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Cypress vs Robot Framework: What are the differences?
Cypress and Robot Framework are both popular automation testing tools that are used to test web applications. Here are the key differences between the two:
Architecture: Cypress is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework that runs directly in the browser. It executes tests in the same run loop as the application being tested, allowing it to directly access and modify the application's DOM. On the other hand, Robot Framework is a generic open-source automation framework that uses a keyword-driven testing approach. It provides a simple and readable syntax for test case development.
Language Support: Cypress is primarily focused on testing web applications built with JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. It provides built-in support for writing tests in JavaScript. Robot Framework, on the other hand, supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Java, and C#. This allows testers to choose the language they are most comfortable with for test case development.
Test Execution: Cypress runs tests in a single process and within the browser, giving it full control over the application's environment. It can automatically wait for elements to become visible, handle AJAX requests, and prevent flaky tests. Robot Framework, on the other hand, executes tests by using a separate test runner. This allows it to run tests in parallel and distribute test execution across multiple machines, making it suitable for large-scale test automation.
Community and Ecosystem: Cypress has a growing community and a vibrant ecosystem. It provides comprehensive documentation, a dedicated support team, and regular updates with new features. Robot Framework, on the other hand, has a large and active community with extensive support and a wide range of external libraries and extensions that can be used to extend its functionality.
Test Maintenance: Cypress provides a rich API that allows developers to easily interact with elements, perform assertions, and handle different scenarios in their tests. It also provides features like auto-waiting, time-travel debugging, and real-time reload. Robot Framework, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and readability. Its keyword-driven approach makes it easier to write and maintain tests, especially for testers who are not proficient in programming.
Integration with CI/CD: Cypress provides built-in integration with popular CI/CD tools like Jenkins and Travis CI. It can generate test reports in different formats and supports parallel test execution. Robot Framework also offers seamless integration with CI/CD tools and supports various reporting formats. It can be easily integrated into existing CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing.
In summary, Cypress is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework with a focus on simplicity, while Robot Framework is a keyword-driven automation framework that supports multiple programming languages.
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 Cypress
- Open source29
- Great documentation22
- Simple usage20
- Fast18
- Cross Browser testing10
- Easy us with CI9
- Npm install cypress only5
- Good for beginner automation engineers1
Pros of Robot Framework
- Easy with CI/CD23
- Open Source22
- Simple Usage21
- Easily extendable14
- Vast Scope more than Front End13
- Fast12
- Mobile supports4
- Extensive libraries4
- Supports windows applications4
- Easy for Non-tech personal3
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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
Cons of Robot Framework
- Nested Loops8
- Devtooling is not there1
- Mostly for python1
- Extensive library support0
- Mobile supports0