February 2023 Summaries

The blog post, written by Cypress Ambassador Kailash Pathak, delves into the use of the "cypress-plugin-api" for API testing with Cypress, offering a detailed guide on how to automate API tests effectively. This plugin, developed by Filip Hric, enhances the Cypress testing framework by allowing users to execute API calls while simultaneously providing detailed information about each call within the Cypress Test Runner's user interface. This added functionality is similar to Postman but is integrated within Cypress, offering features like time-travel snapshots and a user-friendly display of cookies, JSON data, and HTTP methods through color-coded tables. The post provides a step-by-step guide on setting up the plugin, with examples of GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests using the API, which are illustrated with code snippets. Additionally, the post highlights the visual appeal and ease of access to response data directly from the Cypress UI, eliminating the need to use browser inspection tools, and invites readers to further explore API testing through an upcoming webinar hosted by Ely Lucas and Filip Hric.

Sean Connolly is highlighted as an exemplary Cypress Ambassador, known for his dedication to improving the developer experience with automation tools and his collaborative spirit in open-source projects. His motivation for being a Cypress Ambassador stems from his appreciation for the testing framework's capabilities, particularly its intercepts and stubbing features, and his commitment to educating others about its benefits. Outside of his professional work, Sean enjoys sim racing, motor racing, and 3D printing. He is proud of his advisory role with the Cucumber Team. The Cypress Ambassador program, aimed at supporting top advocates globally, offers its members speaking opportunities, a personalized hub, and increased visibility within the network, emphasizing the community spirit and empowerment that Ambassadors bring forth. The program is expanding to provide more experiences and resources, with plans for increased engagement opportunities throughout the year.

The blog post by Mike Plummer discusses the intricacies of using Cypress for component testing in Next.js applications, emphasizing the challenges and best practices involved. It explains the concept of a "component" as a JavaScript function that outputs HTML, CSS, and reactive behaviors, and highlights how Next.js can complicate testing by adding extra logic around components, such as data hooks and special components like next/image and next/script. The post advocates for isolating logic into standalone JavaScript functions to improve testability and suggests focusing on what hooks do rather than ensuring they fire correctly. It also addresses testing complexities related to Next.js integrations, like the Router and Head components, and advises on creating mock setups for these elements to maintain the integrity of component tests. The piece concludes by noting the changes introduced in Next.js version 13, which aim to simplify component testing, and encourages engagement with the Cypress community for ongoing learning and adaptation.

Cypress has introduced a new feature in its 12.6 release, allowing Cypress Cloud users to configure Auto Cancellation via the CLI and Node Module API, aimed at enhancing efficiency by shortening feedback loops and conserving CI and human resources. This feature enables Business and Enterprise customers to set specific conditions under which CI test runs are automatically canceled, based on variables such as the testing environment and branch. Users can control the number of test failures required to trigger Auto Cancellation, providing flexibility to tailor the process to different environments, such as setting lower thresholds in development environments for quicker feedback or disabling the feature on critical branches requiring full test runs. This new capability is accessible to all Business and Enterprise plans, provided users upgrade to Cypress app version 12.6 or later, and is easily implemented by adding a flag to the desired test runs. For further details and implementation guidance, users are directed to the Cypress Auto Cancellation documentation and changelog.

Max Schireson, former CEO of MongoDB and current Operating Partner at Battery Ventures, has been appointed to the board of directors at Cypress, bringing over 20 years of expertise in the technology industry. Known for his leadership in transforming MongoDB into a leading open-source database company and his ability to scale developer-centric products and services, Schireson's experience is expected to significantly contribute to Cypress's growth. He expressed enthusiasm about joining the innovative and rapidly expanding company, looking forward to supporting its continued success.

Kailash Pathak, a Cypress Ambassador, introduces the concept of API automation in the first part of a series, focusing on using Cypress for testing APIs. API automation involves the automatic testing and validation of APIs to ensure their functionality, reducing manual testing effort and increasing reliability. The blog explains how REST APIs operate, using HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE for data management, and provides a practical example of testing these methods with Cypress, a JavaScript-based testing framework. Cypress facilitates API testing by allowing developers to write tests for various HTTP requests, using the cy.request() function to interact with endpoints and Chai.js for assertions. The blog encourages readers to engage with further resources, like webinars, to deepen their understanding and enhance their API testing skills using Cypress.

The blog post spotlights Petros Plakogiannis, a dedicated Cypress Ambassador known for his contributions to the Cypress community through workshops, webinars, and seminars aimed at spreading knowledge about Cypress, a popular tool for automation testing. Petros is motivated by the tool's utility for testers and is actively involved in organizing community events and sharing insights about Cypress's features and best practices. He emphasizes the importance of understanding error messages to improve test writing and debugging. Outside of his professional activities, Petros enjoys playing soccer, reading history and politics, and playing video games like "Total War: Attila." Among his professional achievements, he takes pride in establishing a testing community in Athens, Greece, and speaking at international conferences. The Cypress Ambassador program supports advocates like Petros by offering them visibility, speaking opportunities, and resources to empower others within the global community.

The blog post by Filip Hric discusses a common issue encountered when using the `cy.session()` command in Cypress v12 for caching browser state during test runs, specifically in the context of login flows. The problem arises when the session is cached prematurely, before the authentication process is fully completed, leading to incomplete state storage. To address this, Hric suggests adding a "guarding assertion" to ensure that caching occurs at the correct moment, either by checking for a page redirect or verifying that an authentication token is stored in cookies. He further elaborates on using the `validate()` function within `cy.session()` to confirm token validity and handle re-authentication if necessary, thereby minimizing login attempts while ensuring session integrity during tests. The article also highlights the Cypress Ambassador program, which supports and promotes top advocates of the tool.

Gurudatt Ananthapadmanabha, a dedicated member of the Cypress Ambassador program, has been recognized as the "Biggest Cypress Advocate" for his commitment to helping community members succeed with Cypress, a popular automated testing tool. Motivated by the satisfaction of solving users' problems and sharing knowledge, Gurudatt actively writes blogs and articles, answers questions on the Cypress Discord group, and highlights features like cy.intercept() for its utility in network testing. He advocates using custom commands over page objects for easier code maintenance and takes pride in successfully integrating Cypress tests into his team's build pipeline, enhancing bug detection and code quality. Outside of his professional life, Gurudatt enjoys activities such as gym workouts, traveling, photography, and reading fictional mythology. The Cypress Ambassador program supports top advocates like Gurudatt by offering speaking opportunities, personalized hubs, and increased visibility, aiming to empower others and foster a strong community spirit.