Cypress.io Vs. Selenium: A Complete Guide

Over the years, the entire idea of software testing has been redefined. With the introduction of advanced and open-source test automation frameworks, the QA teams have become more agile than ever. Besides, the advantage to access advanced assumptions, libraries, and techniques that come along with open-source test automation frameworks, makes it very convenient for the teams to progress on their test initiatives.  

And most of the time, when it comes to automation testing, the term ‘Selenium’ pops up immediately. Though Selenium is one of the pioneer technologies to test automation, another significant test tool that is gaining the attention of the industry is cypress web testing framework. 

Since it is necessary to make the right choice when planning a test automation strategy, developing a detailed understanding of Selenium and Cypress automation when it comes to simplified test process.  

But before we start digging into the depth of Cypress and Selenium as individual test tools, it is necessary that the key feature differences must be understood.  

Factors For Differentiation	Cypress	Selenium
Browser Support	Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Electron	Chrome, IE, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Opera
Documentation	Intuitive documentation with a growing community base	A rich community support with well-established documentation
Framework	Supports Mocha JS, Cucumber BDD, etc.	Supports multiple frameworks based on programming languages it supports
Language	Supports JavaScript only	Java, Python, Ruby, C#, Php, etc.
Setup	Easy Setup	A little challenging with driver & environment setup requirements

Getting Started With Cypress 

Cypress is a JavaScript testing automation solution used for web automation. It enables teams to create web test automation scripts. This solution aims to enable frontend developers and test automation engineers to write web tests in the de-facto web language that is JavaScript for web test automation. 

What Makes Cypress So Special? 

• First of all, Cypress is an advanced testing tool which makes it very simple and fast to set up 
• Secondly, Cypress framework enables testers to quickly debug adding to the implementation speed 
• Cypress allows rapid test execution with an active community 
• Cypress can be used to combine API inspection with functional testing. 

What Other Benefits Cypress Offers? 

• Time Travel 

Cypress takes a picture as your tests operate. This is one of the game’s altering product aspects. It also offers much flexibility to move back in time as far as implementation of commands is concerned. 

• Clocks, Spies, and Stubs 

It controls or verifies the behavior of timers, server responses, and functions. 

• Managed Network Traffic 

Simply manage, test edge and stub cases without including your server. You may stub network traffic of the network whenever you like or need it. 

• Consistent Outcomes 

Cypress architecture does not utilize WebDriver or Selenium. That is why it is the most consistent, reliable, and faster test that is flake-free. 

• Videos or Screenshots 

View screenshots are taken automatically on collapse and videos of your complete test suite during operation from CLI. Thus, Cypress documentation support is very convenient to pursue. 

• Cypress Is All In One 

Writing front-end tests take more different tools to work collectively. With Cypress testing, you may receive multitudinous tools in one. There is no requirement to install separate libraries or tools to receive your test suite setup. 

• Cypress Cloud & Integrations 

Cypress cloud comes as an enterprise-ready web solution that can be run with Cypress app. It can be used to get access to recorded test results, orchestrate tests across devices, run analytics and diagnostics, while allowing integration with all your essential and favorite tools for rapid test execution.   

Cypress Installation 

The Prerequisites involve: 

• Installation of Visual Studio Code IDE  
• Installation of NodeJS 

Once you are done working through the prerequisites, you can begin with the installation process. It can be done in two ways, either with NPM or by downloading cypress directly. For further details on the installation, you can simply walk through the installation guide for Cypress by BrowserStack. 

Setting Up Cypress For Automation 

As Cypress is shipped as an NPM package, beginning with automation require installation of the NPM package from the repository which is further configured to make Cypress work.  

1. Go to your desired folder or create a new folder (Cypress). 
2. Inside the folder, open command prompt 
3. Enter Command – npm install cypress-save-dev 
4. Once installed, run command – npx cypress open 

The last command is needed to prepare cypress for the first launch of test runners where sample tests could be checked to begin the test automation.  

The npx cypress open command prepares Cypress for the first time and launches the Cypress test runners where we can see example tests and play around with them. 

Cypress End To End Testing 

With Cypress, testers could experience a whole new approach to E2E testing simplifying the entire process with: 

• An all-in-one architecture for automation testing does not require individual component selection or installation of additional libraries. It allows you to write a test flow using JavaScript for instant execution.  
• Unlike other tools, Cypress do not function as general automation but meets all the specific objectives of end-to-end testing.  
• Cypress offers compatibility with almost all front-end frameworks as tests are written using JavaScript.  

Getting Started With Selenium 

Selenium is one of the most renowned and widely-used open-source test automation solution that has transformed the entire testing industry. From automation of web apps to websites for varying operating systems, versions, and browsers. Moreover, Selenium allows offers extensive language compatibility allowing testers to work on most used programming languages like C#, Java, Python, etc.  

Using Selenium framework, testers are able to deliver test cycles faster by automating repeated test cases. When integrated with CI/CD pipeline, Selenium can also help with a sturdy, bug-free release deployment pipeline. 

What Makes Selenium Special? 

