Mastering the 'cypress run' Command

 

Cypress is a popular testing framework that simplifies end-to-end testing for web applications. One of the core commands you'll use in Cypress is cypress run. This command allows you to execute your tests in a headless environment, making it ideal for continuous integration and testing workflows. In this post, we’ll explore how to use the cypress run command effectively and unlock its full potential.

Setting Up Cypress in Your Project

Before using cypress run, you first need to install Cypress in your project. If you haven’t already set up Cypress, it’s easy to get started. Simply run the following command:

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npm install cypress --save-dev

This command installs Cypress as a development dependency in your project. Once installed, you can open Cypress using npx cypress open to start writing your tests. But for running tests in a headless browser (without the GUI), we will use the cypress run command.

Executing Tests with 'cypress run'

The cypress run command is the simplest way to execute your tests in a headless environment. To run all your tests, simply run:

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npx cypress run

This will execute all the tests located in your /cypress/integration folder by default, using a headless browser (usually Electron). The tests will run in the background, and you’ll see the results in your terminal.

Running Specific Test Files

Sometimes, you may want to run a specific test file rather than all the tests. This is especially useful when working on a specific feature or debugging a single test. You can use the --spec flag followed by the path to the test file:

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npx cypress run --spec cypress/integration/example.spec.js

This command will run only the tests inside the specified file, allowing for faster iterations.

Selecting Browsers for Test Execution

Cypress supports different browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Electron. By default, Cypress runs tests in Electron. However, you can choose which browser to use by passing the --browser flag followed by the browser name:

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npx cypress run --browser chrome

This command will run your tests in Chrome. You can also specify other supported browsers like Firefox:

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npx cypress run --browser firefox

This flexibility helps ensure that your application is tested across various browser environments, making it cross-browser compatible.

Recording Test Results

Cypress provides a feature called the Cypress Dashboard, which allows you to record and view detailed test results. To record your test results, you need to use the --record flag:

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npx cypress run --record

When you use the --record flag, Cypress automatically uploads the test results to the Cypress Dashboard, where you can view logs, screenshots, and videos of your tests.

To link your tests to a project in the Dashboard, you’ll need to set up a project in your Cypress Dashboard account and provide your project’s record key as follows:

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npx cypress run --record --key <your-dashboard-project-key>

Recording your tests is useful for keeping track of test history and gaining insights into failures or flaky tests.

Grouping and Parallelizing Tests

When dealing with large test suites, running all tests sequentially can be time-consuming. Cypress offers the ability to group and parallelize tests, allowing them to run concurrently across multiple machines.

You can group your tests using the --group flag:

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npx cypress run --group "smoke-tests"

Additionally, you can run your tests in parallel with the --parallel flag to speed up execution:

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npx cypress run --parallel

Parallelizing tests can drastically reduce the time it takes to run a large number of tests, which is crucial for continuous integration pipelines.

Configuring Environment Variables

Cypress allows you to configure environment variables to change the behavior of your tests based on different environments. You can pass environment variables to Cypress using the --env option:

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npx cypress run --env apiUrl=https://api.example.com,env=production

This command sets the apiUrl and env variables, which can then be accessed within your tests using Cypress.env('apiUrl'). This feature is useful when you need to switch between different environments (e.g., staging, production) while running your tests.

Handling Test Failures and Retries

In some cases, tests may fail intermittently due to timing issues or external dependencies. To improve the reliability of your tests, Cypress provides an option to retry failed tests.

You can specify the number of retries using the --retries flag:

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npx cypress run --retries 2

This command will retry any failed tests up to two times. This helps reduce the impact of flaky tests and ensures more stable test results.

Integrating 'cypress run' into CI/CD Pipelines

Integrating the cypress run command into your continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines is crucial for automating the testing process. Popular CI tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI support running Cypress tests.

Here's an example of how you might configure a basic CI pipeline to run Cypress tests using GitHub Actions:

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name: Run Cypress Tests

on: [push]

 

jobs:

  test:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:

      - name: Checkout code

        uses: actions/checkout@v2

 

      - name: Install dependencies

        run: npm install

 

      - name: Run Cypress tests

        run: npx cypress run --record --key <your-dashboard-project-key>

This configuration installs dependencies and runs Cypress tests in a headless browser. It also records the test results on the Cypress Dashboard.

Conclusion

Mastering the cypress run command empowers developers to execute tests efficiently, record results, and scale testing across multiple environments. Whether you're running a single test file or parallelizing hundreds of tests, Cypress provides the tools you need to streamline your testing workflows. By incorporating cypress run into your CI/CD pipelines, you can ensure your applications are always tested and ready for deployment.