---
title:      "Cypress"
ring:       assess
quadrant:   tools
tags: [frontend, quality assurance]
---

[Cypress](https://www.cypress.io/) is a front-end testing tool (E2E). It comes as a simple node package and is therefore easy to use and maintain for front-end developers and testers. Cypress has a different approach than Selenium. It runs in the browser and in the same loop as the device under test.

Good:

* [Open source](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress)
* [Locally installed](https://docs.cypress.io/guides/getting-started/installing-cypress.html#System-requirements)
* Straightforward (installed via npm and all tests are written in Javascript)
* Good [documentation](https://docs.cypress.io/guides/overview/why-cypress.html#In-a-nutshell) and learning material
* Can run in a [headless mode](https://docs.cypress.io/guides/guides/command-line.html#cypress-run)

Not so good:

* No cross browser testing (only Chrome and Electron)
* Scenarios with multiple browser tabs can not be tested
* Relatively new test tool, though it is becoming more popular

Example of a test :

```js
describe('My First Test', function() {
  it('Visits the Kitchen Sink', function() {
    cy.visit('https://example.cypress.io')

    cy.contains('type').click()

    cy.url().should('include', '/commands/actions')

    cy.get('.action-email')
      .type('fake@email.com')
      .should('have.value', 'fake@email.com')
  })
})
```