5 Best Practices For Cypress Automation Testing In Agile Environment

5 Best Practices For Cypress Automation Testing In Agile Environment | Agile methodology has transformed the software development process, bringing speed and efficiency to the forefront. However, with rapid development cycles, ensuring the quality of the software has become a challenging task. This is where automation testing comes in, and Cypress has emerged as a popular choice for automation testing in the Agile environment. 

Cypress is an open-source JavaScript framework that is fast, reliable, and easy to use. In this article, we will discuss five best practices for Cypress testing in the Agile environment to help you achieve maximum efficiency and quality in your software development process.

Importance of Test Automation In Agile Environments

The current trend of accelerated development and coding requires a corresponding acceleration in testing and product release cycles. In today’s market, every application or update released must operate flawlessly for all users.

In Agile development, QA professionals can create automation test cases that execute automatically whenever new code is uploaded to the repository for a specific application. This process, known as continuous testing in DevOps, ensures that new code is free of errors before being released into production.

Continuous testing is a critical stage in the Agile development process, involving the transition of code from development to testing to deployment, automated by a CI/CD pipeline.

How To Implement Test Automation In Agile

In Agile testing, automated testing tools and frameworks like Selenium and Cypress are used, along with a specialized collection of tools such as Jenkins, Travis CI, TeamCity, Bamboo, CircleCI, Azure Pipelines, and more to implement Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) process. These tools enable Quality Assurance (QA) professionals to develop test cases that align with the current application’s requirements and nature.

When new code is built, these test cases are automatically executed for every new line of code introduced to the program. The tests ensure that each line of code is error-free and that the newly developed code does not conflict with the functionalities already implemented via regression testing.

5 Best Practices For Cypress Automation Testing In Agile Environment

Here are some best practices for Cypress automation testing in an Agile environment:

1. Establish Clear Test Objectives

In an Agile environment, it is essential to establish clear test objectives to ensure that the Cypress automation testing process is successful. This will help guide the development of automated tests and ensure that they are properly planned, designed, and executed. 

For example, let’s consider a web application that allows users to create and edit tasks. To establish clear test objectives, the testing team would need to create a list of test cases that covers all the critical aspects of the feature. This could include verifying that users can create, edit, and delete tasks, as well as validating that the application handles errors gracefully.

The testing team would then use this list of test cases to develop automated Cypress tests that cover all the required scenarios. By having a clear understanding of the test objectives, the team can ensure that the automated tests are properly designed and executed to provide reliable results.

2. Leverage Model-Based Testing

Model-based testing (MBT) allows developers to create tests that are more reusable and maintainable than traditional manual tests. With MBT, Cypress can leverage system models created in a variety of languages, such as JavaScript, Python, or Java, and generate tests from them automatically. This eliminates the need for manual coding and makes the automation process faster and more efficient. Cypress provides support for MBT through various plugins and tools.

Here’s an example of how MBT can be used with Cypress  using Gherkin syntax and the Cucumber plugin:

1. Define a feature file using Gherkin syntax. For example, here’s a simple feature file that describes the behavior of a login form:-

Feature: Login
   As a user
   I want to be able to log in to the website
   So that I can access my account

   Scenario: Successful login
      Given I am on the login page
      When I enter valid credentials
      And I click the login button
      Then I should be redirected to the home page

2. Write a step definition file that maps the steps defined in the feature file to JavaScript code. For example:-

const { Given, When, Then } = require('cypress-cucumber-preprocessor/steps');

Given('I am on the login page', () => {
   cy.visit('/login');
});

When('I enter valid credentials', () => {
   cy.get('#username').type('myusername');
   cy.get('#password').type('mypassword');
});

When('I click the login button', () => {
   cy.get('#login-button').click();
});

Then('I should be redirected to the home page', () => {
   cy.url().should('include', '*/home');
});

3. Run the tests using Cypress. The tests will automatically be generated based on the feature file and step definition file.

Using MBT with Cypress and plugins like Cucumber can greatly streamline the process of creating automated tests, making it easier to ensure that software is thoroughly tested in an Agile environment.

3. Define Automation Processes

In an Agile environment, defining automation processes for Cypress testing involves establishing guidelines for the automation of test cases, selecting appropriate tools and frameworks, and determining the automation approach. To achieve this, it is crucial to identify the test data for each test case, including input values and expected output values. For instance, for the login feature of a web application, valid and invalid username and password combinations should be defined upfront to ensure consistent execution of tests.

Additionally, selecting the appropriate type of tests is important in defining automation processes. The selection process may involve choosing between end-to-end testing and unit testing depending on the application’s context. End-to-end testing examines the entire system and tests the application from a user’s perspective. In contrast, unit testing isolates individual components of the application for testing.

4. Monitor Cypress Test Results

In an Agile environment, monitoring Cypress test results is a vital step in ensuring the success of the automation process. This involves identifying and analyzing any failures that occur during the execution of the test suite. By doing so, developers can swiftly diagnose and rectify any issues with the code to prevent them from impacting the end product.

