How To Read Data From CSV File In Playwright

1. Install CSV Parser

Run:

npm install csv-parser

2. Create CSV File

Create a file named testdata.csv

username,password
admin,admin123
testuser,test123
demo,demo123

3. Create Utility to Read CSV

Create readCSV.js

const fs = require('fs');
const csv = require('csv-parser');

function readCSV(filePath) {
    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
        const results = [];

        fs.createReadStream(filePath)
            .pipe(csv())
            .on('data', (data) => results.push(data))
            .on('end', () => resolve(results))
            .on('error', (error) => reject(error));
    });
}

module.exports = readCSV;

4. Use CSV Data in Playwright Test

Create example.spec.js

const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');
const readCSV = require('./readCSV');

let testData = [];

test.beforeAll(async () => {
    testData = await readCSV('./testdata.csv');
});

test.describe('Login Tests Using CSV Data', () => {

    for (const data of testData) {

        test(`Login test for ${data.username}`, async ({ page }) => {

            await page.goto('https://example.com/login');

            await page.fill('#username', data.username);
            await page.fill('#password', data.password);

            await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

            // Example validation
            await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard/);
        });
    }
});

Better Approach (Recommended)

Because Playwright loads tests before beforeAll, the loop may not work correctly.

Use this cleaner approach:

const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');
const readCSV = require('./readCSV');

test.describe('CSV Driven Tests', () => {

    let testData;

    test.beforeAll(async () => {
        testData = await readCSV('./testdata.csv');
    });

    test('Run all CSV rows', async ({ page }) => {

        for (const data of testData) {

            console.log(`Testing with ${data.username}`);

            await page.goto('https://example.com/login');

            await page.fill('#username', data.username);
            await page.fill('#password', data.password);

            await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

            await expect(page).toHaveURL(/dashboard/);
        }
    });
});

Best Practice for Large Frameworks

For scalable automation frameworks:

Keep test data in data/ folder
Use Page Object Model (POM)
Create reusable CSV utility
Separate:
- Test Data
- Test Logic
- Page Actions

Example structure:

project/
│
├── tests/
├── pages/
├── utils/
│   └── readCSV.js
├── data/
│   └── testdata.csv
└── playwright.config.js

Alternative (Recommended for Playwright)

Playwright works better with JSON than CSV for parameterized tests.

You can convert CSV → JSON and use:

testData.forEach((data) => {
   test(`Login ${data.username}`, async ({ page }) => {
      // test steps
   });
});

This gives:

Better reporting
Separate test cases
Parallel execution support
Easier debugging

How to read data from CSV file in Playwright