Architecture and Environment Setup in Cypress

Cypress is a powerful end-to-end testing framework that revolutionizes web application testing. Unlike traditional tools, Cypress offers a unique architecture that enhances test reliability and speed. Whether you're a QA engineer or a web developer, understanding Cypress's structure and setting up your testing environment is crucial for efficient automated testing.

In this guide, we'll explore the innovative architecture of Cypress and walk you through the step-by-step setup process. You'll learn how Cypress differs from other testing tools like Selenium, and gain insights into its browser interaction capabilities. By the end, you'll be equipped to start writing tests and improving your web application quality with Cypress.

Cypress Architecture

Cypress has an architecture that is different from other testing frameworks:

The Unique architecture of Cypress's end-to-end testing framework is developed using JavaScript. Here is the description of the diagram

1. Web: The web component in the diagram Stands for the external web browser through which the application will interact.
2. Node.js: Node.js is a component of Cypress that provides a run time environment for Cypress. In this run-time environment, all tests will execute independently.
3. Cypress: Cypress is the main component or framework for testing. In Cypress we can write our test on different edge cases and execute it without any problem cypress will directly interact with browsers to execute tests and store the record of results in it.
4. Proxy Server: A proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediator between the client and a particular service server. This server helps to communicate client and service server for sharing any resources. Cypress uses this proxy server to monitor and manage traffic between the browser and application during test execution. Proxy Server manipulates requests of HTTP and Response to give Brief Information of Activities of Network
5. Browser: the Browser runs the Application under, the test and the cypress tests. It interacts with the Node.js environment via Web-Socket's and HTTP requests.
6. Cypress Tests: These are the Original tests written in, Cypress that interact with the application under test.
7. Application under Test: This is the web application that is being tested by Cypress.
8. Operating System: The OS is where the Node.js environment and the browser run, managing all system-level interactions.

Difference Between Cypress and Selenium

You might have heard about Selenium, another popular testing tool. Let’s see how Cypress is different:

Cypress Environment Setup (Steps)

Now, let's set up Cypress so you can start testing your website!

Step 1. Install Node.js

Cypress needs Node.js to run. Go to the Node.js website, download, and install it.

Step 2. Create a Project Folder

Make a new folder on your computer for your Cypress project.

Step 3. Initialize Your Project

Open a terminal (like Command Prompt or Terminal on Mac), navigate to your project folder, and run:

npm init -y

This sets up a new Node.js project.

Install Cypress: In the terminal, type:

npm install cypress

This installs Cypress as a development tool.

Open Cypress: In the terminal, type:

npx cypress open

This opens the Cypress Test Runner, where you can write and run your tests.

Example Usage of Cypress

1. Create a Project Folder

Create a new folder on your computer for your project, if you haven't already.

Let's call it ' cypress testing '.

2. Initialize Your Project

Open a terminal inside the project directory( generally in VS -Code ).

Initialize a new Node.js project:

npm init -y

This creates a package.json file in your project folder.

{ "dependencies": { "cypress": "^13.12.0" }, "name": "cypress-testing", "version": "1.0.0", "main": "cypress.config.js", "devDependencies": {}, "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" }, "keywords": [], "author": "", "license": "ISC", "description": "" }

3. Install Cypress

In the terminal, type:

npm install cypress

4. Open Cypress

In the terminal, type:

npx cypress open

Conclusion

Cypress stands out as a powerful and user-friendly tool for end-to-end testing of web applications. Its unique architecture offers significant advantages over traditional testing frameworks, including faster execution, real-time reloading, and simplified debugging. With its straightforward setup process and intuitive API, Cypress empowers developers and QA professionals to create robust, reliable tests efficiently.

By embracing Cypress, teams can enhance their test coverage, improve application quality, and streamline their development workflow. As you begin your journey with Cypress, remember that its strong community support and extensive documentation are valuable resources for continuous learning and improvement in your testing practices.