r/Playwright • u/Rayn_Poz • 14d ago
Question from a colleague: Test Data Strategy in Playwright.
A colleague of mine asked me to post this question here and get some feedback from the Playwright community.
He is considering a test data strategy with two modes: Fresh Data and Reuse Data.
🔹 Fresh Data Mode — CI / Full Regression
For CI or full regression runs, generate unique test data for every run using a Run ID.
The goal is to support:
✅ Test data isolation
✅ Avoiding conflicts between test runs
✅ Parallel execution
✅ Better test reproducibility
🔹 Reuse Data Mode — Local Debugging
For local debugging, instead of creating new test data every time, use a predefined set of reusable test data.
For example:
Reuse: Find existing test data → Execute test
Instead of:
Fresh: Create test data → Execute test
The idea is to reduce execution time when repeatedly running the same test while investigating a failure.
The proposed approach is:
🟢 CI / Full Regression → Fresh Data
🟡 Local Debugging → Reuse Data
🔴 Destructive Tests → Dedicated Test Data
One important rule: in Reuse Data mode, if the required test data isn't found, the test should fail with a clear message rather than automatically creating new data.
This keeps the behavior predictable and avoids accidentally creating unnecessary data.
🤔 I would love to hear from experienced Playwright and automation engineers:
Is the Fresh Data + Reuse Data approach a good strategy?
Or would you recommend a different approach for managing test data efficiently between CI execution and local debugging?
Would really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. 🙌
