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Cypress
Fast, reliable browser testing for modern web applications.
Cypress delivers fast, easy testing for any web app, supporting end‑to‑end and component tests across frameworks with debugging and cloud integration.
Overview
Overview
Cypress is a developer‑centric testing tool designed for modern web applications. It targets front‑end engineers, QA specialists, and DevOps teams who need reliable end‑to‑end and component testing without complex configuration. By running directly in the browser, Cypress gives immediate feedback and a visual test runner that mirrors the application under test.
Core Capabilities
The framework automatically waits for elements, handles network stubbing, and provides time‑travel debugging that lets you step back through each command. Component testing is built in for React, Angular, Vue, and Svelte, enabling isolated UI verification alongside full application flows. Integration with Cypress Cloud adds test status badges, centralized reporting, and a replay feature for flaky test analysis. Installation is a single npm (or yarn/pnpm) command, after which tests can be executed locally or in CI pipelines with minimal setup.
Getting Started
After installing, launch the Cypress Test Runner with npx cypress open to record, edit, and run tests interactively. For CI, use cypress run in headless mode and publish results to Cypress Cloud for team visibility. The MIT‑licensed project is actively maintained and supports macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Highlights
Real‑time reloading and automatic waiting
Time‑travel debugging with snapshot view
Built‑in component testing for React, Angular, Vue, Svelte
Seamless Cypress Cloud integration for reporting and test replay
Pros
- Fast installation via npm, yarn, or pnpm
- Intuitive API that matches developer workflow
- Rich debugging tools reduce flaky test investigation
- Broad framework support out of the box
Considerations
- Runs only in a browser environment
- Higher memory usage compared to lightweight unit test runners
- Limited parallelism without additional services
- Advanced cloud features may require a paid plan
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Fit guide
Great for
- Front‑end developers needing end‑to‑end coverage
- QA teams automating browser tests in CI pipelines
- Projects using React, Angular, Vue or Svelte component libraries
- Teams that value visual test debugging and replay
Not ideal when
- Back‑end services with no UI
- Native mobile app testing
- Environments with strict resource constraints
- Projects requiring extensive cross‑browser parallel execution without extra tooling
How teams use it
Login flow end‑to‑end test
Validate user authentication across browsers, catching regressions before release.
React button component test
Ensure isolated component renders and responds to clicks, speeding up UI development.
CI pipeline integration
Automatically run Cypress tests on pull requests, blocking merges on failures.
Flaky test debugging with test replay
Replay failing test steps in the Cypress Cloud UI to pinpoint root causes.
Tech snapshot
TypeScript53%
JavaScript39%
Vue4%
HTML3%
SCSS1%
CSS1%
Frequently asked questions
How do I install Cypress?
Run `npm install cypress --save-dev` (or `yarn add cypress --dev` / `pnpm add cypress --save-dev`) and Cypress will download the binary for your OS.
Can Cypress run tests in multiple browsers?
Yes, Cypress supports Chrome, Chromium, Edge, and Firefox out of the box; you select the browser when launching the test runner.
What is the Cypress Cloud badge?
A markdown badge you can add to your README that shows the latest test status or count from Cypress Cloud, providing instant visibility.
Is Cypress free for open‑source projects?
Cypress is released under the MIT license and can be used freely; optional cloud services have free tiers for open‑source repositories.
How does Cypress handle waiting for elements?
Cypress automatically retries commands until the element appears or a timeout is reached, eliminating the need for explicit waits.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 49,525
- Watchers
- 49,525
- Forks
- 3,392
LicenseMIT
Repo age10 years old
Last commit16 hours ago
Primary languageTypeScript
Last synced 12 hours ago