Question 1

What is Cypress, and what is its main architecture?

Accepted Answer

Cypress is a next-generation frontend testing tool built for the modern web. Unlike older testing tools (like Selenium) that run outside the browser and execute commands over network protocols, Cypress runs **directly inside the browser** in the same loop cycle as the application, allowing it to inspect DOM elements, network traffic, and local storage instantly.

Question 2

Explain the difference between Cypress and Selenium.

Accepted Answer

Cypress runs in-browser, is written in JavaScript, executes commands quickly, and has built-in auto-waiting and network mocking. Selenium runs out-of-browser, communicates via WebDriver protocols, supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, C#), and is better suited for cross-browser testing across legacy browsers.

Question 3

How does Cypress handle automatic waiting?

Accepted Answer

Cypress automatically waits for elements to become visible, enabled, and exist in the DOM before performing actions (like clicking or typing). It also automatically retries assertions until they pass or a default timeout (typically 4 seconds) is reached, eliminating the need to write manual sleeps or timeouts.

Question 4

What are the common assertions used in Cypress?

Accepted Answer

Cypress assertions are built on Chai and Sinon. Common assertions include:
1. Implicit: `should()` and `and()` chained directly to query commands.
2. Explicit: `expect()` statements inside custom checks.
Code Example:
// Implicit assertions
cy.get('.btn-submit').should('be.visible').and('not.be.disabled');

// Explicit assertions
cy.get('.title').then(($el) => {
  expect($el.text()).to.equal('Hello World');
});

Question 5

What is `cy.intercept()`, and why is it used?

Accepted Answer

`cy.intercept()` allows you to monitor, capture, modify, or block HTTP network requests and responses made by your application. It is commonly used to stub API responses to test edge cases without relying on actual backend databases.
Code Example:
// Stub API request to return custom JSON
cy.intercept('GET', '/api/users', { fixture: 'users.json' }).as('getUsers');
cy.visit('/users');
cy.wait('@getUsers'); // Wait for mock request to complete

Question 6

How do you query elements in Cypress? What is the difference between `cy.get()` and `cy.find()`?

Accepted Answer

`cy.get()` queries elements globally across the entire DOM tree. `cy.find()` is a chaining command used to query nested child elements within the scope of a previously queried parent element.
Code Example:
// Get globally
cy.get('.nav-menu');

// Query child
cy.get('.nav-menu').find('.nav-item').first().click();

Question 7

What are Cypress Custom Commands, and where are they defined?

Accepted Answer

Custom Commands allow developers to write reusable test functions (e.g. mock login routines) that can be invoked directly on the `cy` object. They are defined in the `cypress/support/commands.js` file.
Code Example:
// Define command
Cypress.Commands.add('login', (email, password) => {
  cy.get('#email').type(email);
  cy.get('#password').type(password);
  cy.get('.submit').click();
});

// Use in test
cy.login('user@test.com', 'password123');

Question 8

Explain the use of Fixtures in Cypress.

Accepted Answer

Fixtures are static data files (typically JSON) stored in the `cypress/fixtures/` folder. They are used to mock API payloads or provide test configurations using the `cy.fixture()` command.

Question 9

What is the Page Object Model (POM) pattern in Cypress, and is it recommended?

Accepted Answer

Page Object Model (POM) abstracts page structures into reusable classes. While widely used in Selenium, Cypress documentation recommends using **Custom Commands** and utility functions instead, as POM can introduce hard dependencies and complicate debugging.

Question 10

How do you handle testing iframes in Cypress?

Accepted Answer

Cypress runs in a parent window frame, so it cannot interact with iframes directly. To test iframes, you must fetch the iframe DOM, wait for its body to load, wrap the document body using `cy.wrap()`, and then query elements inside it.
Code Example:
cy.get('iframe')
  .its('0.contentDocument.body')
  .should('not.be.empty')
  .then(cy.wrap)
  .find('#iframe-button')
  .click();

Question 11

What is Cypress Session and `cy.session()`, and why is it used?

Accepted Answer

`cy.session()` caches cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage of a logged-in user. On subsequent tests, Cypress restores the session instantly rather than repeating login steps, saving massive test execution times.