• Selenium offers all the necessary framework and language support to the users 
• The open-source nature makes it more convenient for testers to work on queries 
• The cross-browser support across varying operating systems makes it a convenient choice to make 
• Selenium offers an easy-to-understand interface which enables rapid test execution. 

Suggested Read: How To Automate API's Testing With Selenium Webdriver?

What Other Benefits Selenium Offers? 

• Reusability & Integrations 

One of the most significant benefits that testers tend to experience with selenium automation testing is the advantage to reuse the code and better support on third-party test integrations. It not only improves the test process in long-term but adds more value to STLC.  

• Flexibility At Its Best 

Considering the modern tech environment, Selenium allows users to leverage dynamic language support which allows testers to make choice as per their expertise while yielding the most of cross-browser and cross-device testing.  

• Parallel Test Execution 

Another significant advantage that users are likely to experience with Selenium is parallel test execution, which means testers could run different test simultaneously, ultimately improving speed and reducing time to market. 

• Hardware Usage 

When compared to vendor tools like UFT or RFT, Selenium allows testers to execute tests with minimum resources making the overall test process easy to pursue. 

• Regular Updates 

Selenium is an easy-to-understand test automation tool that offer constant updates to streamline test execution strategies for speed, agility, and reliable output.  

Selenium Vs. Cypress  

Cypress	Selenium
Cypress end-to-end testing framework is very robust	It is a library that needs a unit testing framework to process.
To set up Cypress is easier as compared to Selenium.	Its setup is quite complex.
Cypress Automation Testing supports Js only.	It supports different programming languages like java and python.
Cypress supports Firefox and Chrome-family browsers (including Edge and Electron).	It can support various browsers.
To perform tasks, it uses DOM manipulation techniques.	It does not use DOM manipulation techniques.
There is no support for multiple tabs.	There is support for multiple tabs.
Limited support for OS.	Many OS can be used to process tasks.

• Installation 

For installation, Cypress do not require any configuration and could be installed through various ways. These include: 

• Install Cypress via npm or yarn 
• Install Cypress via direct download 
• To version and run Cypress via package.json 

To know further, you can simply follow this official installation link by Cypress.  

On the other hand, Selenium needs separate installation of language binding and configuration of the drivers to run. All in all, when it comes to the installation part, Cypress feels easier to install and run compared to Selenium.  

• Running Tests Across Browsers 

Selenium is a go-to option for any tester or developer that need to work on cross-browser testing. Besides, Cypress allows browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Electron, and chrome family browsers etc.  

Therefore, if you need to run browser tests for Safari, Google chrome, and almost every browser available in the market, Selenium is the choice to make.  

• Open-source Test Automation 

Though Selenium and Cypress are both open-source tools, cypress has various paid features like parallel execution to offer. Besides, the Cypress test runner showcases no restrictions which allows you to change the reporter or include a plugin that can show pass/fail results. However, using the Cypress dashboard require you to go for paid options.  

Overall, both Selenium and Cypress offer all the open-source support that you need. 

• The Architecture 

Selenium test automation framework runs outside the browser as the commands are remotely implemented across the network. It means all the automation scripts run outside browser to allow command execution into the web browser. This restricts the comprehending of reactions for any events fired in a single runtime loop.  

On the other hand, Cypress is executed in the same run loop as your application means in the case of Selenium, each of the browsers has provided their drivers, which interacts with the browser instances for the execution of the commands whereas in Cypress it is the browser that is executing your test code.  

Ultimately, end to end testing with Cypress allows delivery of more consistent results with a better understanding of tasks occurring inside and outside the browser. Also, Cypress brings you access to several over-the-wire protocols for pulling an application into Cypress. In short, if you need to quickly debug your spec test code, Cypress is the tool to choose.  

• Automation Testing For Developer or QA 

Selenium is a tool that works for all, test engineers, developers, as well as QAs. On the other hand, Cypress is a more developer-oriented tool and therefore it is usually preferred by developers or QA engineers that are working on JavaScript based web development projects. Most JavaScript developers love Cypress.io as the tool allows to simplify the task of writing test scripts. 

But at times, it leads to unreliable results and slow TDD outcomes. Thus, if you are looking for a simple to use tool that matches the capability of all sort of testers, Selenium is an option to consider. However, if you have a more mature QA team with developers involved into the process throughout, Cypress.io can be the choice. 

Is Cypress Better Than Selenium? 

Making the choice for the best automation tool, it is mandatory that testers as well as the development team working on the project must compare both options. Though the process to automate tests require some time, evaluating Cypress and Selenium could enable an organization to pursue smooth testing in the long run. 

To suggest, if you have a huge team of testers and have a development team that is not familiar with advanced tech stack, Selenium comes as a handy choice due to the ease it offers. On the other side, if you have a project where you have a team of experienced professionals working on UI-based automation, Cypress is the option to go with.  

And just in case, you need assistance planning your test automation strategy making the most with Selenium or Cypress.io, our team of ISTQB certified experts could help you meet highest benchmarks of quality assurance. 

Contact today!