Getting Started

Quick start guide to get Observer up and running

Getting Started with Observer

Welcome to Observer! This guide will help you get started with Observer in just a few minutes. Observer is a test observability system that collects and visualizes test execution events in real-time.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Docker (for quick start) or Kubernetes cluster (for production)
  • Node.js and npm (for Playwright tests)
  • Basic familiarity with Playwright testing

Quick Start with Docker

The fastest way to get started is using the all-in-one Docker image:

1. Run Observer

docker run -d \
  -p 3000:80 \
  -p 50051:50051 \
  -v observer-data:/data \
  --name observer \
  ghcr.io/stanterprise/observer/aio:latest

This starts Observer with:

  • Web UI on port 3000 (http://localhost:3000)
  • gRPC endpoint on port 50051

2. Install the Playwright Reporter

In your Playwright project, install the Observer reporter:

npm install @stanterprise/playwright-reporter --save-dev

3. Configure Playwright

Add the reporter to your playwright.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from "@playwright/test";

export default defineConfig({
  reporter: [
    ["list"], // Keep the default console reporter
    [
      "@stanterprise/playwright-reporter",
      {
        grpcAddress: "localhost:50051",
        verbose: true,
      },
    ],
  ],
  // ... your other config
});

4. Run Your Tests

Run your Playwright tests as usual:

npx playwright test

5. View Results

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser to see your test results in real-time!

Quick Start with Kubernetes/Helm

For production deployments, use Helm:

# Install from OCI registry
helm install observer oci://ghcr.io/stanterprise/observer/charts/observer --version 0.1.0

# Port forward to access the UI
kubectl port-forward svc/observer-web 3000:80
kubectl port-forward svc/observer-ingestion 50051:50051

Configure your Playwright tests to point to your Kubernetes service endpoint.

Architecture Modes

Observer supports two deployment modes:

  • All-in-One (AIO): Single container with embedded services - perfect for local development and CI
  • Distributed Mode: Multi-container deployment with separate ingestion, processor, API, and web services - ideal for production

Next Steps

Now that Observer is running, explore these topics:

Getting Help