The Future of test automation tool for both developers and QA

Cypress Test Automation Framework

Cypress Test Automation framework is more popular alternative to Selenium Webdriver. As Cypress is easy to set up and install. Let’s dive into it.

 

Introduction To Cypress

Cypress is Next generation tool used for testing modern web applications [ here modern web application means the computer program that uses web browsers and web technology to perform tasks over internet. We can perform Web testing using Cypress and it uses JavaScript to automate tests.]

Cypress built on Node.js (an open-source development platform for executing JavaScript code server-side). As it is built on node.js it uses JavaScript programming language for writing the test cases.

Cypress has inbuilt commands to write test cases so it is easy to understand even if you don’t know the JavaScript programming, by understanding some basic commands you can start with it.

 

Selenium Vs Cypress

Most testing tools like selenium works outside the browser and execute commands across network but Cypress has its own Cypress engine which is inbuilt in browser.

So, in simple term it is the browser only who can run your code in Cypress. Which helps us to modify browser behavior at run time.

 

Components of Cypress

1. Test Runner

It is Open-source component and installed locally. It helps you to set up and start writing test cases using JavaScript.

The Cypress test runner allows us to see the commands while executing.

 

2. Dashboard Services

Dashboard services provides insight into what happened when your tests run.

It basically provides services to run tests, record tests and result and all the related data.

 

Features of Cypress

Cypress testing framework has below features:

 

1. Time Travel

It takes snapshots of tests which run. We can see what happened at each step while test run.

 

2. Real time reloads

Cypress understands when tester saves the file, it automatically triggers the run next to the browser as soon as the tester saves their file. Hence, there is no need to manually trigger the run.

Cypress automatically reloads whenever you make changes to your tests.

 

3. Spies, Stubs and Clock

This is related to functions, server response. We can control and verify behavior of functions, server response.

 

4. Consistent Results

You can run your test cases in any environment, any number of times you will get consistent result. As Cypress directly talks to browser so you will maintain the results.

 

5. Debuggability

When test case failed, we start guessing why it is failed. But in Cypress we can debug using the tool like “Chrome DevTools” to analyze the issue. Readable errors make debugging fast. It is very easy to find the failures.

 

6. Automatic Waiting

Important feature provided by Cypress. In selenium while synchronizing we face Element is not available, page is not available at that time script looking for the element and after sometime it will run into issue.

Here in Cypress, there is no Waiting. Without waiting our tests go smoothly because internally Cypress has intelligent to wait for the element.

In short, it waits to execute the test command automatically and enacts assertions before executing the next commands to be run.

 

7. Network Traffic Control

By using Spies, Stubs and Clock you can control your network request also.

 

8. Screenshots and Videos

Cypress allows you to record videos of entire test suits and take screenshots of failure tests automatically and store in dashboard.

 

Why Cypress is Different than other tools?

Cypress testing framework has below features:

 

  • Most of the applications like Appium, protractor, Katalon are built on the Selenium libraries, so selenium is the base for them But in Cypress it doesn’t use Selenium.
    It is specially designed for handling applications which are developed by using JavaScript based framework like AngularJS, React etc. [which are used to design web-based application]. Selenium doesn’t support these tools directly, it needs a webdriver. So, both have different architecture.

  • Cypress is basically designed to handle the new generation technology.

  • Cypress works on any Front-End framework or website.

  • Cypress focuses on End-to-end Testing.

  • Cypress captures screenshots of test execution automatically in case of test failure. This is helpful to diagnose bugs and debug.

  • Cypress works on any front-end framework or website.

  • Cypress is limited to JavaScript. The tests are written only in JavaScript.

  • Both developers and QA engineers can use Cypress. Developers can use Cypress for Unit testing and integration testing.

  • Automatically reloads Test Runner once the changes have been made to the test.

  • Cypress runs faster than other tool as cypress engine built in browser itself.

  • Cypress is all in one – Before the cypress, for end-to-end testing, many tools and frameworks needs to be integrated but it becomes very easy by using Cypress. Mainly it integrates everything. Refer the below image.

 

Created by…

Shrutika Kawade
QA Engineer