From Protractor to Playwright: Speeding up UI and API test automation – Part 2

In our previous post, we shared how and why we began migrating from Protractor to Playwright - a decision driven by the need for speed, stability, and maintainability in a growing digital ecosystem. Now, we’re halfway through the migration, and the results are impossible to ignore.

This post details our progress: 17 spec files and 330 tests successfully migrated—with an average test execution speed improvement of 61.4%. Let’s break it down.

💡 At Vayner Systems, we specialize in helping teams modernize test automation frameworks and scale QA infrastructure with precision. Need help replacing Protractor or improving your CI pipeline? Contact us for tailored support.

Here’s what we’ve migrated so far:

We’ve reduced our test runtime from over two hours to under one, all without compromising on coverage or stability.

Why these matter

This isn’t just a win for CI speed - it’s a shift in how fast we can deliver value.

✅ Faster feedback loops

✅ Less flaky tests

✅ Modern browsers 

✅ Cleaner codebase with async/await & TypeScript support

✅ Additional UI + API validations

Seamless UI + API testing in one flow

With Protractor, validating data required either multiple frameworks or brittle UI-only workflows. Playwright’s APIRequestContext changes that entirely.

Each test can now:

• Validate backend state before a UI action
• Confirm UI behavior reflects API changes
• Skip unnecessary UI steps for faster logic verification

This dual-layer testing model has been instrumental in both speeding up execution and reducing flaky failures.

Here’s what helped us scale the migration smoothly:

1. Start with your most painful test suites (slowest, flakiest)
2. Introduce shared fixtures for browser, login, and project setup logic
3. Parallelize tests using Playwright’s built-in workers
4. Leverage trace viewer for debugging early-stage failures
5. Split logic into modular Page Objects to reduce duplication

We also introduced custom fixtures to keep tests lean and DRY - something we’ll explore further in another article.

Conclusion

This phase of our Protractor-to-Playwright migration shows just how much speed and stability can be gained by embracing modern testing frameworks. With 330 tests migrated across 17 spec files and execution time cut by 60%, we’re well on our way to a leaner, more scalable automation strategy. At VaynerSystems, we specialize in building custom software and high-quality QA solutions that evolve with your business. Whether you're replacing legacy frameworks or laying a future-proof testing foundation.