feat(e2e): harden browser lifecycle, smoke gate, and RHDH naming

docs/e2e-tests/README.md

@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 | `e2e-tests/playwright/e2e`               | Contains all the end-to-end (E2E) test suites and test cases                                                   |
 | `e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/plugins`       | Contains all the dynamic plugins E2E test suites and test cases                                                |
 | `e2e-tests/playwright/utils`             | Utilities for easier test development, from UI interaction tasks to network requests                           |
+| `e2e-tests/unit/**/*.test.ts`            | Vitest unit tests for shared helpers (run via `yarn test:unit`)                                                |
+| `e2e-tests/vitest.config.ts`             | Vitest configuration for unit tests                                                                          |
 | `e2e-tests/playwright/support`           | Contains helper files for Playwright, like custom commands and page objects                                    |
 | `e2e-tests/playwright-report/index.html` | HTML report of the test execution                                                                              |
 | `e2e-tests/test-results`                 | Contains video recordings of the executed test cases                                                           |
@@ -35,6 +37,8 @@ yarn playwright install chromium
 ## Adding a Test
 
 To incorporate a new test case, create a file with a `.spec.ts` extension in the `e2e-tests/playwright/e2e` directory.
+
+Unit tests for shared helpers (for example `poll-until.ts`) live in `e2e-tests/unit/` as `*.test.ts` and run with `yarn test:unit` (Vitest). E2E specs use `*.spec.ts` under `playwright/e2e/`.
 The tests within a spec file can run in parallel (by default) or sequentially if using the `.serial` modifier like in [these examples](../../e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/). Note that sequential execution is considered a bad practice and is strongly discouraged.
 To add or edit a test, you should adhere to the [contribution guidelines](./CONTRIBUTING.MD).
 
@@ -83,7 +87,14 @@ The currently supported environment variables are:
 
 ### Running the Tests
 
-The Playwright command line supports many options; see them [here](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-cli). Flags like `--ui` or `--headed` are very useful when debugging. You can also specify a specific test to run:
+Unit tests (Vitest) do not need a deployed RHDH instance:
+
+```bash
+cd e2e-tests
+yarn test:unit
+```
+
+E2E tests (Playwright) require `BASE_URL` and a running application. The Playwright command line supports many options; see them [here](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-cli). Flags like `--ui` or `--headed` are very useful when debugging. You can also specify a specific test to run:
 
 ```bash
 yarn playwright test e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/your-test-file.spec.ts

e2e-tests/README.md

@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ letting CI or a local run target a subset.
 | `@smoke`             | Fast, high-signal check suitable to run on every PR.                                      |
 | `@ga-plugin`         | Exercises a generally-available (GA) plugin.                                              |
 | `@non-ga-plugin`     | Exercises a tech-preview / dev-preview (non-GA) plugin.                                   |
+| `@blocked`           | Blocked by a known issue; tests are skipped with a Jira reference.                        |
 
 ```bash
 # Run only smoke-tagged tests
@@ -404,18 +405,24 @@ This opens an interactive UI where you can select individual tests, watch them r
 
 After running `local-test-setup.sh`, these variables are set:
 
