What are Non-Retrying (Generic) Assertions in Playwright?

The Answer

Non-retrying assertions are plain synchronous checks (similar to Jest's `expect`) that do NOT auto-wait. They evaluate immediately and are used for non-UI values like API response data, variables, or computed values.

Deep Dive Explanation

The key distinction: Web-First assertions like `expect(locator).toBeVisible()` retry. Generic assertions like `expect(value).toBe(x)` do not retry. Never use generic assertions on locators — always use Web-First assertions for DOM checks.

example.spec.ts

test('non-retrying assertions', async ({ request }) => {
  const response = await request.get('/api/users/1');

  // Non-retrying - evaluates immediately
  expect(response.status()).toBe(200);
  expect(response.ok()).toBeTruthy();

  const body = await response.json();
  expect(body.name).toBe('John Doe');
  expect(body.role).toContain('admin');
  expect(body.items).toHaveLength(3);
  expect(body.score).toBeGreaterThan(0);
  expect(body.email).toMatch(/@example\.com$/);
});