web-platform-tests
Cross-browser test suites for Web platform specifications, ensuring interoperability across browser implementations.
What is web-platform-tests?
web-platform-tests (WPT) is a cross-browser test suite for the Web platform stack, covering specifications from WHATWG, W3C, and other standards bodies. It provides a shared set of tests that browser vendors use to ensure interoperability and compatibility, helping web developers rely on features working consistently across different browsers without extra abstraction layers.
Browser engineers, web standards contributors, and web developers who need to verify or ensure cross-browser compatibility of web platform features.
Developers choose WPT because it offers a comprehensive, publicly maintained test suite that aligns with web standards, enables detection of interoperability gaps, and provides tools for local testing and continuous integration, fostering a more reliable and consistent web platform.
Overview
Test suites for Web platform specs — including WHATWG, W3C, and others
Use Cases
Best For
- Browser vendors verifying implementation compliance with web standards
- Web developers testing cross-browser compatibility of new features
- Standards contributors validating specification correctness through tests
- Quality assurance engineers automating browser compatibility checks
- Open-source projects requiring a shared test suite for web platform features
- Researchers studying web standards interoperability across browsers
Not Ideal For
- Projects requiring quick, GUI-based testing without command-line setup or scripting
- Teams building applications heavily reliant on non-standard or framework-specific APIs not covered by web standards
- Small-scale web development where cross-browser compatibility is not critical and setup overhead is undesirable
Pros & Cons
Pros
Tests align with WHATWG, W3C, and other standards bodies, ensuring thorough validation of web platform features as per official specifications.
wpt.live allows anyone to run the test suite directly in their browser without setup, making it accessible for quick compatibility checks.
wpt.fyi archives test results from various browsers over time, providing valuable data for tracking interoperability trends and browser evolution.
The wpt command-line interface includes tools for serving tests, running them locally, linting, and managing browser installations, streamlining the testing workflow.
Cons
Setting up to run tests locally requires system configuration, browser and webdriver installations, which can be time-consuming and error-prone, as detailed in the documentation.
On Windows, commands must be prefixed with python, and careful management of line endings is necessary to avoid lint errors, adding extra steps for developers on this platform.
The test suite is limited to web platform specifications, so it doesn't cover custom or framework-specific features, requiring additional testing tools for comprehensive application coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.