Playwright vs Puppeteer - Which is Better for Timezones?

When it comes to browser automation and testing, two tools stand out in the JavaScript ecosystem: Playwright and Puppeteer. While both are powerful solutions for web automation, they each have their unique strengths. Let's explore these tools through practical examples.

Handling Timezones: Playwright vs Puppeteer

One common requirement in web automation is manipulating timezones. Let's see how both tools handle this:

Puppeteer Example:

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
 
async function puppeteerTimezoneExample() {
    const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
    try {
        const page = await browser.newPage();
        
        // Set timezone in Puppeteer
        await page.emulateTimezone('Europe/London');
        
        await page.goto('https://example.com');
        // Your automation logic here
        
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error:', error);
    } finally {
        await browser.close();
    }
}

Playwright Example:

const { chromium } = require('playwright');
 
async function playwrightTimezoneExample() {
    const browser = await chromium.launch();
    try {
        const context = await browser.newContext({
            timezoneId: 'Europe/London',
        });
        const page = await context.newPage();
        
        await page.goto('https://example.com');
        // Your automation logic here
        
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error:', error);
    } finally {
        await browser.close();
    }
}

Key Differences

Context Management
- Playwright introduces the concept of browser contexts, providing better isolation between different browser sessions
- Puppeteer works directly with pages, which can be simpler for basic scenarios
API Design
- Playwright offers more modern async/await patterns and better TypeScript support
- Puppeteer's API is slightly more straightforward but may require more boilerplate code
Cross-Browser Support
- Playwright supports Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit out of the box
- Puppeteer primarily focuses on Chromium (though Firefox support exists)

Advanced Example: Web Scraping

Let's look at a more complex example that demonstrates the capabilities of both tools:

Puppeteer Advanced Example:

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
 
async function scrapePricesPuppeteer() {
    const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
        headless: true,
        args: ['--no-sandbox']
    });
    
    try {
        const page = await browser.newPage();
        
        // Set viewport and timezone
        await page.setViewport({ width: 1280, height: 800 });
        await page.emulateTimezone('Europe/London');
        
        await page.goto('https://example.com/products');
        
        // Wait for price elements to load
        await page.waitForSelector('.price');
        
        // Extract prices
        const prices = await page.evaluate(() => {
            const elements = document.querySelectorAll('.price');
            return Array.from(elements).map(el => el.textContent);
        });
        
        return prices;
        
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error:', error);
        return [];
    } finally {
        await browser.close();
    }
}

Playwright Advanced Example:

const { chromium } = require('playwright');
 
async function scrapePricesPlaywright() {
    const browser = await chromium.launch();
    
    try {
        const context = await browser.newContext({
            viewport: { width: 1280, height: 800 },
            timezoneId: 'Europe/London',
        });
        
        const page = await context.newPage();
        await page.goto('https://example.com/products');
        
        // Wait for price elements and extract them
        const prices = await page.locator('.price').allTextContents();
        
        return prices;
        
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error:', error);
        return [];
    } finally {
        await browser.close();
    }
}

When to Choose Which?

Choose Playwright when you need:

Cross-browser testing
Modern async/await patterns
Better TypeScript support
More powerful selectors and auto-waiting mechanisms

Choose Puppeteer when you want:

Simpler setup for Chrome-only automation
Lighter weight solution
Direct Chrome DevTools Protocol access
Established community and extensive examples

Conclusion

Both Playwright and Puppeteer are excellent tools for web automation. Playwright offers more modern features and cross-browser support, making it ideal for testing scenarios. Puppeteer's simplicity and Chrome-focused approach make it perfect for straightforward automation tasks.

The choice between them often comes down to your specific needs:

For comprehensive testing across browsers: Choose Playwright
For simple Chrome automation: Puppeteer might be sufficient
For new projects: Playwright's modern features give it an edge
For maintaining existing projects: Stick with what you're using

Remember that both tools are actively maintained by major tech companies (Microsoft for Playwright, Google for Puppeteer), so you can't go wrong with either choice.

Note: If you're looking for a managed solution, screenshotsapi.dev offers professional browser automation services with features like timezone handling, screenshot capture, and proxy support - all through a simple API without managing your own infrastructure.

Want to learn more about Playwright and browser automation? Check out our other guides: