In this advanced world of technology, progressive web applications have taken over traditional websites. It has also been regarded as a popular choice. This is due to its fast delivery of reliable user experience over every platform. The user experience of the software application here is ensured through the end-to-end testing. The testers usually consider automated testing with Cypress for progressive web applications.
Cypress gives the power to automate test case execution. This saves the effort and time required to develop an end user’s satisfactory software application. This article will help you define cypress, end-to-end testing, and progressive web applications. Also, you will know why Cypress is considered for automating end-to-end tests for progressive web applications. Further, we will learn about the challenges Cypress faces and the best practices that can be taken to overcome those challenges. So, let’s get started with our learning.
What is Progressive Web Applications?
Progressive web applications are the modern web applications. It behaves as a web application but functions as a native application. Therefore, we can say a Progressive web application is a hybrid software application that combines the best features of both web and native applications. It is developed using the same technologies for developing web applications, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. But, regarding the user experience, it acts as a platform-specific application.
You can better understand a progressive web application through an example. Click the menu option to direct to a web application using any mobile browser. You get several other options under it. But when you select “Add to Home Screen”, a message asks you for the app installation. If you agree to do it, with a single click, the installation is completed. The installed application is the progressive web application, which seems to be a native application but differs from it. However, the fact also says you cannot differentiate between a Progressive web application and a native web application just by looking at its user interface.
What is End-to-End Testing?
End-to-end testing is a software testing technique most testers use to assess the workflow of an entire software application from beginning to end. This method guarantees that all coordinated components of a software application work together as anticipated by mimicking genuine client scenarios. The interactions in the end-to-end testing are done as an end user would do to validate overall system execution and reliability. Imitating how genuine clients are associated with your software application guarantees everything runs smoothly. This comprehensive testing strategy assesses the software application from the user’s viewpoint. It also guarantees that all components are in sync and are working appropriately.
End-to-end testing is regularly done after integration testing and before the software application is prepared for delivery. Total client workflow checks with end-to-end testing should be performed more carefully than unit or integration testing strategies. This regularly includes running a software application with all potential conditions, such as databases, outside administrations, execution measurements, logging, etc.
This makes a difference in reproducing real-world scenarios as closely as conceivable. A perfect end-to-end testing situation would approve all components and conditions, not just a particular set of features, like an integration test. Human testers can perform end-to-end testing physically or by utilizing automated scripts. However, end-to-end testing and integrating human testers with automated tools provide much more seamless software applications.
What is Cypress?
Cypress is an effective and advanced JavaScript-based automation testing tool. It has been specially outlined for developers and testers. It offers a natural and user-friendly interface. This makes test script composition simpler and allows an easy execution for web applications. Cypress stands out for its special architecture, which allows test scripts to run specifically inside the same browser as the software application beneath the test. This further empowers real-time debugging with less effort and in less time. This also allows testers to integrate with the software development workflow consistently.
Cypress is also used by most of the testers due to its key features. Cypress has its automatic waiting mechanism. This mechanism intellectually holds up for components to appear. It also allows the components of the software applications to interact intuitively before executing commands. This further disposes of the requirement for manual timeouts or delays. Furthermore, Cypress gives a wealthy set of commands for collaboration with web components, making it clear to mimic client intelligence and declare the application’s state.
Cypress offers built-in support for advanced web improvement practices such as component testing, network stubbing, and browser automation. It consistently coordinates with prevalent testing frameworks and can be effortlessly integrated into continuous integration (CI) pipelines. Cypress generally enables developers to compose vigorous, solid, and viable tests for their web applications, encouraging accelerated development cycles, improved code quality, and seamless client experiences.
Why Cypress for End-to-end Testing of Progressive Web Applications?
A progressive web application is developed using web technologies but should behave as a mobile application. Therefore, it could be challenging for testers to test for its seamless functioning manually. Cypress is an automated framework that is best suited for this task. Here is a list of why Cypress is an excellent choice for end-to-end testing of progressive web applications.
- It is a developer-friendly automated testing framework with a straightforward syntax for writing test scripts.
- It allows real-time debugging, which means the test scripts can be executed and tested simultaneously within the same browser window.
- It offers the mechanism of automatic waiting. Under this, Cypress automatically waits for the elements of the software application to become interactive before execution.
- It comes with built-in assertions and commands that allow automated scripting of test cases for progressive web applications.
- Cypress can seamlessly integrate into a CI/CD pipeline, making end-to-end testing more effective.
Leveraging Cypress for End-to-End Testing of Progressive Web Applications
You can easily use Cypress for end-to-end testing of progressive web applications by following the steps mentioned below.
- Setting Up Cypress: To begin end-to-end testing of the progressive web applications, you need to install Cypress into your project using yarn or npm. Then, initialize it into your project directory. Finally, you need to set your test environment and configurations.
- Understanding PWA Features: The next step involves learning about the features and functionalities embedded into your progressive web applications. Once you are ready with several features, such as push notifications or offline capabilities, you must ensure that your Cypress can test them.
- Writing Tests: The next step involves writing test scripts for the software application’s various features and functionalities. These tests should cover all the scenarios of progressive web applications. Also, you must use Cypress in-built commands to interact with the elements of your PWAs.
- Handling Service Workers: After composing the test scripts, you need to work on handling test scripts related to service workers. This includes test scripts for offline mode or background sync. Cypress also offers network stubbing and mocking capabilities to test progressive web applications under various network conditions.
- Testing Responsiveness: You should also work on testing the responsiveness of the software applications. This is because a progressive web application could be used through any mobile browser and device. Each device has its viewport according to the screen size.
- Continuous Integration: When test scripts are executed, multiple issues are detected, and a code change is made to fix them. To ensure the code change has not further raised any other issue, it is recommended to integrate your PWAs into a CI pipeline for the automated execution of test cases.
- Accessibility Testing: Cypress allows you to conduct accessibility testing that ensures that your PWAs are accessible to every user, irrespective of the browser or browser version. You can use Cypress’s accessibility plugins or custom commands to do this. The various browsers and browser versions here can be mimicked with the help of a cloud platform like LambdaTest.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that leverages artificial intelligence to facilitate the seamless and efficient running of manual and automated tests on a large scale. Focusing on providing a versatile testing environment, LambdaTest empowers users to conduct both real-time and automated testing across an extensive array of environments, encompassing over 3000 configurations, including browsers and remote test lab.
- Data Handling and State Management: You should also use Cypress for state management and to handle data related to your test scenarios. The data can be handled by being stored in the cloud platform, which lets every team member access test data effectively.
- Performance Testing: To deliver seamless software applications to the end user, you need to conduct performance testing on your progressive web applications. Cypress allows you to automate test scripts for performance testing and customize them as required.
Best Practices
Following up on certain best practices while automating end-to-end testing through Cypress for progressive web applications is always beneficial. Here is a list of best practices.
- Organize your test scripts into separate folders based on their features.
- Use descriptive test names. It helps in better understanding the purpose of test scripts.
- Keep every test independent of each other.
- Try testing for external dependencies such as network conditions using Cypress mocking capability.
- Use custom commands to reduce duplication and enhance the reusability of test codes.
- Ensure every feature of progressive web applications is tested.
- Test across multiple devices, browsers, and browser versions.
- Implement visual regression testing
- Optimize test execution time.
- Integrate your PWAs into a continuous integration pipeline.
Conclusion
Many testers and developers prefer Cypress for performing end-to-end testing of progressive web applications. Cypress testing ensures the reliability and usability of your PWA. Following the best practices described above, a developer can streamline test preparation and confidently deliver high-quality PWAs. Cypress’s built-in capabilities make testing PWAs effective and efficient. An effective process for end-to-end progressive web application testing with Cypress transforms your development and delivers great customer experiences across multiple devices and environments.