Playwright-core is the foundation of the Playwright testing and automation library. It provides the core APIs for interacting with Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browsers. Unlike "playwright", it doesn't bundle browser binaries, offering a smaller installation footprint for advanced users who manage browser installations independently. It's ideal when you need precise control over browser versions or embedding Playwright within existing browser environments. Leveraging its APIs, you can automate browser actions, capture screenshots, and emulate user interactions.
Playwright-core releases have varied significantly since January 2020. The frequency peaked in early versions and mid-2022, with several months having multiple releases. Release cadence appears less consistent in 2024 and 2025, with some months having no releases and others only one. The most recent versions were published in August 2025.
Playwright-core npm package downloads show a strong upward trend from March 2024 (24.6M) to August 2025 (84.7M). Significant growth occurred between October 2024 and January 2025. The current month, September 2025, is incomplete, with downloads currently at 0.