-| Variable                    | Description                                   |
-| --------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
-| `BASE_URL`                  | URL of the deployed RHDH instance             |
-| `SHOWCASE_URL`              | Showcase deployment URL                       |
-| `SHOWCASE_RBAC_URL`         | Showcase RBAC deployment URL                  |
-| `K8S_CLUSTER_URL`           | OpenShift API server URL                      |
-| `K8S_CLUSTER_TOKEN`         | Service account token (48-hour duration)      |
-| `JOB_NAME`                  | Selected job name                             |
-| `IMAGE_REGISTRY`            | Image registry (default: `quay.io`)           |
-| `IMAGE_REPO`                | Image repository (fallback: `QUAY_REPO`)      |
-| `TAG_NAME`                  | Image tag                                     |
-| Plus all secrets from Vault | (exported with `-`, `.`, `/` replaced by `_`) |
+| Variable                    | Description                                                                                    |
+| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `BASE_URL`                  | URL of the deployed RHDH instance (Playwright uses this as the test base URL)                  |
+| `SHOWCASE_URL`              | Legacy name for the standard RHDH deployment URL (same value as `BASE_URL` for showcase tests) |
+| `SHOWCASE_RBAC_URL`         | Legacy name for the RBAC deployment URL                                                        |
+| `K8S_CLUSTER_URL`           | OpenShift API server URL                                                                       |
+| `K8S_CLUSTER_TOKEN`         | Service account token (48-hour duration)                                                       |
+| `JOB_NAME`                  | Selected job name                                                                              |
+| `IMAGE_REGISTRY`            | Image registry (default: `quay.io`)                                                            |
+| `IMAGE_REPO`                | Image repository (fallback: `QUAY_REPO`)                                                       |
+| `TAG_NAME`                  | Image tag                                                                                      |
+| Plus all secrets from Vault | (exported with `-`, `.`, `/` replaced by `_`)                                                  |
+
+> **Note:** `BASE_URL` is the canonical Playwright base URL for the RHDH instance under test.
+> `SHOWCASE_URL` and `SHOWCASE_RBAC_URL` are legacy names retained by `local-test-setup.sh` and
+> deployment scripts; `local-test-setup.sh` sets `BASE_URL` from the appropriate legacy URL.
+> Yarn scripts such as `yarn showcase`, `yarn showcase-rbac`, and `yarn test:stability` still use
+> the `showcase` Playwright project name for historical reasons.
 
 ### Artifacts and Logs
 

e2e-tests/oxlint.config.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,87 @@
 import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
 
