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Cypress Best Practices

In this tutorial, we'll discuss the best practices for writing and maintaining Cypress tests, ensuring that your end-to-end testing is efficient and high-quality.

1. Keep your tests small and focused​

Write small, focused tests that target specific user interactions or features. This makes it easier to debug, maintain, and understand the purpose of each test.

it('should log in successfully', () => {
  /* Test code for logging in */
});
it('should display an error for invalid login credentials', () => {
  /* Test code for invalid login */
});

2. Use data-* attributes for selecting elements​

Instead of relying on CSS class names or element IDs, use data-* attributes to select elements in your tests. This helps reduce the risk of breaking tests when you change the design or structure of your application.

html
<button data-cy="submit-button">Submit</button>
JavaScript
cy.get('[data-cy="submit-button"]').click();

3. Use beforeEach and afterEach hooks wisely​

Use beforeEach and afterEach hooks for actions that need to happen before or after each test, such as setting up the test environment or cleaning up after a test.

beforeEach(() => {
  cy.visit('index.html');
});

afterEach(() => {
  // Clean up actions
});

4. Use custom commands for repetitive actions​

If you find yourself repeating the same actions across multiple tests, create custom commands to encapsulate the repetitive code.

Cypress.Commands.add('login', (username, password) => {
  cy.get('[data-cy="username"]').type(username);
  cy.get('[data-cy="password"]').type(password);
  cy.get('[data-cy="submit"]').click();
});

5. Keep test data separate​

Store test data, such as user credentials or API responses, in a separate file or as Cypress environment variables. This makes it easier to manage and update test data.

cypress.json
{
  "env": {
    "username": "testuser",
    "password": "testpassword"
  }
}

Use the environment variables in your test:

const { username, password } = Cypress.env();
cy.login(username, password);

6. Use the Cypress Real World App for reference​

The Cypress Real World App is an open-source project that demonstrates best practices and serves as a valuable reference for implementing end-to-end tests with Cypress. Explore the codebase to learn more about testing techniques and Cypress usage.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress-realworld-app

By following these best practices, you can write efficient, maintainable, and high-quality Cypress tests that ensure your web applications behave as expected and help you identify and fix bugs more efficiently.