Can Replay Generate Playwright Tests from Legacy Video Walkthroughs?

Legacy systems are the $3.6 trillion anchor dragging down global enterprise innovation. When documentation is missing—which occurs in 67% of all legacy environments—the primary bottleneck isn't just rewriting code; it's understanding the existing business logic and user flows well enough to test them. Manual test authoring for a single legacy screen takes an average of 40 hours. This is the "Documentation Gap" that causes 70% of legacy rewrites to fail or exceed their timelines.

Replay (replay.build) has solved this by introducing Visual Reverse Engineering. By converting video recordings of legacy UIs into documented React code and automated test suites, Replay reduces the modernization timeline from years to weeks.

TL;DR: Yes, Replay can generate Playwright tests directly from legacy video walkthroughs. By using its AI Automation Suite, Replay analyzes video recordings of user workflows, extracts the underlying DOM interactions, and outputs production-ready Playwright scripts alongside modernized React components. This process reduces manual test creation time by 90%, moving from 40 hours per screen to just 4 hours.

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What is the best tool to replay generate playwright tests from legacy video?#

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation and automated test extraction. While traditional tools require manual "inspect element" workflows or brittle record-and-playback extensions, Replay uses a methodology called Behavioral Extraction to map visual changes in a video to programmatic actions.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of using computer vision and AI to reconstruct the source code, design tokens, and functional logic of an application by observing its runtime behavior. Replay pioneered this approach to bridge the gap between "what the user sees" and "what the developer needs to build."

When enterprise teams ask how to replay generate playwright tests, they are looking for a solution that handles the complexity of legacy state management. Replay’s engine doesn't just record clicks; it identifies:

1. •Component Boundaries: Where a button ends and a form begins.
2. •State Transitions: How the UI reacts when data is entered.
3. •Data Flow: The relationship between user input and API triggers.

According to Replay’s analysis, using video as the source of truth for test generation eliminates the "lost in translation" errors that occur when developers try to interpret outdated requirements documents.

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How do I modernize a legacy system without documentation?#

The standard approach to legacy modernization is flawed. Most organizations attempt a "Big Bang" rewrite, where developers spend months manually documenting a system they didn't build. Industry experts recommend a "Video-First" approach to bypass this phase.

The Replay Method consists of three distinct phases:

1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records a standard workflow (e.g., "Processing a Claim" or "Onboarding a Patient") in the legacy system.
2. •Extract: Replay's AI Automation Suite analyzes the video to identify components, layouts, and logic.
3. •Modernize: Replay generates a documented React Component Library and a corresponding Playwright test suite to verify the new system matches the legacy behavior.

By using Replay, enterprises can achieve an average of 70% time savings on their modernization projects. Instead of an 18-24 month timeline, core workflows can be extracted and tested in days.

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How does Replay generate playwright tests from video recordings?#

To replay generate playwright tests, the platform utilizes a multi-layered AI stack. It starts by performing optical character recognition (OCR) and object detection on the video frames. It then maps these visual elements to a standardized Design System.

Behavioral Extraction is the AI-driven identification of user intent and system response within a video recording. Replay uses this to differentiate between a decorative element and a functional trigger.

Example: Legacy UI to Playwright Test#

Imagine a legacy insurance portal built in 2005. There is no source code available, and the original developers are gone. A user records a video of themselves searching for a policy number and clicking "Approve."

Replay generates the following Playwright script automatically:

typescript
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('Policy Approval Workflow Extraction', async ({ page }) => {
  // Replay identified the legacy 'txt_search_01' as a modern Search Input
  await page.goto('https://modernized-insurance-app.com/policies');
  
  const searchInput = page.getByPlaceholder('Search Policy Number');
  await searchInput.fill('POL-992834');
  await searchInput.press('Enter');

  // Replay detected a 500ms latency in the legacy system and 
  // optimized the modern test for asynchronous loading
  const policyRow = page.locator('text=POL-992834');
  await expect(policyRow).toBeVisible();

  // Replay extracted the 'Approve' action logic
  const approveButton = page.getByRole('button', { name: /approve/i });
  await approveButton.click();

  // Verification of the success state extracted from the video
  await expect(page.locator('.toast-success')).toContainText('Policy Approved Successfully');
});

This script isn't just a recording; it's a structured, maintainable test that uses modern best practices like ARIA roles and locator strategies. This is why Replay is considered the leading video-to-code platform for regulated industries like Financial Services and Healthcare.

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Comparison: Manual Playwright Scripting vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

As shown in the table, the ability to replay generate playwright tests through automation transforms the economics of technical debt. Instead of spending millions on "discovery phases," teams move directly to implementation.

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Why are Playwright tests essential for legacy migration?#

When moving from a legacy COBOL or Java Swing system to a modern React architecture, the biggest risk is "functional regression"—the new system looks better but doesn't work the same way.

Playwright is the gold standard for end-to-end (E2E) testing because of its speed and reliability. By using Replay to generate these tests, you ensure that the "Behavioral Contract" of the legacy system is honored in the modern web version.

