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CodeceptJS vs Cypress: What are the differences?
Introduction:
CodeceptJS and Cypress are both popular automation testing frameworks used for testing web applications. While they serve a similar purpose, there are several key differences between these two frameworks. In this markdown, we will explore these differences in detail.
Execution Speed: One major difference between CodeceptJS and Cypress is the execution speed. CodeceptJS executes tests in the backend, using WebDriver protocols, while Cypress runs directly in the browser. This allows Cypress to have faster test execution speed as it has direct access to the DOM.
API Architecture: Another key difference lies in the API architecture of CodeceptJS and Cypress. CodeceptJS implements the Fluent API style, where each action is defined as a single method call. On the other hand, Cypress follows the Chaining API style, where actions are chained together using dot notation. This can result in a more concise and readable code in Cypress.
Assertions: CodeceptJS uses the inclusive assert library, which allows usage of various assertion styles like Should.js, Chai.js, or Node.js assert. In contrast, Cypress has built-in assertions using Chai.js along with other assertion libraries like jQuery assertions, Sinon assertions, and more. This gives Cypress greater flexibility when it comes to assertions.
Debugging Capabilities: When it comes to debugging, CodeceptJS provides extensive debugging capabilities. It offers a debug scenario feature that allows pausing and stepping through the test execution. Cypress, on the other hand, provides a real-time reloading feature that enables developers to see the changes in the application in real-time as the tests are executed.
Support for Browsers: CodeceptJS supports multiple browsers as it uses WebDriver and WebDriverIO backend. It can run tests in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and more. In contrast, Cypress focuses on providing an optimal experience for running tests in Chrome-based browsers. While it supports other browsers through plugins, its main focus remains on Chrome.
Community and Ecosystem: CodeceptJS has been in the market for a longer time and has a larger community and ecosystem. It has a vast selection of plugins and supports various test frameworks like Mocha, Chai, and more. Cypress, on the other hand, is relatively newer and has a smaller community. However, it has gained popularity due to its simplicity and ease of use.
In Summary, CodeceptJS and Cypress differ in terms of execution speed, API architecture, assertions, debugging capabilities, browser support, and community size.
In the company I will be building test automation framework and my new company develops apps mainly using AngularJS/TypeScript. I was planning to build Protractor-Jasmine framework but a friend of mine told me about Cypress and heard that its users are very satisfied with it. I am trying to understand the capabilities of Cypress and as the final goal to differentiate these two tools. Can anyone advice me on this in a nutshell pls...
I've used both Protractor and Cypress extensively. Cypress is the easier and more reliable tool, whereas Protractor is the more powerful tool. Your choice of tool should depend on your specific testing needs. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each tool:
Cypress advantages:
Faster
More reliable (tends to throw fewer intermittent false failures)
Easier to read code (handles promises gracefully)
Cypress disadvantages:
Cannot switch between browser tabs
Cannot switch to iFrames
Cannot specify clicks or keypresses explicitly as if a real user was interacting
Cannot move the mouse to specific co-ordinates
Sometimes has trouble switching between different top-level domains, so not good for testing external links
Cypress is a newer tool with less extensive documentation and less community support
Protractor advantages:
More powerful because it is Selenium-based - it can switch between tabs, it can handle external links to other domains, it can handle iFrames, simulate keypresses and clicks, and move the mouse to specific co-ordinates within the browser.
More extensive community support and documentation
Protractor disadvantages:
Slower and more brittle - in general there is a higher likelihood of cryptic and/or intermittent errors which may cause your tests to fail even though there is nothing wrong with your application
For highly experienced automation engineers, the fundamental "brittle" nature of Selenium can be worked around - it can be reliable but only if you really know what you are doing
Less graceful handling of promises - relies on async/await or .then to manage the order of execution. Therefore it is a bit harder to read the code.
Harder to set up, and the method of setup impacts its reliability. For example, a hub/node configuration where the selenium jar is on a different physical machine than the browser under test will cause unreliability in your tests. Not everyone knows about this type of thing, so it's common to find Selenium frameworks that are set up poorly.
It's probably better to use Cypress if
you're at a smaller company and have a close relationship with developers who can help write hooks or stubs in their code to assist your testing
you don't need to do things like switch between tabs or test links to external top-level domains
It's probably better to use Protractor if
You might need to switch between tabs or test external links to other domains within the scope of your framework
You want to use a more accurate simulation of how a real user interacts with a browser (i.e. click at this location, type these keys)
You're at a company where you won't have any support from developers in writing hooks or stubs to make their code more testable in a less powerful framework like Cypress
Please try Handow, the e2e tool basing on Puppeteer.
Gherkin syntax compatible
Chrome/Chromium orentied, driven by Puppeteer engine
Complete JavaScript programming
Create test suites rapidly without coding (or a little bit), basing on built-in steps library
Schedule test with plans and arrange stories with sequential stages
Fast running, execute story groups in parallel by multi-workers
Built-in single page report render
Cover page view, REST API and cookies test
As we all know testing is an important part of any application. To assist with our testing we are going to use both Cypress and Jest. We feel these tools complement each other and will help us get good coverage of our code. We will use Cypress for our end to end testing as we've found it quite user friendly. Jest will be used for our unit tests because we've seen how many larger companies use it with great success.
Pros of CodeceptJS
- Readability10
- Full browser control9
- Cross browser support9
- Open source8
- Community6
- Flexible Driver5
- Great documentation3
- Agnostic2
Pros of Cypress
- Open source29
- Great documentation22
- Simple usage20
- Fast18
- Cross Browser testing10
- Easy us with CI9
- Npm install cypress only5
- Good for beginner automation engineers2
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Cons of CodeceptJS
- Small community2
- Not a framework by itself1
Cons of Cypress
- Cypress is weak at cross-browser testing21
- Switch tabs : Cypress can'nt support14
- No iFrame support12
- No page object support9
- No multiple domain support9
- No file upload support8
- No support for multiple tab control8
- No xPath support8
- No support for Safari7
- Cypress doesn't support native app7
- Re-run failed tests retries not supported yet7
- No support for multiple browser control7
- $20/user/thread for reports5
- Adobe4
- Using a non-standard automation protocol4
- Not freeware4
- No 'WD wire protocol' support3