Question 12

What is a Cypress plugin?

Accepted Answer

Cypress plugins allow customizing or extending the internal Node process that runs behind Cypress (e.g., compile code with custom compilers, mock file operations). Plugins are configured in the `cypress.config.js` file using node event hooks.

Question 13

How does Cypress handle file upload testing?

Accepted Answer

Historically, file uploads required custom commands or plugins. In modern Cypress (9.3+), file uploads can be handled natively using the `.selectFile()` command, which accepts file paths, buffers, or drag-and-drop actions.
Code Example:
cy.get('input[type="file"]').selectFile('cypress/fixtures/photo.png');

Question 14

Explain Cypress environment variables and how to configure them.

Accepted Answer

Cypress environment variables store configurations (like URLs, usernames) accessed using `Cypress.env('varName')`. They can be configured in `cypress.config.js`, inside a `cypress.env.json` file, or set via system terminal environments prefixed with `CYPRESS_`.

Question 15

Why does Cypress commands seem asynchronous?

Accepted Answer

Cypress commands do not execute immediately when written in code. Instead, Cypress queues them sequentially as promises. Once the test script completes, Cypress executes the queue step-by-step. To chain values between commands, you must use `.then()` callbacks.

Question 16

How do you handle uncaught exceptions on the target website in Cypress?

Accepted Answer

By default, if the website throws an uncaught JavaScript exception in the browser console, Cypress fails the test. To prevent this, you can listen to the `uncaught:exception` event and return `false` to suppress the failure.
Code Example:
Cypress.on('uncaught:exception', (err, runnable) => {
  return false; // Prevents Cypress from failing tests
});

Question 17

What is Cypress Cloud (formerly Dashboard)?

Accepted Answer

Cypress Cloud is a cloud-based service that integrates with CI/CD platforms. It records test runs, provides execution logs, captures video recordings of failures, and supports parallel test execution across multiple runners.

Question 18

Explain the difference between `cy.visit()` and `cy.request()`.

Accepted Answer

`cy.visit()` visits a physical URL page in the browser (renders UI). `cy.request()` makes an HTTP request directly to a server (like Postman), bypassing the UI, useful for fast data seeding or checking API health before running tests.

Question 19

How do you run tests in headless mode in Cypress?

Accepted Answer

You run headless tests using the `cypress run` command in the CLI. By default, it runs all specs in headless Electron browser unless overridden.
Code Example:
cypress run --browser chrome --headless

Question 20

Explain the `origin` command (`cy.origin()`) in Cypress.

Accepted Answer

`cy.origin()` allows Cypress to execute test commands on a different domain context, enabling testing of third-party login pages (like Auth0 or Okta) without cross-origin script security errors.
Code Example:
cy.origin('https://login.example.com', () => {
  cy.get('#username').type('user');
  cy.get('#submit').click();
});

Cypress E2E Testing Interview

Difficulty Filters

Tools & Options

What is Cypress, and what is its main architecture?

Explain the difference between Cypress and Selenium.

How does Cypress handle automatic waiting?

What are the common assertions used in Cypress?

What is `cy.intercept()`, and why is it used?

How do you query elements in Cypress? What is the difference between `cy.get()` and `cy.find()`?

What are Cypress Custom Commands, and where are they defined?

Explain the use of Fixtures in Cypress.

What is the Page Object Model (POM) pattern in Cypress, and is it recommended?

How do you handle testing iframes in Cypress?

What is Cypress Session and `cy.session()`, and why is it used?

What is a Cypress plugin?

How does Cypress handle file upload testing?

Explain Cypress environment variables and how to configure them.

Why does Cypress commands seem asynchronous?

How do you handle uncaught exceptions on the target website in Cypress?

What is Cypress Cloud (formerly Dashboard)?

Explain the difference between `cy.visit()` and `cy.request()`.

How do you run tests in headless mode in Cypress?

Explain the `origin` command (`cy.origin()`) in Cypress.

Technical Interview Mastery Blueprint

1. The Engineering STAR Technique

2. Defending Architectural Trade-Offs

3. Clean Code & Edge-Case Proactivity

4. Antipatterns to Avoid

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