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      • Browser mode (experimental)

      Rstest provides Browser Mode, allowing you to run tests in a real browser instead of simulated environments like jsdom or happy-dom.

      What is browser Mode?

      Browser Mode uses Playwright to execute your test code in real browsers (Chromium, Firefox, or WebKit). This means your tests run with the exact same browser APIs and behaviors as in production.

      When to use browser mode

      Use this decision tree to determine if you need Browser Mode:

      Depends on real browser APIs? ─── Yes ─▶ ✅ Browser Mode
         │ No
         ▼
Need cross-browser testing?  ─── Yes ─▶ ✅ Browser Mode
         │ No
         ▼
Unexpected behavior in jsdom? ── Yes ─▶ ✅ Browser Mode
         │ No
         ▼
    💡 jsdom is fine
      Recommendation

      Even if your tests work fine in jsdom, we still recommend using Browser Mode. See the comparison table below for specific advantages.

      Browser mode vs jsdom/happy-dom

      Browser Mode and jsdom/happy-dom represent different trade-offs: Browser Mode provides full browser compatibility and visual debugging but consumes more resources; jsdom/happy-dom runs faster and lighter but can only simulate a subset of browser APIs.

      FeatureBrowser Modejsdom / happy-dom
      Browser API coverage✅ Full support⚠️ Partial simulation
      Canvas / WebGL✅ Native support❌ Unsupported or needs polyfill
      CSS computed styles✅ Real rendering⚠️ Limited support
      Web Workers✅ Native support❌ Unsupported
      Execution speed⚠️ Slower✅ Faster
      Resource usage⚠️ Higher✅ Lower
      Debugging experience✅ Visual debugging⚠️ Console only
      Cross-browser testing✅ Multiple browsers❌ Unsupported

      Next steps