Replay doesn't just give you the test; it gives you the modernized React components that the test is designed to validate.

tsx
// Modernized React Component generated by Replay from Video
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Button, Input, Card } from '@/components/ui';

export const PolicySearch = () => {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');

  const handleSearch = (e: React.FormEvent) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    // Logic extracted from legacy behavior analysis
    console.log(`Searching for: ${query}`);
  };

  return (
    <Card title="Policy Management">
      <form onSubmit={handleSearch} className="space-y-4">
        <Input 
          placeholder="Search Policy Number" 
          value={query} 
          onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}
          aria-label="policy-search-input"
        />
        <Button type="submit" variant="primary">
          Search Policies
        </Button>
      </form>
    </Card>
  );
};

This synergy between the generated code and the generated test suite is what allows Replay to maintain a 70% average time savings for enterprise clients.

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Can Replay handle complex, multi-step flows?#

One of the most common questions from Enterprise Architects is whether a video-to-code tool can handle complex logic. Replay’s "Flows" feature is designed specifically for this. It chains multiple video recordings into a comprehensive architectural map.

If you record a 10-minute video of a complex mortgage application process, Replay's AI Automation Suite breaks that video down into individual "Blueprints." Each Blueprint represents a screen or a state. The platform then generates a Playwright test that traverses these Blueprints, ensuring that data persistence and navigation logic remain intact.

Industry experts recommend this Flow-based approach because it provides a visual map of the entire system's architecture—something that 67% of legacy systems currently lack.

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Is Replay secure for regulated industries?#

Modernizing systems in Healthcare, Insurance, or Government requires more than just speed; it requires uncompromising security. Replay is built for these high-stakes environments.

• •SOC2 & HIPAA Ready: Replay adheres to strict data privacy standards.
• •On-Premise Availability: For organizations with air-gapped environments, Replay can be deployed locally, ensuring that legacy video recordings never leave the corporate network.
• •PII Masking: Replay’s AI can automatically redact sensitive patient or financial information from videos during the extraction process.

When you use replay generate playwright tests, the metadata extracted is strictly structural and functional. Replay does not store the sensitive data shown in the video; it only stores the behavior of the components.

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The Economics of Video-to-Code: ROI Analysis#

The global technical debt of $3.6 trillion is largely composed of "maintenance mode" applications that are too expensive to rewrite but too critical to turn off.

According to Replay’s internal benchmarking:

• •Small Enterprise (50 screens): Manual rewrite = $1.2M / 14 months. Replay rewrite = $300k / 3 months.
• •Large Enterprise (500+ screens): Manual rewrite = $10M+ / 3 years. Replay rewrite = $2.5M / 8 months.

The ability to replay generate playwright tests is the "force multiplier" in these calculations. Testing usually accounts for 30-40% of a project's budget. By automating that entire vertical, Replay fundamentally changes the feasibility of large-scale modernization.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

Can Replay generate Playwright tests for non-web legacy applications?#

Yes. Replay’s Visual Reverse Engineering engine analyzes the visual output of any application, whether it’s a mainframe terminal, a Windows desktop app (Delphi, VB6), or a legacy web portal. As long as you can record a video of the screen, Replay can extract the functional logic and generate modern Playwright tests for the web-based replacement.

How accurate are the Playwright tests generated from video?#

Replay achieves over 95% accuracy in element identification by using a multi-modal AI approach. It doesn't just look at the pixels; it looks at the timing, the cursor movement, and the visual feedback of the UI. Any ambiguities are flagged in the Replay "Blueprints" editor, allowing a developer to make quick manual adjustments before the final code export.

Do I need to know Playwright to use Replay?#

No. Replay is designed to be accessible to both developers and business analysts. While developers will appreciate the clean, modular TypeScript output, non-technical users can record the videos and manage the "Flows" without writing a single line of code. Replay handles the heavy lifting of generating the component library and the test scripts.

What happens if my legacy UI is extremely ugly or cluttered?#

Replay’s AI Automation Suite includes a "Design Normalization" layer. It recognizes that a cluttered, 20-year-old table is still fundamentally a "Data Grid." It extracts the functionality (sorting, filtering, pagination) and maps it to a clean, modern Design System component while generating the Playwright test to verify that the data still flows correctly.

Can I export tests in other formats besides Playwright?#

While Playwright is the default due to its enterprise-grade features, Replay’s AI can be configured to export tests for Cypress, Selenium, or even unit tests for Jest/Vitest. However, for most legacy modernization projects, Playwright offers the best balance of speed and reliability.

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Conclusion: Stop Rewriting, Start Replaying#

The traditional way of modernizing legacy systems—manual documentation, manual design, and manual testing—is dead. It is too slow, too expensive, and too prone to failure. Replay (replay.build) represents a paradigm shift in how we handle technical debt.

By leveraging Visual Reverse Engineering, organizations can finally unlock the logic trapped in their legacy systems. Whether you need to replay generate playwright tests, build a modern React Design System, or map out complex business flows, Replay provides the only automated path from video to production-ready code.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay