Pros of Puppeteer

• More comprehensive browser automation capabilities beyond just capturing screenshots
• Supports a wider range of browser interactions and manipulations
• Actively maintained with frequent updates and a large community

Cons of Puppeteer

• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API and features
• Heavier resource usage, as it requires a full browser instance
• May be overkill for simple screenshot tasks

Code Comparison

Pageres:

const Pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
    await new Pageres({delay: 2})
        .src('https://github.com', ['1280x1024', '1920x1080'])
        .dest(__dirname)
        .run();
})();

Puppeteer:

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
    const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    await page.goto('https://github.com');
    await page.screenshot({path: 'github.png'});
    await browser.close();
})();

Pageres is more focused on capturing screenshots with various dimensions, while Puppeteer offers a broader range of browser automation capabilities. Pageres provides a simpler API for screenshot tasks, whereas Puppeteer requires more setup but offers greater flexibility for complex web interactions.

Pros of Cypress

• More comprehensive end-to-end testing framework
• Real-time reloading and debugging capabilities
• Extensive documentation and active community support

Cons of Cypress

• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• Limited cross-browser testing (primarily focused on Chrome)
• Slower test execution compared to lightweight screenshot tools

Code Comparison

Pageres (capturing a screenshot):

const Pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
    await new Pageres({delay: 2})
        .src('https://example.com', ['1280x1024', '1920x1080'])
        .dest(__dirname)
        .run();
})();

Cypress (writing a simple test):

describe('My First Test', () => {
  it('Visits the example page', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.com')
    cy.contains('Welcome').should('be.visible')
  })
})

Summary

While Pageres is a lightweight tool focused on capturing screenshots, Cypress is a full-featured testing framework. Pageres excels in simplicity and quick screenshot generation, whereas Cypress offers robust end-to-end testing capabilities with real-time feedback. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs of the project, with Pageres being ideal for simple screenshot tasks and Cypress better suited for comprehensive web application testing.

Pros of Playwright

• Supports multiple browser engines (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit)
• Offers more comprehensive web automation and testing capabilities
• Provides a unified API for cross-browser automation

Cons of Playwright

• Steeper learning curve due to more extensive features
• Larger package size and potentially higher resource usage
• May be overkill for simple screenshot tasks

Code Comparison

Pageres:

const Pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
    await new Pageres()
        .src('https://github.com', ['1280x1024', '1920x1080'])
        .dest(__dirname)
        .run();
})();

Playwright:

const { chromium } = require('playwright');

(async () => {
    const browser = await chromium.launch();
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    await page.goto('https://github.com');
    await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' });
    await browser.close();
})();

Pageres is focused on capturing screenshots with various resolutions, while Playwright offers a more comprehensive set of web automation tools, including screenshot capabilities. Pageres is simpler to use for basic screenshot tasks, whereas Playwright provides more flexibility and control over browser interactions.

Pros of Selenium

• Supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#, Ruby, etc.)
• Offers comprehensive browser automation capabilities beyond screenshot capture
• Widely adopted with extensive community support and documentation

Cons of Selenium

• More complex setup and configuration required
• Heavier resource usage due to full browser automation
• Steeper learning curve for beginners

Code Comparison

Pageres (JavaScript):

const pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
    await pageres()
        .src('https://example.com', ['1280x1024', '1920x1080'])
        .dest(__dirname)
        .run();
})();

Selenium (Python):

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_argument("--headless")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)
driver.get("https://example.com")
driver.save_screenshot("screenshot.png")
driver.quit()

Summary

Pageres is a lightweight, focused tool for capturing screenshots, while Selenium is a comprehensive browser automation framework. Pageres offers simplicity and ease of use for screenshot tasks, whereas Selenium provides more extensive capabilities for web testing and automation across multiple programming languages.

Pros of Lighthouse

• Comprehensive web performance auditing tool with multiple categories (Performance, Accessibility, SEO, etc.)
• Integrated with Chrome DevTools and available as a CLI, making it versatile for different use cases
• Provides detailed reports with actionable insights and recommendations

Cons of Lighthouse

• More complex to set up and use compared to Pageres
• Primarily focused on performance auditing rather than capturing screenshots
• May require more system resources due to its extensive analysis capabilities

Code Comparison

Pageres:

const Pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
    await new Pageres({delay: 2})
        .src('https://example.com', ['480x320', '1024x768'], {crop: true})
        .dest(__dirname)
        .run();
})();

Lighthouse:

const lighthouse = require('lighthouse');
const chromeLauncher = require('chrome-launcher');

(async () => {
    const chrome = await chromeLauncher.launch({chromeFlags: ['--headless']});
    const options = {logLevel: 'info', output: 'json', onlyCategories: ['performance'], port: chrome.port};
    const runnerResult = await lighthouse('https://example.com', options);
    console.log('Report is done for', runnerResult.lhr.finalUrl);
    await chrome.kill();
})();

Pros of PhantomJS

• More versatile: Can be used for various web automation tasks beyond capturing screenshots
• Supports complex JavaScript execution and interaction with web pages
• Has a larger ecosystem and community support

Cons of PhantomJS

• No longer actively maintained, with the last release in 2018
• Heavier and slower compared to Pageres
• More complex setup and usage for simple screenshot tasks

Code Comparison

PhantomJS:

var page = require('webpage').create();
page.open('https://example.com', function() {
  page.render('example.png');
  phantom.exit();
});

Pageres:

const Pageres = require('pageres');

(async () => {
  await new Pageres().src('https://example.com', ['1280x1024']).dest(__dirname).run();
})();

Key Differences

• PhantomJS is a full-fledged headless browser, while Pageres is focused specifically on capturing screenshots
• Pageres offers a simpler API for screenshot capture, making it easier to use for this specific task
• PhantomJS provides more control over page rendering and interaction, but requires more setup and code
• Pageres is actively maintained and updated, whereas PhantomJS development has ceased

Use Cases

• Choose PhantomJS for complex web automation tasks or when you need extensive control over page rendering
• Opt for Pageres when you primarily need to capture screenshots quickly and easily, especially in Node.js projects