Performance goals

In-page Web Vitals vs Lighthouse category scores: what the runner measures today and when to keep Lighthouse CI or RUM.

Schema validation allows goals with type: performance alongside browser (and reserved native). The runner opens the same navigation path as a browser goal (environment base_url plus optional start_path), then evaluates success_criteria on that page.

Two complementary layers:

  • In-session Web Vitals (Performance API) — structured_checks with paths such as vital:lcp, vital:fcp, vital:cls (and web_vitals: aliases). These read metrics from the Playwright page after load; they respect your session (e.g. storage_state) and are cheap enough for many CI suites. Thresholds use the same units as in docs/testing/config-reference-mvp.md.
  • Lighthouse-style audits — structured_checks with lighthouse:performance, lh:accessibility, lighthouse:full, etc. The runner invokes Lighthouse in a separate headless Chrome against the current URL; it does not inherit Playwright cookies or storage. Best for public URLs, smoke pages, or when you accept a second browser. Skip with RESTORMEL_TESTING_SKIP_LIGHTHOUSE=1; tune RESTORMEL_TESTING_LIGHTHOUSE_TIMEOUT_MS.

Practical guidance: keep deep budgets, custom traces, or authenticated Lighthouse flows in Lighthouse CI, RUM, or existing Playwright perf jobs where you already solved auth. Use Restormel performance-typed goals for goal-level gates that match the YAML you version in-repo; confirm shapes in docs/testing/config-reference-mvp.md.

Retiring old perf baselines

When migrating from legacy Lighthouse CI or static “perf budget” gates:

  • Overlap briefly — run Restormel checks and your existing gate in parallel until scores stabilise on the same URLs.
  • Do not assume parity — in-page vitals vs Lighthouse categories measure different things; auth and cold-load behaviour differ between the Playwright session and Lighthouse’s separate Chrome.
  • When Restormel checks cover your risk, narrow or remove redundant jobs deliberately rather than dropping coverage in one step.

Authoritative references

Field behaviour and env tables: docs/testing/config-reference-mvp.md and docs/testing/restormel-testing-technical-architecture.md.

Configuration · Test definition · Compatibility