Accessibility Testing for Frontend: Using Axe and Lighthouse

Accessibility is no longer a “nice-to-have” feature in web development—it’s a necessity. Making sure your application is usable for everyone, including people with disabilities, is not only ethically responsible but also crucial for compliance with standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Two of the most effective tools for accessibility testing on the frontend are Axe and Lighthouse. In this blog, we’ll explore how to use these tools to detect and fix accessibility issues in your web applications.


Why Accessibility Testing Matters

Web accessibility ensures that people with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments can interact with your website effectively. Accessible websites:

  • Improve user experience for everyone
  • Are more SEO-friendly
  • Avoid legal liabilities
  • Expand your user base

Manual accessibility testing is important but time-consuming. Automated tools like Axe and Lighthouse can help catch the low-hanging fruit and integrate accessibility into your development workflow.


Getting Started with Axe

Axe is an open-source accessibility engine developed by Deque Systems. It can be integrated into your browser as an extension or into your automated testing setup.

Using the Axe Browser Extension:

  1. Install the Axe DevTools extension for Chrome or Firefox.
  2. Open your web page in the browser.
  3. Open DevTools and navigate to the Axe tab.
  4. Click “Analyze” to run accessibility checks.

Axe will highlight accessibility issues such as:

  • Missing ARIA labels
  • Insufficient color contrast
  • Improper heading structure
  • Form inputs without labels

Each issue includes a description, the impacted WCAG rule, and suggestions for remediation.


Automated Testing with Axe:

You can also use Axe with testing libraries like Cypress, Playwright, or Jest. For example, with Cypress-Axe, you can run accessibility checks as part of your CI pipeline:

javascript


import 'cypress-axe';


describe('Accessibility tests', () => {

  it('Has no detectable a11y violations on load', () => {

    cy.visit('/');

    cy.injectAxe();

    cy.checkA11y();

  });

});

This ensures accessibility regressions are caught early in development.


Using Lighthouse for Accessibility

Lighthouse is an open-source tool by Google that audits web performance, SEO, best practices, and accessibility.

Running Lighthouse:

  1. Open Chrome DevTools.
  2. Go to the Lighthouse tab.
  3. Select the “Accessibility” category.
  4. Click “Generate report.”


Lighthouse runs automated tests and gives your site an accessibility score out of 100. It flags:

  • Missing alt attributes
  • Poor contrast ratios
  • Non-focusable elements
  • Inaccessible interactive controls


Each audit includes actionable recommendations and links to documentation for fixing the issues.

Lighthouse can also be run via the command line or as part of CI/CD pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins, helping enforce accessibility standards in continuous delivery workflows.


Best Practices for Accessibility Testing

  • Combine automated tools with manual testing using screen readers (like NVDA or VoiceOver).
  • Use semantic HTML and ARIA roles only when necessary.
  • Test accessibility across multiple devices and browsers.
  • Incorporate accessibility checks early and often during development.


Conclusion

Accessibility should be an integral part of your frontend development process. Tools like Axe and Lighthouse make it easy to identify and fix accessibility barriers quickly and efficiently. While automated tools can’t catch everything, they’re essential for maintaining a high baseline of accessibility and ensuring your application is inclusive for all users. By embedding these tools in your workflow, you move closer to building truly user-friendly digital experiences.

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