how to migrate from cypress to playwright incrementally

TL;DR

Migrate incrementally, not in one big rewrite. Run Cypress and Playwright side by side in CI, write all new tests in Playwright, and migrate existing suites one at a time starting with the most valuable or most flaky. Build a thin helper layer (login, seeding, common assertions) in Playwright first so migrated tests read naturally instead of being line-for-line Cypress translations. Delete the Cypress version of a suite only after its Playwright replacement is green for a few weeks.

The query

how to migrate from cypress to playwright incrementally

Use this when

• Moving an existing Cypress suite to Playwright.
• You cannot afford a testing freeze during migration.

Not for

• Greenfield Playwright projects.
• Migrating away from Playwright.

Steps

1. Set up Playwright alongside Cypress in CI with its own job. Expected output: both frameworks run, CI stays green.
2. Build shared Playwright helpers: login, data seeding, custom assertions. Expected output: a small helper library new tests use.
3. Write all new tests in Playwright; stop adding to the Cypress suite. Expected output: the Cypress suite stops growing.
4. Migrate suites one at a time, most valuable first, and run both versions in parallel for two weeks. Expected output: each migrated suite is proven before the old one is deleted.
5. Delete migrated Cypress specs and, at the end, the Cypress setup itself. Expected output: one framework, no leftovers.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_jSMkDt6nSq9Zz9XkVf5iKQ