Automated testing is crucial for any serious web application, but it can be challenging to build sustainable test suites that maintain accuracy over time. I‘ve helped over 3500 browsers and devices adopt quality automated browser testing in my 10+ years as a test expert, and Cypress has become my preferred tool.
In this comprehensive article, I‘ll share the exact test suite patterns I recommend based on lessons learned testing healthcare, financial services and e-commerce sites. By structuring your tests this proven way, you can prevent the flakiness and false test failures teams dread as suites expand across codebases.
The Fundamentals: Understanding Cypress Tests
Cypress tests verify application behavior programmatically by simulating realistic user actions and asserting site responses. Here’s an example test checking login capability:
it(‘allows registered users to log in‘, () => {
// Test steps simulating user actions
cy.visit(‘/login‘)
cy.get(‘#username‘).type(‘testUser‘)
cy.get(‘#password‘).type(‘testPass‘)
cy.get(‘.submitButton‘).click()
// Assertions verify expected application responses
cy.url().should(‘include‘, ‘/home‘)
cy.get(‘.welcomeMessage‘).contains(‘Welcome back testUser!‘)
})This automated test opens the login page, enters credentials, clicks submit, and asserts the user arrived on the home page with a welcome message displayed.
Key Concepts
Test Runner – Interactive browser launched via cypress open to see tests execute live. Enables debugging test failures easily.
describe() block – Groups together related test cases as a test suite
it() block – Defines a single test case with test steps and assertions
beforeEach() / afterEach() hooks – Setup logic executed before/after each it() test case
Chai assertions – Used to verify variable values, element properties, page content etc
Now let‘s look at optimal ways to organize meaningful test suites.
Composing Cohesive Test Suites
The describe() block creates a test suite – a container for related test cases verifying a particular user flow, component capability or application slice:
describe(‘Login feature‘, () => {
// Login related test cases
})Intelligently grouping tests improves understandability and modularity:
Group functionally related tests together
All test cases within a suite should relate to testing one capability or user journey. This creates coherence and encapsulates scope.
Aim for small, focused test suites
Ideal suites contain 5 – 15 individual test cases. Avoid monolithic suites exceeding 50+ tests as maintaining accuracy over time becomes exponentially more challenging.
Use descriptive suite names
Concise but descriptive names like ‘Login feature‘ quickly communicate purpose without needing to inspect contents.
Now let‘s look at tips for crafting robust test cases using it() blocks.
Writing Maintainable Test Cases
The it() block defines an individual test case that verifies specific expected behavior:
it(‘prevents login with invalid password‘, () => {
// Test logic
})Follow these guidelines when authoring test cases:
Verify only one use case per test
Keep tests laser-focused on validating one scenario, interaction or requirement to prevent brittleness as features evolve.
Use explicit step-by-step sequences
Sequence test steps linearly to accurately simulate user behavior and build confidence in test reliability as iterations expand scope.
Assert key system responses
Validate alerts, route changes, data writes, UI updates etc to ensure business intent rather than just UI appearances.
Include targeted test data
Script with representative valid and invalid inputs to improve test coverage across expected real-world usage permutations.
Executing Tests
The Cypress Test Runner provides an interactive interface coordinating test execution:
Run your entire suite collection or specific suites:
cypress run --spec "cypress/integration/payments/*"Interactive runs and video recordings ensure debuggability:
Next let‘s explore power patterns for scaling tests across teams.
Scaling Test Suite Organization
Consider adopting these techniques as your testing expands:
Isolate Components into Reusable Suites
Extract common patterns like login flows, data grids, media widgets into parametrized custom suites improving reusability.
Separate Utility Functions & Commands
Keep tests clean by moving any shared logic into imported support files or custom commands.
Divide by App Area or Capability
Use subfolders to organize related suites keeping complexity manageable as catalog grows.
Tag Suites to Filter Executions
Annotate suites with attributes like @smoke or @weekly to dynamically filter subsets to run.
Integrating With CI Pipelines
Mature teams run automated browser tests from continuous integration pipelines to accelerate release cadence without compromising quality:
Cypress enables parallelization across runtimes to efficiently utilize infrastructure. Remote services like BrowserStack dramatically expand cross-browser test coverage.
Conclusion
I hope this guide gave you ideas for crafting robust, maintainable Cypress test suites. Leveraging the patterns I shared will help prevent the flakiness that can erode suite effectiveness over time. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
