage } = require(‘../pages/LoginPage’);

test(‘user can log in successfully’, async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  await loginPage.login(‘user’, ‘password’);
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(‘/dashboard’);
});

3. /utilities > Helpers (Optional)

The utilities folder is optional but highly recommended for larger projects. You can keep:

• Test data files.
• Reusable functions (e.g., API calls, data generators).
• Custom assertions.
• Configurable test helpers.

This extra layer avoids duplication and provides additional support to your page objects and tests.

With this structure in place, you are ready to start structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model in a clean, scalable way.

Getting Started With PlayWright POM

Let’s implement POM with Playwright.

In this POM, our project structure will be like below.

project-root/
├─ pages/
│  └─ [LoginPage.js](Download Link)          # Page Object Model for login page
├─ tests/
│  └─ [login.spec.js](Download Link)         # Test file with parameterized logic
├─ utilities/
│  ├─ [testData.js](Download Link)           # File to store test data sets
│  └─ [login.html](Download Link)            # Sample offline login page for testing

Note: We are using a simple login.html file stored locally in the utilities folder.
This allows you to test the Playwright Page Object Model setup without relying on external websites.

You can download the complete source code for this project here:
GitHub Repository – Playwright POM Example

Creating a Page Object Class

In the Playwright Page Object Model, each page of your application is represented by a class. This class stores all the locators and methods related to that page. By doing this, we separate UI element definitions from test logic, making the code cleaner and reusable.

Let’s take a simple example: a Login Page. We’ll create a LoginPage.js file inside the /pages folder.

LoginPage.js

// pages/LoginPage.js
class LoginPage {
  constructor(page) {
    this.page = page;
    this.usernameInput = page.locator('#username');
    this.passwordInput = page.locator('#password');
    this.loginButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Login' });
    this.message = page.locator('#message');
  }

  async goto(url) {
    await this.page.goto(url);
  }

  async login(username, password) {
    await this.usernameInput.fill(username);
    await this.passwordInput.fill(password);
    await this.loginButton.click();
  }

  async getMessage() {
    return this.message.textContent();
  }
}

module.exports = { LoginPage };

Explanation:

1. Constructor:
   • The constructor(page) initializes the Playwright page instance.
   • Inside the constructor, we define locators for the username field, password field, login button, and login success/failure message.
   • If the UI changes (e.g., a selector changes), you only update it here instead of editing multiple test files.
2. Method Encapsulation:
   • The login() method wraps all the steps needed to log in.
   • Tests can now just call loginPage.login(‘user’, ‘pass’) without worrying about how the login is performed.
   • This makes test scripts short, readable, and less error-prone.

With this approach, you can easily extend the class with more methods, such as logout(), isErrorMessageVisible(), or navigateToLoginPage().

This is the foundation of structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, and it sets the stage for writing reusable and scalable test scripts.

Using Page Objects in Tests

Once you’ve created your page object classes, you can use them in your test files. This keeps your test cases focused only on the test logic, while the page object class takes care of handling selectors and actions.

Here’s an example test(login.spec.js under the tests folder) that uses the LoginPage.js we created earlier and testData.js:

login.spec.js

// tests/login.spec.js
const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');
const { LoginPage } = require('../pages/LoginPage');
const testData = require('../utilities/testData');

test.describe('Login Tests using POM', () => {
  test('Login with valid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);

    // Navigate to local HTML file
    await loginPage.goto(testData.urls.baseUrl);

    // Use valid credentials
    await loginPage.login(testData.validUser.username, testData.validUser.password);

    // Assertion
    const message = await loginPage.getMessage();
    await expect(message).toContain('Welcome to Dashboard');
  });

  test('Login with invalid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);

    await loginPage.goto(testData.urls.baseUrl);

    await loginPage.login(testData.invalidUser.username, testData.invalidUser.password);

    // Assertion
    const message = await loginPage.getMessage();
    await expect(message).toContain('Invalid credentials');
  });
});

Here is the test data file, which we will use in your login test.

testData.js

// utilities/testData.js
const path = require('path');   // <--- this line is required

module.exports = {
  validUser: {
    username: "admin",
    password: "admin123"
  },
  invalidUser: {
    username: "wrong",
    password: "wrong123"
  },
  urls: {
    baseUrl: `file://${path.resolve(__dirname, 'login.html')}`
  }
};

Explanation:

1. Importing the Page Class
   • We import the LoginPage from the /pages folder.
   • This gives us access to its locators and methods.
2. Creating an Instance
   • const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
   • The Playwright page object is passed into the constructor, so all methods in the page class can use it.
3. Focusing on Test Logic
   • Notice the test doesn’t deal with selectors like #username or #password.
   • Instead, it simply says login(‘User id or email address’, ‘Password’).
   • This makes the test script easy to read, maintain, and debug.
4. Integration with Test Data
   • Credentials and URLs are read from testData.js, keeping tests flexible and maintainable.

By structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, your test files remain clean and concise, while all the UI interaction details stay inside the page object classes.

Best Practices for Playwright POM

When structuring Playwright tests with Page Object Model, following best practices ensures your framework remains clean, scalable, and easy to maintain.

Group related locators and methods by page/feature

Keep all actions and selectors for a specific page or feature within its own class.

Example:

// pages/HomePage.js
class HomePage {
  constructor(page) {
    this.page = page;
    this.profileLink = page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Profile' });
    this.logoutButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Logout' });
  }

  async goToProfile() {
    await this.profileLink.click();
  }

  async logout() {
    await this.logoutButton.click();
  }
}

module.exports = { HomePage };

Here, HomePage.js only handles actions related to the home page.

Use clear class and file names

Names like LoginPage, HomePage, or DashboardPage make it instantly clear which page the class represents. This improves readability for teams.

Keep methods focused and single-responsibility

Each method should handle one action (e.g., login(), logout()). Avoid bloated methods that combine multiple workflows.

Use Playwright’s built-in test runner for better organization

The built-in runner integrates seamlessly with Playwright POM, making it easier to structure tests, manage fixtures, and run them efficiently.

Maintain consistency across projects

A consistent structure and naming convention (for pages, tests, and utilities) make collaboration smoother, especially in larger teams.

By applying these Playwright Page Object Model best practices, your test automation framework becomes more robust, easier to debug, and future-proof.

What’s Next?

If you want to take your learning further, explore how to implement the Page Object Model (POM) in Playwright while reading test data from an Excel file. Check out this step-by-step guide on Playwright data-driven testing with POM

Conclusion

The Playwright Page Object Model (POM) is a powerful design pattern that organizes your test automation code by encapsulating page-specific selectors and actions into separate classes. This approach clearly separates test logic from UI structure, making your tests easier to read, maintain, and scale.

By adopting POM in Playwright, you gain several advantages:

• Maintainable: Update locators or actions in a single place.
• Reusable: Share methods and selectors across multiple tests.
• Readable: Test scripts focus on business logic, not UI details.
• Scalable: Build a structured framework suitable for large projects.

For professional and large-scale test automation, implementing POM is highly recommended.

Next Steps:

• Explore the Playwright Official Docs for advanced examples.
• Try implementing Playwright Page Object Model in a sample project to solidify your understanding and see the benefits in action.