+/** POM and helper methods that perform assertions on behalf of E2E specs. */
+const playwrightAssertFunctions = [
+  "expect",
+  "toPass",
+  "verifyHeading",
+  "verifyWelcomeHeading",
+  "verifyGuestProfile",
+  "verifySignInPageTitle",
+  "verifyProfileHeading",
+  "verifySignInError",
+  "verifyQuickAccess",
+  "verifyLink",
+  "verifyRowsInTable",
+  "verifyRowInTableByUniqueText",
+  "verifyDivHasText",
+  "verifyComponentInCatalog",
+  "verifyComponentsInCatalog",
+  "verifyParagraph",
+  "verifyText",
+  "verifyTextinCard",
+  "verifyTextInCard",
+  "verifyVisitedCardContent",
+  "verifyAboutCardIsDisplayed",
+  "verifyPRStatisticsRendered",
+  "verifyPRRows",
+  "verifyPRRowsPerPage",
+  "waitForEntityPath",
+  "clickPullRequestFilter",
+  "verifyGithubUserProfile",
+  "verifySignInButtonVisible",
+  "verifyTemplateHeading",
+  "verifyTableCell",
+  "verifyDependencyResource",
+  "verifySharedCardCount",
+  "incrementFirstCardCounter",
+  "waitForOpenInCatalogLink",
+  "verifyComponentNameVisible",
+  "verifyLinkHidden",
+  "clearSearchIfVisible",
+  "sortCreatedAtDescending",
+  "verifyFirstRowCreatedAtNotEmpty",
+  "openLicensedUsersCatalog",
+  "verifyTestPageContent",
+  "verifyContextOneCard",
+  "verifyContextTwoCard",
+  "verifyTemplatesHeading",
+  "verifyDocumentationHeading",
+  "verifyDocHeading",
+  "verifyCreateReactAppReviewTableWithGroupOwner",
+  "verifyDependencyGraphLabels",
+  "launchTemplateAndVerifyIntro",
+  "runHttpRequestTemplateFlow",
+  "inspectEntityAndVerifyYaml",
+  "registerExistingComponent",
+  "runAccessibilityTests",
+  "validateLog",
+  "validateLogEvent",
+  "validateRbacLogEvent",
+  "checkRbacResponse",
+  "verifyTextInSelector",
+  "verifyPartialTextInSelector",
+  "verifyTextVisible",
+  "verifyLanguageToggleList",
+  "verifyLanguageSelectShowsOptions",
+  "verifyLanguageOptionsList",
+  "verifySelectedLanguage",
+  "verifySignOutMenuLabel",
+  "verifySidebarMenuItemHidden",
+  "verifyLocalizedUserSettingsLabelsWithOwnership",
+  "verifyBuildInfoCardVisible",
+  "verifyBuildInfoText",
+  "verifyGuestSignInMethodNotListed",
+  "verifyInactivityLogoutMessageHidden",
+  "verifyRhdhMetadata",
+  "verifyMenuItemInSection",
+  "verifyLearningPathLinksOpenInNewTab",
+  "verifyMainHeadingVisible",
+  "loginAsGuest",
+  "restartDeployment",
+  "waitForTitle",
+];
+
 export default defineConfig({
   plugins: ["eslint", "typescript", "unicorn", "oxc", "import", "node", "promise"],
   categories: {
@@ -11,7 +93,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
     typeAware: true,
     typeCheck: true,
   },
-  jsPlugins: ["eslint-plugin-playwright", "eslint-plugin-check-file"],
+  jsPlugins: ["eslint-plugin-check-file"],
   ignorePatterns: [
     "node_modules/**",
     "playwright-report/**",
@@ -44,48 +126,23 @@ export default defineConfig({
         "**": "KEBAB_CASE",
       },
     ],
-    "playwright/no-wait-for-timeout": "error",
-    "playwright/no-force-option": "error",
-    "playwright/expect-expect": "error",
-    "playwright/valid-expect": "error",
-    "playwright/prefer-native-locators": "error",
-    "playwright/no-raw-locators": [
-      "error",
-      {
-        allowed: [],
-      },
-    ],
-    "playwright/no-skipped-test": [
-      "error",
-      {
-        allowConditional: true,
-      },
-    ],
   },
   overrides: [
     {
-      // Auth-provider specs deploy RHDH in beforeAll and use async Playwright hooks.
-      // strict-void-return and no-misused-promises produce false positives on those
-      // describe/beforeAll callbacks without improving test safety.
       files: ["playwright/e2e/auth-providers/**/*.spec.ts"],
       rules: {
         "typescript/strict-void-return": "off",
         "typescript/no-misused-promises": "off",
       },
     },
     {
-      // Spec files orchestrate multi-step E2E flows; length limits target production
-      // code readability, not test scenarios that must stay in one file for clarity.
       files: ["**/*.spec.ts", "**/*.test.ts"],
       rules: {
         "eslint/max-lines": "off",
         "eslint/max-lines-per-function": "off",
       },
     },
     {
-      // Shared infrastructure (utils, support, data, e2e helpers) is split into
-      // modules but still contains cohesive orchestration (kube waits, deployment
-      // setup, log parsing). Complexity limits would force artificial fragmentation.
       files: [
         "playwright/utils/**/*.ts",
         "playwright/support/**/*.ts",
@@ -99,68 +156,55 @@ export default defineConfig({
       },
     },
     {
-      // Facade modules aggregate many submodules by design (e.g. KubeClient re-exports,
-      // rhdh-deployment orchestration, locale translation maps). A flat import count
