Automated Playwright Login Test for Synthetic Monitoring and Availability Tracking

Overview

This project sets up an Azure Timer Trigger Function to execute a Playwright test that performs a login operation on a sample website (https://www.saucedemo.com). The test results are sent to Azure Application Insights for synthetic monitoring and availability tracking.

By implementing this solution, organizations can:

• Automatically test website login functionality at regular intervals.
• Detect login failures proactively and resolve them before impacting users.
• Monitor site availability using Azure Application Insights Availability Tests.
• Automate synthetic monitoring to track system health in real time.

Features

• ✅ Runs every 5 minutes using an Azure Timer Trigger
• ✅ Launches a browser and performs a login test using Playwright
• ✅ Logs success and failure events to Application Insights
• ✅ Enables synthetic monitoring to track login availability
• ✅ Can be deployed to Azure Functions for cloud execution

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Azure Functions Core Tools

  npm install -g azure-functions-core-tools@4

• Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• Azure CLI

  az login

• An active Azure Subscription with Application Insights set up

Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd AppInsights-Playwright

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

   • Install Playwright browsers:

     $env:PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=0; npx playwright install --with-deps

     This downloads browser binaries for Windows, which will later be pushed to the Azure Function App.

3. Run the Function Locally

   • Add the following settings in local.settings.json:

     {
       "IsEncrypted": false,
       "Values": {
         "AzureWebJobsStorage": "UseDevelopmentStorage=true"
       }
     }

   • Run Azurite in a new terminal:

     azurite

     If Azurite is not recognized install it using this command: npm install -g azurite

   • Start the function app in a separate terminal:

     func start

Deployment to Azure

1. Login to Azure

   az login

2. Create an Azure Function App (Premium EP1 Plan)
   Use the Azure Portal to create the app.

3. Set App Settings in Azure Portal

   PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=0

4. Linux Function App Only
   Add Playwright browser binaries for Chromium Linux inside node_modules/playwright-core/.local-browsers. Download and extract the following:

   • https://cdn.playwright.dev/dbazure/download/playwright/builds/chromium/1161/chromium-linux.zip
   • https://cdn.playwright.dev/dbazure/download/playwright/builds/chromium/1161/chromium-headless-shell-linux.zip
   

5. Deploy the Function App

   func azure functionapp publish <function-app-name>

Monitoring Test Results in Application Insights

• Go to Azure Portal → Application Insights

• Navigate to Investigate → Availability

• Click Custom Availability Tests

• View the results of Playwright test runs

  

• Create Alerts in Application Insights

  • Navigate to Alerts → New Alert Rule
  • Set condition: availabilityResults/availabilityPercentage < 100
  • Choose notification method: Email, Teams, etc.

Why This Solution is Needed

• Ensures Login Reliability: Automates login testing to identify failures proactively
• Synthetic Monitoring: Provides real-time monitoring of website availability
• Early Detection: Detects authentication issues before they impact users
• Scalable: Runs in Azure Functions, eliminating the need for a dedicated server
• Integrated with Application Insights: Allows tracking of availability trends over time

Learn More

To learn more about writing Playwright tests, visit the Playwright Documentation.