To monitor Cypress test results, developers can leverage the Cypress Dashboard, which offers a centralized platform to view and analyze test results, as well as comprehensive reports and metrics on test performance. The dashboard enables developers to quickly identify any failing tests and investigate the underlying cause of the failure.

Alternatively, developers can integrate Cypress with third-party tools like Jenkins or Travis CI to automate the testing process and receive real-time notifications when tests fail. This streamlines the testing process and enables teams to rapidly identify and rectify any issues, reducing time to fix and ensuring quality is maintained throughout the development cycle.

For instance, consider a web application that includes a login feature. A Cypress test suite could be designed to validate the login feature’s functionality, and the Cypress Dashboard can provide a comprehensive report on each test case’s pass/fail status, along with any errors or failures that occurred during execution. If a test fails, developers can promptly diagnose the issue and take corrective action to address it before the feature is released into production.

5. Utilize Automation Frameworks

In Agile environments, employing automation frameworks such as Cucumber or Selenium can enhance the efficiency of automation testing processes. These frameworks offer standardized methods and tools for executing tests, enabling developers to write tests quickly and easily while ensuring consistent results. They also facilitate code reuse, allowing developers to create modular tests that can be utilized in various scenarios.

Cucumber, a prominent automation framework, uses the Gherkin language to specify test cases in an easy-to-read and concise format. This framework provides a range of features to simplify testing, such as the capability to generate reports, create modular tests, and integrate with other tools, including Selenium WebDriver, for web testing.

Selenium, another widely used automation framework, offers an array of tools for automating web-based applications. Its suite of APIs enables interaction with web pages, and it includes multiple testing frameworks that allow developers to write tests in various programming languages. Additionally, Selenium incorporates numerous features for test management and reporting, enabling developers to identify and address issues as they arise promptly.

By utilizing automation frameworks like Cucumber or Selenium, developers can considerably enhance the speed and precision of the testing process while decreasing the resources and costs required to manage and maintain tests.

Optimize Your Cypress Automation Testing in Agile Environment with LambdaTest

Are you struggling to maintain the accelerated development and testing required in the Agile environment? Are you finding it challenging to thoroughly test your feature-rich applications with manual testing, leading to errors and delays in the release?

Manual testing in Agile can be time-consuming, and it’s difficult to cover all the possible scenarios with limited time. Without thorough testing, your application can have errors, bugs, and compatibility issues, leading to poor user experience, negative reviews, and delayed releases. Furthermore, testing on multiple devices, browsers, and operating systems can be complicated, and manual cross-browser testing may not provide accurate results.

Optimize your Cypress automation testing in an Agile environment with LambdaTest. LambdaTest provides a cloud-based platform for cross-browser testing on 3000+ browsers, devices, and operating systems. You can run your Cypress tests on the LambdaTest cloud to check the compatibility of your application in various environments.

LambdaTest offers seamless integration with various CI/CD tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI, etc. With LambdaTest, you can run your Cypress tests parallelly on multiple browsers and devices, speeding up your testing process and enabling you to release your product faster with better quality.

Here’s an example of how to run your Cypress tests on the LambdaTest cloud using LambdaTest CLI:-

npm install -g lambdatest-cli
lambdatest-cypress run --config-file "lambda-config.json"

With LambdaTest CLI, you can easily integrate your Cypress tests with the LambdaTest cloud and run them in parallel on multiple browsers and devices. LambdaTest also provides a dashboard to view your test results and logs, enabling you to identify and fix any issues quickly.

By optimizing your Cypress automation testing with LambdaTest, you can ensure your application works flawlessly on all devices, browsers, and operating systems, improving your user experience and releasing your product faster with better quality.

Running Your Tests In Parallel

When running Cypress tests in parallel on the LambdaTest platform, there are two methods to accomplish this. The first approach involves using the CLI and the “–parallels” option while running tests. This option specifies the number of parallel sessions to run the tests.

The syntax for running Cypress tests in parallel using the CLI is:
–parallels <number of parallel sessions>

For instance, if you want to run your Cypress tests in 5 parallel sessions, you can use the following command:-

lambdatest-cypress run --parallels 5

The second approach to running Cypress tests in parallel on LambdaTest is by using the lambdatest-configuration.json file. In this method, the “parallels” key is used to specify the number of parallel sessions.

The syntax for running Cypress tests in parallel using the lambdatest-configuration.json file is:-

{
   "run_settings": {
      ---
      "parallels": <number of parallel sessions>,
      ---
   }
}

For instance, if you want to run your Cypress tests in 5 parallel sessions, use the following settings:-

{
   "run_settings": {
      ---
      "parallels": 5,
      ---
   }
}

By using either of these methods, developers can run their Cypress tests in parallel, thereby increasing the efficiency and speed of the testing process.

Conclusion

Efficient and effective Cypress automation testing is crucial in an Agile development environment, enabling teams to rapidly and accurately test new features and functionalities. To achieve this, implementing the five best practices outlined in this article is essential. However, it is important to evaluate and refine the testing process continually, integrating new technologies and methodologies as they emerge to optimize efficiency and accuracy. With a commitment to quality and innovation, Agile teams can stay ahead and ensure their success in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

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