-      // does not reflect coupling when each import is a focused submodule.
       files: ["playwright/utils/**/*.ts", "playwright/e2e/localization/**/*.ts"],
       rules: {
         "import/max-dependencies": "off",
       },
     },
     {
-      // valid-title / valid-describe-callback: existing suite uses legacy naming
-      // patterns that do not match the plugin's strict conventions.
-      // no-wait-for-selector: replaced with expect() and locator.waitFor() per
-      // hardening guidelines; rule would flag intentional migration patterns.
-      // expect-expect + assertFunctionNames: POM verify* helpers and loginAsGuest
-      // perform assertions on behalf of the spec; register them so specs are not
-      // forced to duplicate expect() calls after every helper invocation.
-      files: ["**/*.spec.ts", "**/*.test.ts", "playwright/**/*.ts"],
+      // E2E: *.spec.ts only. Playwright jsPlugin is not loaded for other files.
+      files: ["**/*.spec.ts"],
+      jsPlugins: ["eslint-plugin-playwright"],
       rules: {
-        // Playwright requires object destructuring for hook/test callbacks that take
-        // testInfo as a second argument (e.g. async ({}, testInfo) =>). Oxlint's
-        // no-empty-pattern rejects {}; disable it here so lint and runtime agree.
+        "playwright/no-wait-for-timeout": "error",
+        "playwright/no-force-option": "error",
+        "playwright/valid-expect": "error",
+        "playwright/prefer-native-locators": "error",
+        "playwright/no-raw-locators": [
+          "error",
+          {
+            allowed: [],
+          },
+        ],
+        "playwright/no-skipped-test": [
+          "error",
+          {
+            allowConditional: true,
+          },
+        ],
         "eslint/no-empty-pattern": "off",
         "playwright/valid-title": "off",
         "playwright/valid-describe-callback": "off",
         "playwright/no-wait-for-selector": "off",
         "playwright/expect-expect": [
           "error",
           {
-            assertFunctionNames: [
-              "expect",
-              "toPass",
-              "verifyHeading",
-              "verifyQuickAccess",
-              "verifyLink",
-              "verifyRowsInTable",
-              "verifyRowInTableByUniqueText",
-              "verifyDivHasText",
-              "verifyComponentInCatalog",
-              "verifyParagraph",
-              "verifyText",
-              "verifyTextinCard",
-              "verifyVisitedCardContent",
-              "verifyAboutCardIsDisplayed",
-              "verifyPRStatisticsRendered",
-              "verifyPRRows",
-              "verifyPRRowsPerPage",
-              "registerExistingComponent",
-              "inspectEntityAndVerifyYaml",
-              "runAccessibilityTests",
-              "validateLog",
-              "validateLogEvent",
-              "validateRbacLogEvent",
-              "checkRbacResponse",
-              "verifyTextInSelector",
-              "verifyPartialTextInSelector",
-              "loginAsGuest",
-              "restartDeployment",
-              "waitForTitle",
-            ],
+            assertFunctionNames: playwrightAssertFunctions,
           },
         ],
       },
     },
+    {
+      // Unit: *.test.ts only. Vitest plugin is not loaded for other files.
+      files: ["**/*.test.ts"],
+      plugins: ["vitest"],
+      rules: {
+        "vitest/expect-expect": "error",
+        "vitest/valid-expect": "off",
+        "vitest/no-conditional-in-test": "off",
+        "vitest/no-conditional-tests": "off",
+        "eslint/no-empty-pattern": "off",
+      },
+    },
   ],
 });

e2e-tests/package.json

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
+    "test:stability": "playwright test --project=showcase --retries=0",
     "showcase": "playwright test --project=showcase",
     "showcase-rbac": "playwright test --project=showcase-rbac",
     "showcase-k8s": "playwright test --project=showcase-k8s",
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@
     "lint": "oxlint .",
     "lint:fix": "oxlint --fix .",
     "test:list": "playwright test --list",
+    "test:unit": "vitest run",
     "fmt": "oxfmt .",
     "fmt:check": "oxfmt --check .",
     "postinstall": "playwright install chromium",
@@ -47,7 +49,6 @@
     "@playwright/test": "1.61.0",
     "@types/js-yaml": "4.0.9",
     "@types/node": "24.13.2",
-    "@types/node-fetch": "2.6.13",
     "@types/pg": "8.20.0",
     "eslint-plugin-check-file": "3.3.1",
     "eslint-plugin-playwright": "2.10.4",
@@ -58,7 +59,8 @@
     "oxlint": "1.71.0",
     "oxlint-tsgolint": "0.23.0",
     "shellcheck": "4.1.0",
-    "typescript": "6.0.3"
+    "typescript": "6.0.3",
+    "vitest": "^4.1.9"
   },
   "engines": {
     "node": "24"